Politics

Stronger planning decentralisation must go with coordination mechanisms: NA session

The draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning represents an important step forward in perfecting a unified, modern and transparent planning framework, aligned with the two-tier local administration model and the trend towards green, smart and sustainable urban development.

Lawmakers discuss the draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning during the National Assembly's ongoing 10th session on the afternoon of November 28. (Photo: VNA)
Lawmakers discuss the draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning during the National Assembly's ongoing 10th session on the afternoon of November 28. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly (NA) discussed the draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning during its ongoing 10th session on the afternoon of November 28.

Agreeing on the necessity of amending and adding certain provisions to the existing law, Nguyen Tam Hung, a deputy from Ho Chi Minh City, noted that the draft represents an important step forward in perfecting a unified, modern and transparent planning framework, aligned with the two-tier local administration model and the trend towards green, smart and sustainable urban development.

Hung suggested that the drafting body consider adding a mechanism for identifying a “dominant planning unit” in cases of conflict between layers of planning. Such a mechanism would help resolve legal inconsistencies early in the process of formulation, appraisal, approval and implementation. Deputy Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, also from the southern economic hub, argued that the draft should incorporate more flexible mechanisms for project groups with highly specialised technical characteristics.

This would not weaken State management; on the contrary, it would remove overlapping procedures and help ensure project progress, Tran said.

Thach Phuoc Binh of Vinh Long province highlighted that the draft law strongly devolves and delegates powers from provincial-level People’s Committees to commune-level ones, allowing communes to formulate and approve certain types of detailed planning. However, he stressed that strong decentralisation must be accompanied by effective coordination mechanisms to avoid fragmented or inconsistent planning.

Deputy Nguyen Thi Suu of Hue city proposed that the draft clearly define the conditions for decentralising planning authority to communes, such as having a specialised administrative apparatus, personnel holding professional practice certificates, and adequate digital infrastructure to serve planning tasks. She also recommended adding a requirement for provincial-level specialised agencies to appraise plans before they are approved at commune level, among other measures./.

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