Confusion over its new housing development guidelines resulted
in the Ministry of Construction yesterday clarifying the
situation.?
To increase the number of affordable homes and curb soaring
prices the State Council said from June 1 homes no bigger
than 90 square meters must account for at least 70 percent of the
total space being provided in new residential housing projects.
However, there was no detailed explanation of what the specified
"90 square meters" and "70 percent" rules actually meant. Many felt
the guidelines were too ambiguous.
For example in some regions an apartment of 90 square meters
could mean 90 square meters of "usable" space while it might in
fact actually have a floor area of 110 square meters.
Therefore the ministry yesterday made it clear that the 90
square meters includes both the usable floor space and the shared
public areas in residential buildings.
With regard to the proportion of smaller homes the ministry has
said that homes with less than 90 square meters of space must
account for at least 70 percent of the total floor space of any new
residential development.
They also said that land identified for medium and low cost
housing must, in the main, be reserved for the construction of
homes of 90 square meters or smaller.. The ratio for the provision
of such homes must not be breached but if developers wish to make
adjustments they must seek ministry approval. Details of the scheme
were contained in a circular issued by the ministry yesterday.
(China Daily July 14, 2006)