Seoul's Nowon District is moving to restrict unit and land subdivision at 13 complexes slated for rebuilding, aiming to prevent project delays caused by the practice of splitting ownership shares. The district said the restrictions, which cover sites such as the Wolgye Siyeong complex, will limit land subdivision and similar actions to reduce delays and disputes among residents.
Nowon District said on the 13th that it will impose the restrictions on 13 complexes before they are formally designated as reconstruction project zones. The district will hold a public review from the 15th through the 29th, then submit the plan to its urban planning committee for deliberation, with a public notice of the restrictions planned for November.
The practice refers to splitting individually owned sections of a building or dividing land. Setting up a reconstruction association requires meeting a legally mandated consent threshold, and that becomes harder as the number of individual owners rises. The process can trigger disputes among residents and delay projects.
At the Wolgye Siyeong high-rise apartment complex, three cases of unit subdivision over the past three years added 33 commercial units, the district confirmed. Nowon said it plans to manage changes in ownership rights from the earliest stages of a project to reduce causes of delay.
The step reflects requests from residents. The district has been reviewing the restrictions based on views raised at a meeting between the district mayor and residents on the 1st of last month and at a ceremony on the 15th appointing members to a council on reconstruction and redevelopment strategy in Nowon.
The measure applies to areas where reconstruction plans are being drawn up and where resident representatives or preparatory committees that have applied for advisory review under the city's fast-track planning program requested the restrictions. The district will decide on each case after deliberation by the urban planning committee.
The 13 sites are Wolgye Samho 4, Wolgye Siyeong High-Rise, Hagye Hanshin Dongsung, Sanggye Jugong 2, Hagye Jangmi, Hagye Misung, Junggye Green, Sanggye Jugong 3, Junggye Jugong 8, Sanggye Jugong 7, Hagye Hyundai Woosung, Sanggye Jugong 11 and Hagye Kukdong Keonyoung Byucksan.
The restricted actions include constructing buildings, dividing land, converting a general building register into a multi-unit building register, and subdividing individually owned sections listed in a multi-unit building register. Exceptions will be allowed after deliberation where a legitimate need is recognized, the district said.
The restrictions will last up to three years from the date of the public notice and can be extended once by one year if necessary. If a reconstruction project zone is designated during that period, the restrictions will be lifted the day after the designation is announced.
"We are continuously reviewing various support measures so that reconstruction projects can move forward quickly without unnecessary conflict or delay," Nowon District Mayor Seo Jun-oh said. "We will gather residents' views fully and push ahead with reconstruction projects in a stable manner, balancing the public interest with the protection of property rights."