During the last years and through a gap in the legislation, dozens of natural areas and rural soils have been subdivided into plotscreating urban centers in places that are not prepared to receive the load of people and waste that this means.
The government identifies this as a problem, both for the availability of agricultural land and for the natureand have waged a legal battle against the real estate who carry out this development.
Now him Minister of Agriculture announced through different media the details of a bill, which will be introduced in the coming days, to regulate the lots in rural areas.
Requirements for batches
If the project is approved, lots that cover more than 4 hectares of subdivision or more than 6 lots will not be considered agricultural subdivisions but “rural residential complexes”, that will be regulated by the Ministry of Housing and not by the Ministry of Agriculture.
In them, a percentage of the surface must be allocated to a common area, agricultural activity already conserve the native forest. They must also meet requirements regarding access to basic services such as access to drinking water and waste management.
As stated by the Minister Esteban Valenzuela in the Financial Journal, On each plot there may be only one family home, and they must have a perimeter fence to prevent free roaming of animals. dogs that can threaten the surrounding wildlife. The lots may not have another subdivision as a neighbor.
Finally, the project will detail the requirements and authorizations provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agricultural Livestock Service and the Directorate of Municipal Works for this type of development, and will strengthen the inspection and sanctions for those who fail to comply with the regulations.
According to Valenzuela, the supervisory capacity has already been strengthened in regions where the parceling boomsuch as Los Lagos and O’Higgins, and there are currently satellite technologies that facilitate inspection.
Subdivision boom
Lots on rural or natural lands increased explosively after the pandemic: While in 2019 9 thousand rural subdivision projects were approved in the country, in 2021 19 thousand were approved. The ordinances, decrees and legal strategy already implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2023 managed to reverse the trend, reducing applications by 34% compared to the previous year.
Initially, the project envisioned by the ministry contemplated increasing the minimum size of a plot from half a hectare to two hectares, ensuring that the lots really had a agricultural vocation. This aspect was discarded for the current project.
