Recently, four departments including the Shanxi Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly issued the 'Implementation Plan for "Start Construction upon Land Acquisition" for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects'.

◆ From December 2021 to the end of March 2022 is the pilot phase, designating residential projects in Yangquan, Changzhi, Linfen, and Jincheng as pilots, to be piloted within built-up areas;

◆ Starting from April 2022, the 'Start Construction upon Land Acquisition' policy will be fully promoted and implemented for housing construction and municipal engineering projects throughout the province.

At the same time, supervision of projects applying for construction permits for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage will be strengthened. If the applicant fails to fulfill commitments, the construction permit for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage will be revoked, and the applicant will be held accountable accordingly. Relevant units and responsible persons will be recorded with bad behavior and publicly disclosed.

The construction permit for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage is processed within 3 working days. After signing the state-owned land use right transfer contract (for allocated land, obtaining project approval and the Construction Land Planning Permit), the applicant may apply to the local administrative approval department for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage construction permit through the notification and commitment system.

Flowchart of Approval Matters for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects

Original Text Attached:

To all municipal people's governments and relevant provincial departments:

The 'Implementation Plan for "Start Construction upon Land Acquisition" for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects' has been approved by the provincial people's government and is hereby issued to you. Please implement it conscientiously in accordance with actual conditions.

Attachment: Implementation Plan for "Start Construction upon Land Acquisition" for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects.doc

Shanxi Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development

Shanxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources

Shanxi Provincial Administrative Approval Service Administration

Shanxi Provincial Civil Air Defense Office

December 10, 2021

(Proactively disclosed)

Implementation Plan for "Start Construction upon Land Acquisition" for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects

In order to further optimize the business environment in the engineering construction field in our province, reasonably compress the construction period, achieve 'start construction upon land acquisition' for housing construction and municipal engineering projects, reduce enterprise costs, and further stimulate market vitality, this implementation plan is formulated in accordance with the actual conditions of our province.

I. Overall Requirements

With the goal of improving the business environment in the engineering construction field, and with the reform of the engineering construction project approval system as the starting point, reshape the project approval model, streamline approval processes, compress approval time limits, improve approval efficiency, and reduce project construction costs. Starting from December 2021, pilot projects will be carried out in some residential projects in selected cities in the province. From April 2022, all housing construction and municipal engineering projects will implement 'start construction upon land acquisition'.

II. Main Processes, Time Limits, and Lists

(I) Processing Construction Permit for 'Foundation Pit Support and Earthwork Excavation' Stage (3 working days)

For housing construction and municipal engineering projects involving 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' (including foundation construction and ground treatment construction where earthwork excavation meets process requirements), after signing the state-owned land use right transfer contract (for allocated land, obtaining project approval and the Construction Land Planning Permit), the applicant may apply to the local administrative approval department for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage construction permit through the notification and commitment system. The following materials are required for application:

1. Application form for construction permit for 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage (Attachment 2);

2. State-owned construction land use right transfer contract or land immovable property rights certificate (for allocated land, provide project approval and construction land planning permit);

3. Construction project foundation pit design plan (handled in accordance with the 'Regulations on Safety Management of Dangerous Sub-divisional Works');

4. Relevant certification materials for the construction unit to determine the general contractor in accordance with the law (for non-government investment projects, submit the filed 'Notice of Direct Contracting in Accordance with the Law'; for government investment projects using EPC general contracting, submit the EPC general contracting bid winning notice; for other government investment projects, on the basis of committing to have the drawings and relevant technical materials required for construction bidding, organize bidding in advance and submit the bid winning notice);

5. Construction project quality and safety supervision registration form (Attachment 3);

6. Commitment letters for lifelong quality responsibility of all participating parties, and construction project safety production commitment letter, handled in accordance with the 'Notice on Deepening the Reform of the Construction Permit Approval System' (Jin Jian Shi Zi [2019] No. 162);

7. Project construction unit commitment letter (Attachment 4).

(II) Processing Construction Project Planning Permit

1. Construction project planning and design plan review stage (7+7 working days)

After obtaining the construction land planning permit, for projects with clear planning and design conditions and where the regulatory detailed planning of the land parcel has been compiled and approved, after the construction unit submits the construction project planning and design plan, the administrative approval department and the natural resources department shall complete the expert review and business review within 7 working days (the publicity time of the construction project planning and design plan is not included). If review by the planning committee is required, the review time shall be extended by 7 working days.

2. After the construction project planning and design plan review is passed, the construction unit shall apply to the administrative approval department for the construction project planning permit (5 working days). The following materials are required for application:

(1) Application form for construction project planning permit;

(2) Land immovable property rights certificate and construction land planning permit (system shared);

(3) Construction project planning and design plan.

(III) Processing Construction Permit for 'Main Structure Construction' Stage (3 working days)

Before main structure construction (including 'underground works' and 'works above ±0.000'), after obtaining the construction project planning permit and fire protection design review opinion, the construction unit shall apply to the local administrative approval department for the 'main structure construction' stage construction permit. The following materials are required for application:

1. Application form for construction project construction permit;

2. Bid winning notice (system shared);

3. Land approval procedures (system shared);

4. Construction project planning permit (system shared);

5. Construction project quality and safety supervision registration form (system shared);

6. Other conditions stipulated by laws and regulations (including fire protection design review opinion, civil air defense engineering construction review approval, etc.);

7. Commitment letters for lifelong quality responsibility of all participating parties, construction project safety production commitment letter, project construction unit commitment letter (system shared), survey and design quality commitment letters of construction and survey design units, handled in accordance with the 'Notice on Deepening the Reform of the Construction Permit Approval System' (Jin Jian Shi Zi [2019] No. 162).

