Gyeonggi Province will lift the regulation requiring the implementation of building impact review procedures for outer areas of national heritage sites, which had been criticized for infringing on private property rights and restricting development.
Gyeonggi Province announced that the provincial council passed an amendment to the "Ordinance on the Utilization and Preservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Gyeonggi Province" on the 27th, which removes the national heritage impact review requirement. The amended ordinance will be promulgated in July.
Under the current system, when constructing buildings of 10 floors or more within 200m to 500m from the outer boundary of nationally designated heritage sites in urban areas (residential, commercial, industrial zones) or within 200m to 300m from the outer boundary of provincially designated heritage sites, an impact review on the potential damage to the landscape of the national heritage must be conducted.
According to the amended ordinance, the inconvenience experienced by residents whose property rights were restricted around national heritage sites will be greatly alleviated, and the building permit period will be significantly shortened from three months to one month by omitting the impact review procedure, which typically takes two months. The eased regulations apply to 204 national heritage sites within the province, covering an area of 24 square kilometers, more than five times the size of Yeouido.
Lee Jong-don, Director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "This regulatory relaxation will increase development possibilities around national heritage sites and reduce inconvenience and burdens on residents through simplified administrative procedures. We will do our best to ensure the reasonable preservation of national heritage."
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