A revised regulation on implementing the Land Management Law will take effect on Sept 1, according to a State Council decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang on July 2 and released on July 30.

The revisions were passed at a State Council executive meeting on April 21.

The regulation requires establishing a national territory spatial planning system, and approved plans should serve as the fundamental basis for land development, protection and related construction activities.

The planning should coordinate the layout of agricultural areas, ecological zones, cities and towns, and other functional spaces, and mark out permanent basic farmland, red lines for ecological conservation and boundaries of urban development.

Land surveys are necessary for territory spatial planning and natural resources management and protection, the regulation said.

They should cover land ownership and its changes, the current status and changes in land use, and land conditions.

In addition, the land will be assessed every five years in light of the national economy and social development.

To protect arable land, compensation will be provided for appropriation, and special protection will be given by stringent controls on transforming farmland into forests, grassland and garden plots.

Farmland should first be used to produce grain and agricultural products such as cotton, oil, sugar and vegetables, the regulation said.

At the same time, no units or individuals are allowed to develop the land outside reclaimable areas defined by the national territory spatial planning.

According to the regulation, construction projects should first use existing parcels set aside for the purpose, with effective measures to prevent and reduce soil pollution.

The regulation stipulates that the natural resources department of local governments above the county level should, via its website, release information about the total supply, structure, time sequence, plots and purposes of annual construction land set by the local government.

The lease of State-owned land and transfer of its usage rights should be conducted on a public trading platform, it said.

For land expropriation, local governments should issue a notice in advance, launch a survey to evaluate the land status quo, conduct risk assessments on social stability associated with the expropriation, and prepare corresponding compensation plans.

The regulation encourages the use of collectively owned commercial construction land by key industries and projects in rural areas.