Change in land-use guidelines

The mainland will change the way it reviews and approves applications for land development next May.

Land will not be granted for projects almost automatically as it is now. Instead, an overall plan for land use will be drawn up.

Supply of land will determine whether a project can proceed.

The State Land Administration Bureau said the Government would change its system of reviewing applications for non-agricultural land use in May.

'In the past, once there was a project, land would be allocated. Seldom has any review been made,' said Wang Shiyuan, director of the bureau's Land Utilisation Planning Department.

The Hong Kong China News Agency said the mainland began to freeze all non-agricultural use of farmland for a year, starting from April, to prevent unauthorised occupation, illegal approval of land allocation and waste of land.