The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs on Tuesday said it decided to lift restrictions on more green belt areas with a “relatively low” conservation value to support local projects aimed at galvanizing the economy in regional areas and secure building space near urban areas.

The green belts in question account for 7.8 percent of the entire green belt area across the country, which measure 3,939 sq. km. Their "green grades" are between 3 and 5, meaning their conservation value is relatively low. The areas are close to urban districts, industrial complexes or ports, and highways or railway lines have already been built. The ministry added it will also lift construction restrictions on some farmland with a "green grade" of 2, but only in hilly areas lower than 70 m above sea level.

The ministry also decided to scrap building height limits in those areas. Property owners had been allowed to build buildings up to seven stories in the past, but from now on local governments can use more discretion.

Meanwhile, the ministry will lower the ratio of rental homes to apartment houses from over 50 percent to 30-40 percent when they are built and give priority to attracting research and industrial facilities related to green technology, including new renewable energies.

According to the ministry, detailed areas will be determined after the first half of 2009, when local governments change their urban management plans. But real estate experts predict that the affected areas will be Gwancheon, Hanam, Seongnam, Goyang and Uiwang in Gyeonggi Province, Gangseo-gu in Busan and the area near the Jinhae Industrial Complex in South Gyeongsang Province.

(englishnews@chosun.com )