Society

Suspended high-rise projects get go-ahead

Hundreds of high-rise projects in central Hanoi that had been put on hold were given the go-ahead by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the weekend.
Hundreds of high-rise projects in central Hanoi that had been put onhold were given the go-ahead by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at theweekend.

Last December, 220 building projects higherthan eight stories in four inner-city districts were halted at thebehest of the Prime Minister in a bid to preserve the architecturalintegrity of the capital and reduce congestion.

However, only those projects that received construction licences beforeDecember 12 last year have been given the go-ahead. The fate of thosethat were only approved in terms of investment and planning after thatdate will be decided by Hanoi People's Committee chairman Nguyen TheThao.

In addition, those projects that could runcounter to the capital's 2030 development master plan, which is expectedto be approved by the National Assembly by the end of this year, willhave to be modified to meet the new regulations.

ThePrime Minister said more land in the city should be made available forparks, trees and public buildings to improve the quality of urban life.

Professor Dang Hung Vo, former deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment, applauded last December's ban.

He said no other countries in the world allowed buildings higher than tree level to be built next to ancient structures.

However, many thought an outright ban would have a negative impact on enterprises.

Duong Duc Tuan, deputy director of the municipal Department ofPlanning and Investment, said earlier that the sudden suspension of 91on-going projects in Dong Da, 60 in Ba Dinh, 53 in Hai Ba Trung and 19in Hoan Kiem districts would waste money and resources./.
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