Green Belt Designation to Be Lifted for Settlements of 20+ Households by Year-End

Of 551 medium-sized clustered settlements in Gyeonggi Province with 20 to fewer than 300 households, all but four locations are expected to be lifted from green belt designation by year-end.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated on the 4th, "As of the end of last month, among 551 priority green belt designations for medium-sized settlements totaling 33.75 million ㎡ within the province, we have lifted designations on 33.54 million ㎡ excluding four sites," adding "We plan to complete all remaining areas by year-end through administrative procedures."

By region, Namyangju City leads with 88 lifted sites, followed by Hanam City with 64 sites and Hwaseong City with 57 sites, with target areas spanning all 20 cities and counties in the province.

Among non-lifted areas, 20 sites—including 12 in Yangju and three in Goyang—have already passed all reviews by the Urban Planning Committee and joint committees, and after completing transportation impact assessments, are scheduled for lifting this month.

Meanwhile, Gwangmyeong City's Garakgol settlement will not be lifted due to voluntary cancellation requests from residents, while three sites—Jangan-ddeul and Binjeong in Hwaseong City and Yamok in Yangpyeong County—failed to be approved by the province's Urban Planning Committee due to unmet conditions and will have their lifting status reconsidered later.

Consequently, of the 551 target sites and 37.5 million ㎡ for lifting, all but four sites covering 148,000 ㎡ are expected to be lifted by year-end, substantially alleviating inconveniences for approximately 131,000 residents in those areas.

Areas lifted from green belt designation will be converted from natural green space zones to general residential zones of the first type, allowing unrestricted new construction and additions. Building coverage ratios will be significantly relaxed from 20% or less to 60% or less of lot area, and floor area ratios from 50-100% to 150% or less of lot area.

A provincial official stated, "We plan to lift all designations by year-end except for areas where residents voluntarily requested cancellation or conditions are not met," adding "However, for sites like Hwaseong's Binjeong settlement that could not be lifted due to unmet conditions, we will hold another Urban Planning Committee meeting to discuss lifting if residents request reconsideration."