Namyangju, a city in Gyeonggi Province, has decided to suspend the imposition of enforcement fines on greenbelt properties inside sites designated for urban public housing districts, a move aimed at supporting the government's push to speed up housing supply and easing the financial burden on local residents.
Some residents holding property in restricted development zones, or greenbelts, that fall within planned urban public housing districts had been required to restore their land to its original state and to pay enforcement fines under the Special Act on Designation and Management of Restricted Development Zones, even though their land is set to be expropriated and their buildings demolished, the city said on the 21st.
Critics have long argued that continuing administrative penalties on assets due to be torn down as the project proceeds places an excessive burden on residents.
The city said it decided on the suspension to cut unnecessary administrative and social costs and to accelerate the public housing project. The decision also brings the city in line with suspensions already applied at existing public housing districts such as Wangsuk New Town, and reflects an active use of relevant guidelines, according to the city.
Under the measure, the imposition and collection of enforcement fines for existing violations in greenbelt areas within the planned districts will be held off until the district plan is approved for the lifting of greenbelt status. The city expects the decision to reduce the burden on residents and to ease potential social conflict arising during the public housing project.
"Reflecting the legitimate demands of citizens in city administration and putting their lives and rights first is at the heart of how we govern," Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyun-duk said. "We hope this suspension will relieve the financial burden on residents and help create stable housing conditions."
The city added that because the measure does not legalize the violations themselves, basic administrative procedures under the law, including corrective orders, will continue as required.
