Concerns about the process of soliciting opinions on planning projects, as seen from the reality in Quang Nam.

The leaders of Duy Xuyen district proposed that planning projects under the district's jurisdiction should only require consultation with higher authorities once. If consultation was already sought during the task formulation phase, it should not be sought during the project formulation phase, and vice versa. (In the photo: A view of the new Duy Hai - Duy Nghia urban area. Photo: QT)

Recently, provincial leaders have repeatedly mentioned and urged relevant agencies at Provincial Party Committee meetings and working sessions to focus on guiding the appraisal and early completion of district-level planning, commune-level planning, and the general planning of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone…

In reality, many planning projects are still progressing slowly due to various reasons, including the excessively long wait for the approval process from higher authorities. Only after the expert opinion and written agreement from higher authorities are received can the planning authority approve the project.

According to Mr. Ngo Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, this is almost an assessment step and is also the reason why the planning time for many projects has been prolonged in recent years.

"For district-level projects submitted to the department, or for projects like the Duy Hai - Duy Nghia new urban area or the Binh Minh new urban area, each time feedback is sought, it inevitably takes several months to wait."

"If the current regulations remain in place, we need to study allowing the planning and approval agencies to seek opinions from higher levels, but only for reference. The planning and approval level has the authority to accept or reject these opinions and provide explanations, instead of requiring unanimous approval as is currently the case," Mr. Hung said.

According to Mr. Dang Huu Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Duy Xuyen District People's Committee, a planning project prepared at the district level must undergo two rounds of consultation with higher authorities, specifically the Department of Construction: once for the task formulation and once for the project itself.

"These planning projects should only require a single consultation process. If consultation was already conducted during the task formulation phase, it shouldn't be conducted during the project development phase, and vice versa. While the appraisal and approval of the project falls under the responsibility of the district level, waiting for consultations alone can take up to a year, and the responsibility for implementation also rests with the approving authority," Mr. Dang Huu Phuc proposed.

Experience in Quang Nam shows that in previous years, some projects took 4-5 years from the time the planning task was established until the plan was approved.

Consequently, the socio-economic context of the areas included in the planning has changed significantly, inevitably causing many aspects of the planning project to fall short of the region's development pace.

Currently, the Law on Urban and Rural Planning is in the drafting process; once passed, it will encompass the management of planning. Therefore, it is necessary to review the process of obtaining consensus on planning projects in order to make appropriate adjustments, creating conditions for planning projects to be implemented promptly and paving the way for the socio-economic development of localities.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ban-khoan-quy-trinh-lay-y-kien-do-an-quy-hoach-nhin-tu-thuc-te-o-quang-nam-3142383.html