Housing projects in small cities will be limited to no more than 7 hectares each, those in medium-sized cities to 14 hectares and large cities to 20 hectares, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Land Resources Web site today. There were previously no size restrictions.

The ministry won't grant land-use permission for new coal mines with annual output capacity of less than 1.2 million tons; the limit comes into effect after the government's current five- year economic plan ends next year. Curbs apply to provinces including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, the report said.

New polysilicon projects won't be granted land-use permits unless they have capacity of more than 3,000 metric tons a year and use fewer than 6 hectares per thousand tons of output. Polysilicon is used in the manufacture of solar power modules.

Land-use curbs will also be imposed on dairy processing, textiles and construction materials the report said, without providing more details.