Proposals Covering Four Areas and Nine Issues Submitted to the Office for Government Policy Coordination
Easing Regulations on Non-Apartment and Small-Scale Housing
Proposal to Integrate Review Procedures for Public Housing Construction
Need to Strengthen Management Authority Over Redevelopment Projects
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has submitted a request to the central government to improve regulations that are hindering housing supply. Amid worsening supply conditions due to rental fraud and rising construction costs, the city aims to normalize housing supply by streamlining procedures and revising related systems.
On January 16, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it had proposed nine regulatory improvements to the Office for Government Policy Coordination to revitalize housing supply. The proposals cover four main areas: △ procedural innovation, △ supply activation, △ protection of citizens' property rights, and △ enhancement of quality and safety (improvement of construction bidding systems).
Integration of Public Housing Review Procedures... Request for Streamlining
First, the city proposed integrating the review procedures for public housing construction. The rationale is that simplifying procedures and eliminating redundant steps will accelerate the pace of housing supply.
Accordingly, the city requested that the integrated review process required for project plan approval in public housing projects include both the environmental impact assessment and the performance-based fire safety design review. Previously, these assessments were reviewed separately, causing delays in project plan approvals.
Additionally, the city requested improvements to allow the performance-based fire safety design review to be integrated into the review stage of the Building Committee. Previously, a separate preliminary review by the head of the local fire station was required before the Building Committee review, resulting in lengthy delays in obtaining building permits. The city expects that if the preliminary review of the performance-based fire safety design is conducted from the building review application stage, the overall process could be shortened by up to six months.
Increase Number of Residential Floors in Urban-Style Housing... Call for Easing Regulations on Small-Scale and Non-Apartment Housing
There are also calls for easing regulations on small-scale and non-apartment housing to provide more housing options for young people and newlyweds.
The city proposed relaxing the limit on the number of residential floors for urban-style housing, such as row houses and multi-family dwellings, from the current five floors to six. The city believes that increasing the number of residential floors by one would lead to more active housing supply.
The city also requested reasonable relaxation of sunlight angle restrictions and building distance standards when constructing small-scale housing. If standards such as sunlight angle restrictions are eased, a significant portion of existing building code violations could be resolved, and conditions for constructing small-scale housing would improve, thereby facilitating smoother housing supply.
Improvements were also proposed for the criteria used to define 'old and substandard buildings.' Under current law, more than half of the buildings in an area must be classified as old or substandard for a small-scale housing redevelopment project to proceed. However, when public institutions purchase or demolish buildings for safety reasons, these buildings are excluded from the count, making it difficult to meet the requirements for redevelopment projects.
Strengthening Management of Redevelopment Projects... Need for Improvement in Construction Quality Systems
There were also calls for strengthening the authority to manage housing cooperatives and redevelopment projects to protect citizens' property rights and improve construction quality.
The city requested that 'regional and workplace housing cooperatives' be included under the management and supervision of local governments from the early stages of a project, so that Seoul can prevent illegal activities and protect cooperative members from harm. Under the current Housing Act, regional and workplace housing cooperatives are excluded from local government supervision until they receive project plan approval, making it difficult to issue corrective orders in cases of illegal activity.
Additionally, the city requested the granting of 'special judicial police authority' to public officials so they can directly investigate illegal activities occurring during redevelopment projects. With investigative authority, administrative and investigative functions could be organically linked, increasing transparency throughout urban redevelopment projects.
The city also proposed expanding the 'comprehensive evaluation bidding system,' which currently applies only to construction projects ordered by local governments worth 30 billion won or more, to projects worth 10 billion won or more. Currently, the 'qualified evaluation system,' which prioritizes the lowest bid, makes it difficult to select companies with strong technical capabilities.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to continue working with the central government to ensure rapid housing supply and protection of citizens' property rights through these proposals. Lee Junhyeong, Director of Regulatory Innovation Planning at Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "The speed of housing supply is directly linked to citizens' lives," adding, "We will enhance the quality of life for citizens and protect their property rights through multifaceted regulatory improvements."
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