HCM CITY — HCM City People’s Committee has issued new land division regulations which allow large plots of land to be divided into smaller plots, including land plots that have been part of delayed plans that have yet to be implemented.

The new regulations take effect on January 1.

Under the new Decision 60, which was issued on December 5, the criteria for the area and minimum width will vary depending on three zones.  

For zone 1 (inner city), including districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, Gò Vấp, Bình Thạnh, Phú Nhuận, Tân Bình and Tân Phú, the divided land plots must each have a minimum area of 36 sq.m and width of at least three metres long.

For Zone 2, (districts experiencing fast urbanisation), including district 2, 7, 9, 12, Bình Tân and Thủ Đức, the divided land plots must each have a minimum area of 50 sq.m and width of at least four metres long.

For Zone 3 (outlying districts), including districts Bình Chánh, Củ Chi, Hóc Môn, Nhà Bè and Cần Giờ, the land plots must have a minimum area of 80 sq.m and width of at least five metres.  

The new regulations on land division require a minimum area of 500 sq .m for a plot of farmland with annual crops, and at least 1,000 sq.m for farmland used for industrial plants, aquaculture and salt-marsh.

Under the new regulations, land users have the power over land, as stipulated in the Land Law 2014, for plots in areas not suited for agricultural production and for plots in areas that will not be restored under zoning plans.

With the new regulations, people in HCM City, especially those living on land plots that have been part of long-delayed plans, can now legally divide their land plots into smaller plots, which they were not allowed to do in the past because of planned projects on that land (which have been delayed).

According to Decision 60, if there is no plan to develop the land after three years, residents living on land under delayed projects can move on to divide their land plots.

People in Hoàng Đạo Thúy Street in An Phú Tây Commune in outlying Bình Chánh District, for example, which have been waiting for 24 years for plans to be developed on their land, will now be allowed to divide their land plots.  

“We now can divide land plots for our children for them to build temporary houses to live while waiting for the planning to be carried out,” said Cao Thanh Bùi, 50, of Bình Chánh District.

The new regulations replace Decision 33 which was issued by HCM City People’s Committee in 2014. Under the latter, each new plot of land had to be at least 50 sq.m and four metres wide. — VNS

.