The Economic-Budget Board of the People’s Council of Hai Duong province had a working session on December 9 with the Department of Construction on the provincial housing development programme by 2020, with a vision towards 2030.

The provincial People’s Council holds a working session with the Department of Construction on the provincial housing development programme by 2020, with a vision towards 2030.

Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Van Doan said the socio-economic development, as well as the development of industrial parks and clusters in Hai Duong promise an increase of 6-10 percent in local labourers and population.

By 2020, Hai Duong plans to increase the average living space per person to 28.5 sq.m (35sq.m in urban areas and 27sq.m in rural areas), and expand the floor area by 20.4 million sq.m  to 62 million sq.m.

It aims to gradually improve housing quality, with consolidated and semi-consolidated houses replacing temporary ones.

However, this work should match the reality and ensure the stability of the real estate market, Doan said, adding that during the 2015-2020 period, Hai Duong will not build new houses for students and public servants.

The province will continue to mobilise resources for the construction of houses for other groups of social policy beneficiaries.

Regarding commercial houses, Hai Duong will build new houses on a total area of over 13.1 million sq.m in residential, new urban and rural areas. A total of 516.23ha will be zoned off for the housing development programme by 2020.

According to Doan, the use of land funds at residential, urban and rural areas in localities has not exceeded the target set for 2020 approved by the Government. To improve people’s living standards, housing density in urban areas is set at 80 percent, with the average height of houses set at two and a half storeys, and the respective figures in rural areas are 60-70 percent and one and a half storeys.

In localities, given the used land fund surpassing the maximum demand, provincial leaders ordered the construction of only significant and urgent projects in the sphere of socio-economic development.

Particular projects like urban areas, services and resorts that are of regional and national scale can expand their projected area.

Trinh Nam Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, said as of April 1, 2019, the average per capita living space in Hai Duong stood at 26.8 sq.m  (33.7 sq.m  in urban areas and 25.1 sq.m  in rural areas). The province’s total housing area exceeded 50.9 million sq.m, surpassing the target of 50.1 million sq.m set in the programme. By the end of 2019, the province had basically completed the project on housing support to revolutionary contributors.

However, the settlement of accommodations for such groups as poor households in rural areas, workers and low-income earners in urban areas has yet to meet the set target.

During the 2016-2019 period, Hai Duong built commercial houses on an area of over 7.2 million sq.m, 127 percent higher than the target by 2020.

The official pointed to certain bottlenecks during the implementation of the programme, saying the quota of houses for social policy beneficiaries has yet been reached.

Besides, localities have continued to roll out housing projects despite a large amount of commercial land left free in residential, urban and rural areas, he added.

Investors have not paid due attention to housing projects for social policy beneficiaries as these projects need huge investment, take time to get capital back and pose high risks, the official explained.

Hai Duong decided not to build new houses for public servants and students as there are no central-level officials rotated to the province and the two existing clusters of dormitories have yet been fully tapped.

Hung also explained the huge investment flow in commercial houses, which is the result of stable socio-economic development, people’s higher living standards and increasing housing demand.

Localities have stepped up new housing projects to get funding for new-style rural area building, he continued.

At the working session, the assessment group asked the Department of Construction to recommend the provincial People’s Committee tighten land planning and investment plan approval, especially planning schemes of urban areas and residential clusters, thus saving land for houses for low-income earners.

By 2020 and beyond, there must be close coordination between agencies and localities in the province in housing planning that should match local socio-economic development./.