Opening China's gated communities to public criticised

A recent guideline issued by China's central government on urban planning has led to criticism over opening up gated residential communities to public road system, the media reported on Tuesday.

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, or the cabinet, issued the guideline on Sunday in an effort to treat the problems associated with urbanisation and the growth of cities, the China Daily reported.

The guideline said that the roads in the newly established communities will be open to the public, becoming part of the urban road system, and the old communities will gradually connect their roads to the public roads.

The news on gated communities triggered an uproar among netizens.

Many internet users have expressed concern over the potential risks from opening up the gated communities, including noise and air pollution, traffic congestion and public safety.

One user said that such highlight in the guideline might violate the country's property law, since the home owners also paid for the roads in the communities when they bought the apartments.

An online poll of some 20,000 participants on the news portal Sina.com showed that about 75 percent did not support opening up the gated communities, and only about 18 percent chose to support.