Resolving conflicts and overlaps in the planning system.

During discussions at Group 14 (comprising the National Assembly delegations of Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, and An Giang provinces) on the draft Law on Planning (amended) and the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning, the delegates agreed on the need to comprehensively amend related legal regulations to overcome contradictions and overlaps in the planning system.

Clearly define the functions of provincial planning and general construction planning.

Regarding the draft Law on Planning (amended), Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh pointed out that the current planning system faces obstacles not only within the Law on Planning itself but also in other ordinances and laws related to planning. For example, assessing the suitability of an investment project with a plan is currently a difficult task for implementing agencies because our planning system is extensive and complex, and particularly challenging due to its lack of uniformity, synchronization, contradictions, and overlaps.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Vu Hong Thanh speaks at Group 14. Photo: Lam Hien

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly also noted that, although the 2017 Planning Law has been very positive and progressive in streamlining and significantly reducing the number of plans, from over 19,000 types of plans to about 110-111 types of plans at all levels, the methods of reading and implementing plans are still not guaranteed.

To address bottlenecks and accelerate the completion of the planning system for the period 2021-2030, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 751/2019/UBTVQH14 on the interpretation of some articles of the Planning Law; and at the same time, allowing the issuance of resolutions before the Law, so that if the resolution is no longer consistent with the Law after its promulgation, the resolution will be adjusted according to the Law.

The National Assembly also issued Resolution 61/2022/QH15 on continuing to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing policies and laws on planning and solutions to overcome difficulties and obstacles, accelerate the progress of planning and improve the quality of planning for the period 2021 - 2030.

A scene from the discussion at Group 14. Photo: Lam Hien

Currently, the requirement is to amend the Planning Law, the Urban and Rural Planning Law, and other regulations related to land, planning, and land use plans in a coordinated manner, and this is being carried out at the Tenth Session.

Regarding planning integration, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly pointed out that the current process of integrating plans is carried out using a mechanical cumulative method rather than a scientific and organic integration, leading to many difficulties and overlaps during implementation.

Therefore, the review agency proposed that the draft Planning Law (amended) should clearly stipulate the method of integrating planning to achieve the necessary revolutionary effect. Based on surveys of several localities and other countries, a feasible method is to overlay maps of sectoral and field plans onto the same space. The council will rely on regional development orientations such as prioritizing environmental protection or industrial development to resolve conflicts and overlaps at intersection points.

Delegates attending the group meeting. Photo: Lam Hien

Regarding consistency and uniformity, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly noted that one of the requirements is to include regulations in a single planning period to ensure the consistency and uniformity of the legal system. However, a review revealed that the authority still varies. For example, when discussing planning in centrally-governed cities, two plans are needed: one for the province according to the Planning Law, and another for general construction planning according to the Law on Urban and Rural Planning.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly stated that the National Assembly and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly were very cautious and sought opinions from centrally-governed cities. At that time, the cities still wanted two planning documents, but the Economic and Financial Committee's verification report concluded that the two plans were fundamentally 80% similar. Therefore, was it necessary to create two plans? Consequently, the verification body's view was that for centrally-governed cities, only one plan was needed. If two plans were required, the functions of each plan should be clearly defined. The provincial plan should serve as a general, overall guideline, while the general construction plan would concretize the guidelines of the provincial plan.

Regarding the authority to approve the two types of planning mentioned above, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly noted that the approval authority is inadequate. Provincial planning, at a larger scale, is approved by the Provincial People's Committee, but the General Construction Planning, considered a "lower level," is approved by the Prime Minister. Therefore, the Economic and Financial Committee proposed that the National Assembly only allow one single planning document, or if two are retained, a unified decentralization and delegation of authority must be implemented.

Delegates attending the group meeting. Photo: Lam Hien

Regarding the difficulties in land use planning, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly questioned whether land use planning targets should be included in provincial planning or urban and rural planning. If included, these targets would only be "confined" to very important areas. Currently, according to the Party and State's direction, it is necessary to focus on strictly managing several important land types, including: rice land to ensure food security; three types of forests – natural forests, protection forests, and production forests – to protect the environment; and land for national defense and security. The remaining land types will be decentralized to local governments for management according to allocated targets.

Adhering closely to the draft Political Report of the 14th National Congress of the Party.

Regarding the adjustment of the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly emphasized that this is necessary due to the reorganization of administrative units and the expansion of development space. The goal of adjusting the National Master Plan is to exploit the expanded space after the reorganization, while ensuring efficiency through regional linkages and inter-regional linkages, avoiding conflicts and overlaps. This adjustment aims to meet the requirement of achieving double-digit economic growth in the next term.

Also agreeing with the need to adjust the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030 after the reorganization of provincial-level administrative units, National Assembly Deputy Vu Dai Thang (Quang Ninh) believes that there are points that need careful consideration and very clear analysis of the overall growth targets.

Head of the Quang Ninh Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Vu Dai Thang, presides over the discussion session in Group 14. Photo: Lam Hien

Delegate Vu Dai Thang suggested that the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030 should closely adhere to the draft Political Report of the 14th National Congress of the Party: from the growth rate, development scenarios, and driving forces to promote the country's development until 2030, to ensure that the National Master Plan is a concrete step in implementing the contents of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party.

Representative Vu Dai Thang also suggested careful consideration of whether or not to include economic development zones in the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030. “If economic zoning is to ensure compliance with previous Politburo resolutions, then it should remain as is, only having the concept of economic zones, while economic development zones should be left to the discretion of agencies and localities to manage and connect economic centers as needed,” the representative suggested.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/khac-phuc-mau-thuan-chong-cheo-trong-he-thong-quy-hoach-10394835.html