(IV) Processing Joint Acceptance (15 working days)

After project completion acceptance, in accordance with the principles of 'information sharing, centralized acceptance, time-limited completion, and unified confirmation', joint acceptance shall be implemented for special acceptance matters involved in the project such as planning, fire protection, civil air defense, and energy conservation. Relying on the engineering construction project approval management system, achieve unified push of application information, centralized control of acceptance processes, time-limited feedback of acceptance opinions, and automatic generation of acceptance results. After the construction unit submits a joint acceptance application to the local administrative approval department, the administrative approval department shall organize relevant departments or internal departments of the administrative approval department to complete the joint acceptance within 15 days, and uniformly issue a joint acceptance opinion, which shall serve as the unified confirmation document for joint acceptance qualification, and simultaneously handle the construction project completion acceptance filing. The following materials shall be submitted for application:

1. Project construction unit completion acceptance application form;

2. Legal business license of the project construction unit (real estate development enterprises also need to provide development qualification certificate), legal business licenses and qualification certificates of construction, supervision, and testing units (system shared);

3. Project construction drawings, design change, as-built drawings (system shared);

4. Completion acceptance report;

5. Construction project grey line inspection and positive and negative zero measurement inspection reports, current status photos and night lighting photos after project completion, construction project planning completion verification technical report, planning verification preliminary review opinion;

6. Civil air defense engineering completion acceptance self-inspection form, comprehensive engineering acceptance materials, quality control materials, completion-related quality reports of design, supervision, construction, and ventilation and protection (chemical) equipment installation units;

7. Test reports for building components, building materials (including building insulation materials), and equipment with fire performance requirements, and certification documents conforming to national or industry standards, factory qualification certificates, fire protection facility testing qualification documents;

8. Special acceptance record form for building energy conservation sub-divisional works;

9. 'Residential Quality Guarantee' and 'Residential Use Manual' (only for residential projects).

(V) Other Matters

1. Fully apply the engineering construction project approval management system, and implement full online processing for all approval service matters involved in housing construction and municipal engineering projects; for project-related drawings, test reports, sub-divisional acceptance materials, etc., the project construction unit and relevant competent departments shall upload them in a timely manner.

2. For application materials, those not involved in municipal engineering need not be submitted.

3. For related approval service matters not covered in this plan, implement in accordance with the 'Standardized Flowchart for Handling Matters in the Reform of the Engineering Construction Project Approval System in Shanxi'.

III. Implementation Steps

(I) Pilot Phase (December 2021 - end of March 2022): Designate residential projects in Yangquan, Changzhi, Linfen, and Jincheng as pilots, and carry out pilot work within built-up areas. Pilot cities shall determine pilot projects, strengthen organization and coordination, and promptly solve difficulties and problems in the pilot work. The Office of the Leading Group for the Reform of the Engineering Construction Project Approval System of Shanxi Province shall, based on the pilot implementation, further improve relevant work systems and form replicable and promotable experience and practices.

(II) Full Promotion Phase (starting April 2022): Fully promote and implement throughout the province for housing construction and municipal engineering projects, effectively compressing project construction periods and reducing enterprise operating costs.

IV. Work Requirements

(I) Strengthen Organizational Leadership. The Office of the Leading Group for the Reform of the Engineering Construction Project Approval System of Shanxi Province is responsible for coordinating the promotion of the 'start construction upon land acquisition' approval reform for housing construction and municipal engineering projects, organizing leading group meetings, promptly summarizing pilot work experience, and comprehensively deploying and coordinating progress. Pilot city people's governments shall actively organize and promote task implementation, promptly report work progress, and summarize experience and practices. Departments such as the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Provincial Administrative Approval Service Administration, the Provincial Department of Natural Resources, and the Provincial Civil Air Defense Office will strengthen business guidance to ensure the smooth progress of various reform tasks.

(II) Timely Update Processes. The Office of the Leading Group for the Reform of the Engineering Construction Project Approval System of Shanxi Province shall, in accordance with the provisions of this plan, timely update the engineering construction project approval system processes, time limits, and lists, and provide service guarantees for pilot implementation and full promotion.

(III) Strict Supervision and Implementation. All cities shall establish and improve the tracking and supervision mechanism for the 'start construction upon land acquisition' approval reform for housing construction and municipal engineering projects. The Office of the Leading Group for the Reform of the Engineering Construction Project Approval System of Shanxi Province will regularly organize research and supervision on the implementation of reforms in various regions and departments, and the supervision results will be an important part of the annual assessment.

(IV) Strengthen In-process and Post-event Supervision. Increase supervision of projects applying for construction permits for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage. If the applicant fails to fulfill commitments, revoke the construction permit for the 'foundation pit support and earthwork excavation' stage, hold the applicant accountable accordingly, record bad behavior for relevant units and responsible persons, and disclose to the public.

(V) Do a Good Job in Publicity and Training. Publicize reform measures and results through multiple channels to create a good social atmosphere. Pay attention to listening to opinions and suggestions from all sectors of society, and continuously enhance the sense of participation and gain of market entities and the people. Regularly organize business guidance, conduct regular business training, improve the policy level and business proficiency of grassroots approval personnel, and ensure the effective implementation of various measures.

Attachments: 1. Flowchart of Approval Matters for Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects

2. Application Form for Construction Permit for 'Foundation Pit Support and Earthwork Excavation' Stage of Housing Construction and Municipal Engineering Projects (Sample)

3. Construction Project Quality and Safety Supervision Registration Form (Sample)

4. Project Construction Unit Commitment Letter (Sample)