Prioritize Key Project Land Supply! Ministry of Natural Resources: Newly Added Construction Land Prioritized for Major Infrastructure Projects!

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration recently issued the Notice on Further Strengthening the Protection of Natural Resource Elements (hereinafter referred to as the 'Notice'). The Director of the Development and Utilization Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Lin Weicheng, stated:The Notice clearly states that newly added construction land must not be used for commercial real estate development, nor should it be equated with non-essential land use; instead, it should focus on 'precise supply and optimal allocation' of reserve resources.By improving land planning and timing, priority should be given to areas with superior location, complete supporting facilities, and strong development potential to help enterprises secure quality sites and build high-quality facilities.

Currently, China's urbanization is transitioning from a rapid growth phase to a stable development stage, and urban development is shifting from large-scale expansion to one focused primarily on improving quality and efficiency through sustainable growth.Urban construction land includes newly added land generated through reclamation and conversion, as well as land repurposed from old urban areas, low-efficiency utilization zones, and reclaimed dry or idle land.

Lin Weicheng stated:emphasizing the need to control increases through conservation. A comprehensive approach combining conservation and increase in land supply will be implemented, ensuring every piece of land is used efficiently. Except for independent, designated projects such as energy, transportation, and water conservancy, annual new construction land allocations must not exceed the total area of existing reserve land, preventing uncontrolled urban sprawl and unchecked expansion.

The Notice proposes:strengthening implementation monitoring and evaluation, and optimizing national spatial layout.Focusing on key aspects including strategic implementation in main functional zones, guidance under the 'Three Zones and Three Lines' framework, industrial development, and people's livelihood improvement, regular assessments will be conducted. Under the principles of maintaining farmland quantity without reduction, improving quality, and ecological restoration, and safeguarding ecological protection red lines with stable area, enhanced functionality, and unchanged quality, local authorities will conduct dynamic maintenance of spatial plans annually, positively refining zoning, boundary controls, and lists of key projects. This ensures greater flexibility and resilience in land planning, enabling more practical and effective allocation of natural resource elements.

Meanwhile,leveraging the foundational role of planning, the 'One Map' approach will be explored to establish a nationwide spatial planning permit system.National spatial planning is unique and comprehensive. By establishing a unified 'One Map' system through natural resource management and spatial planning, the overall planning’s guiding and binding effect on specialized plans will be strengthened. It will unify spatial demands across transport, energy, water resources, cultural heritage protection, mining, and other sectors, proactively serving scientific site selection during plan formulation, promoting coordinated development, and eliminating spatial conflicts and contradictions.