Proposing regulations on land exploitation near railway stations, creating new resources

Provincial level is allowed to plan, invest and exploit land near the station.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the exploitation of land funds in the vicinity of railway stations is the State's planning, land recovery in the vicinity of railway stations (land funds), investment in technical infrastructure if any to allocate land, lease land to develop urban, commercial and service areas according to the provisions of law.

The draft Law on Railways (amended) adds provisions on exploiting land funds in the vicinity of railway stations (Photo: Ta Hai).

The establishment, decision and management of planning for railway station vicinity areas are specifically regulated: Based on the planning of national railway lines and stations and the planning of local railway systems in regional and provincial planning, the People's Committee at the provincial level is allowed to adjust the function of using land in the railway station vicinity to exploit land funds and added value from land.

In the vicinity of railway stations, the provincial People's Committee is authorized to decide on architectural planning criteria, technical infrastructure, social infrastructure, space requirements and land use other than those specified in national technical regulations on construction planning, ensuring compliance with provincial planning.

For areas with approved zoning plans or equivalent, the Provincial People's Committee decides to locally adjust the planning of the railway station vicinity in the zoning plan or equivalent and does not have to carry out procedures to locally adjust the previously approved planning project.

Regarding the authority to decide on land exploitation projects in the vicinity of railway stations, the draft proposes: The Provincial People's Council decides on the investment policy for land exploitation projects; decides on separating the content of land recovery, compensation, support, and resettlement into independent projects.

Provincial People's Committees decide on investment in land exploitation projects, decide on investment or approve investment policies for component projects; decide on investment in land recovery, compensation, support and resettlement projects.

The content, order, procedures, authority to establish and appraise are implemented as for group A projects under the authority to decide on investment policies of the Provincial People's Council according to the provisions of the law on public investment.

Provincial People's Councils are allowed to use local budgets to implement land exploitation projects according to plans approved by competent authorities.

Create new resources, reinvest in railways

Regarding the mechanism for using revenue from land fund exploitation after deducting related costs, the draft Law on Railways (amended) proposes that for revenue from land fund exploitation in the vicinity of local railway stations, the provincial-level local government retains 100%.

For the revenue from exploiting land funds in the vicinity of national railway stations, the provincial local government retains 50% and pays 50% to the central budget.

Revenue from land exploitation will be partly used to reinvest in railways (Photo: Hong Kong Railway, internet photo).

Explaining the proposal to add content on land fund exploitation, a representative of the Vietnam Railway Authority said that according to international experience, when investing in new railway projects, exploiting land around stations to develop service, commercial and urban areas has created large resources for reinvestment in railways.

In Vietnam, there have been investors researching and investing in the construction of areas around major railway stations, high-speed railway stations, and urban railway stations to develop urban areas and functional areas, creating resources to participate in investing in the development of railway infrastructure. The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has also researched and received permission from the National Assembly to pilot this model.

From this reality, according to the Vietnam Railway Authority, in the current condition of limited State budget capital for railway infrastructure development, it is necessary to add to the Railway Law the content of regulations on effective exploitation of railway infrastructure, especially stations and areas around stations associated with urban development planning, thereby creating new resources and new space for economic development, optimizing travel needs.

In which, the land around the railway station for urban development, commercial service areas are not within the scope of the railway station land, not land for railways. Therefore, the establishment of investment projects for land around the railway station for urban development, commercial service areas is completely independent from the investment project for railway infrastructure development.

From here, additional regulations are added to allow localities to use their local budgets to establish independent public investment projects (for railway infrastructure development investment projects). In which, localities carry out compensation, support, resettlement, land recovery and auction of land use rights, underground space use rights, and overhead space in the land area around the station, as a basis for implementing urban development projects according to the planning approved by competent authorities.

"This not only opens up new space for economic development but also creates resources from land exploitation, optimizing travel needs. Revenue from land exploitation and development around the station is partly prioritized for reinvestment in railway infrastructure development," emphasized a representative of the Vietnam Railway Authority.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/de-xuat-quy-dinh-khai-thac-dat-phu-can-ga-duong-sat-tao-nguon-luc-moi-192241009212536159.htm