A worker rides a raft to clean the lake in a villa complex in northern Beijing. An Dong / For China Daily

Prices of luxury waterside residences might climb higher after they prompted the need for a tougher protection regulation for the city's wetlands which is due out next year.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry (BMBLF) said the new regulation might ban real estate projects inside wetland reserves and restrict the construction of property projects near wetland parks.

"There will be strict control over real estate projects in Beijing's wetlands because property developments dump waste water and gas and seriously damage the environment," Yang Zhihua, director of the wetland office at the BMBLF, told METRO.

"Large scale commercial developments are certainly not allowed. However, property companies are encouraged to invest in wetland parks," he said.

Qin Xiaomei, chief researcher with property firm Jones Lang LaSalle Beijing, said she is concerned there may be some side effects.

"There is a very interesting phenomenon in Beijing. When the government issues a restriction like this, it actually prompts real estate developers to push up their prices," she said.

"For example, if no more houses can be built near parks or wetlands in the future, developers will raise the costs of waterside projects," Qin added.

She did however say the government's move could help the public to get better access to wetlands.

"At present, when developers build waterside houses, only rich people can afford them. Water areas in Beijing have become the exclusive garden of the rich."

In Beijing, six out of the 10 most expensive commercial apartment projects attract buyers by offering so-called "water view houses".

The No 7 Diaoyutai Yard, located inside the West Third Ring Road, charges the highest apartment price in the capital. It advertises a view over Yuyuantan, the largest water area in urban Beijing.

"In the past three months, we have adjusted our price three times, rising by 10,000 yuan per sq m to an average 85,000 yuan," said Wang Baoquan, property salesman of the No 7 Diaoyutai Yard.

"Sales are good and our prices will continue to go up," he predicted.

"Yuyuantan was a water area enjoyed only by the Chinese royal family. Now, the public can share the same views as their royal ancestors."

However, potential homeowners lower down on the salary scale were not impressed.

"I don't think waterside villas or apartments have anything to do with me," said Zeng Shuo, 29, a white-collar worker at a local financial company.

Though Zeng earns over 12,000 yuan per month, a relatively high pay for most Beijingers, he still considers the massive fees far beyond his reach.

"This is a rich man's game," Zeng said.

Chen Kelin, director of the China office of Wetlands International, said the government's attitude plays a crucial role in rescuing Beijing's wetlands.

"It is not unusual that developers prefer wetlands. Who doesn't want to own a waterside house? But market behavior should be properly managed by the government, or the damage will be great," Chen said.

Beijing has 5.14 million sq m of wetlands, at just over 3 percent of the city's total area. In 1960, this figure was 15 percent.