Residents near the 'Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District' in Seocho District, where development restrictions (green belts) have been lifted for the first time in 12 years to supply dwellings, have requested to be included in the public dwelling district. They are asking for the lifting of the green belt in nearby areas, which share the same living zone as the Seongri Pul district, to improve the underdeveloped residential environment. There is also hope that if the nearby area is incorporated into the Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District, it could be a solution to expand the supply of dwellings in Seoul, which is struggling with a shortage.
However, the likelihood of changes to the business plan of the Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District is low. This is because the government and local authorities need to accelerate the supply of dwellings amid ongoing concerns about the shortage of new dwellings, which is cited as one of the causes of skyrocketing housing prices. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport noted, "It is difficult to change the boundaries of the public dwelling district."
According to the Seoul City and City Council and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 9th, residents of Saem Village in Naegok-dong, Seocho District, submitted a resident petition to the Seoul City Council requesting the inclusion of Saem Village in the Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District.
The Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District is a location where the government lifted the green belt last November to supply new dwellings. It is planned to supply 20,000 housing units over an area of 2.21 million square meters (670,000 pyeong) in Wonji-dong, Shinwon-dong, Yeomgok-dong, Naegok-dong, and Woomyeon-dong in Seocho District. The area will be developed at a high density, focusing on public dwellings specialized for young people and newlyweds. The Seongri Pul district aims to complete the district designation in the first half of next year, with plans for occupancy in 2031 after being offered for sale in 2029.
Saem Village is located near the Seongri Pul district. Saem Village 1 is situated on an area of 19,858 square meters in Naegok-dong, while Saem Village 2 belongs to Woomyeon-dong and covers an area of 20,745 square meters. These areas have been designated as green belts since 1972 and were classified as living zones in 2009.
Residents of Saem Village are requesting inclusion in the Seongri Pul district, citing reasons such as the need for improvement of the aging residential environment and infringement of property rights due to green belt designation. The residents stated, "Being excluded from the green belt lifting target is infringing on residents' property rights and hindering regional development," and added, "Saem Village in Naegok-dong has around 30,000 pyeong of available land and meets the necessary conditions for public dwelling development, such as community acceptance, and thus we petition to be included in the Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District for policy equity and effectiveness."
The petition has been adopted by the Seoul City Council in a plenary session last week, and the council is expected to formally forward it to the Seoul City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. According to the council's review report, the Seoul City stated, "If the petition is adopted, we will convey our opinions to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which has designation authority over the Seongri Pul district, to carefully examine connectivity with the existing Seongri Pul district and the boundaries for designation while minimizing damage to the development restriction area."
However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has a negative stance on the possibility of adding land to the Seongri Pul district. This is because expanding the district boundaries would require starting the administrative procedures from the beginning, which could disrupt the sale schedule set for four years later while there is a need to accelerate the supply of dwellings. The Seongri Pul district has currently submitted a strategic environmental assessment preparatory document and is in the process of preparing a disaster impact assessment report and regional traffic improvement measures.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed that it responded to the petition by stating, "The Seongri Pul Public Dwelling District, announced last November, is currently undergoing various assessment procedures for district designation, so it is difficult to change the boundaries of the public dwelling district." Instead, the ministry is expected to explore options for high-density development by increasing the allowable floor area ratio of the existing Seongri Pul district.
The city council's housing and space committee opined, "Given that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport responded that changing district boundaries due to additional incorporation is difficult at this point in time when the procedures for district designation are underway, the executive agency should continue discussions with the government and in case the Saem Village area is not incorporated into the public dwelling district, it may be necessary to review and prepare plans for improving the residential environment in the region."