Government boost for construction projects

The city's planning and resources watchdog has introduced measures to support and advance development of major construction projects amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, a senior government official told a press conference on Monday.

A database tracking the implementation of key projects has been established where pre-construction works such as information consultation and coordinated evaluation and assessment can be conducted to streamline the process and improve efficiency, according to Xu Jian, deputy director of the Shanghai Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.

The city has also strengthened its guarantee of land use for major construction projects and improved its management of land acquisition compensation mainly through simplified processes.

To further optimize the project approval process, the city has merged or canceled certain administrative requirements while a flexible approach has been adopted to allow key projects to commence construction or start operation as soon as possible.

In an earlier effort to reduce the negative impact of the coronavirus outbreak and support enterprises, the bureau introduced policies in mid-February which include waiving land leases during the epidemic.

Leases for land parcels designated for industrial use should be waived during the epidemic as far as the landlords are state-owned or government-backed companies, the bureau said.

To reduce the cost of land parcels designated for industrial purposes, the city will adopt a "bottom line management" pricing mechanism for industrial plots. The starting price for any industrial parcels should be set no lower than the cheapest of its kind around the country while for parcels designated for research and development use, their starting price should be set no lower than the city's benchmark level for R&D land plots.

No extra charges will be imposed on existing industrial land which has already received approval from the watchdog to raise land plot ratios or increase underground spaces, according to the bureau.