G.F. 323
9.
CONFIDENTIAL # 機密
· 5.
immediately on the surrender of the old lots because of
time needed to complete development works: owners of
surrendered land are therefore issued with a letter
specifying their exchange rights.
This exchange system in the layout areas of
the New Territories, i.e. Tsuen Wan, Tai Po, Yuen Long, Sha
Tin, Tuen Mun, Sheung Shui, has been implemented since 1950.
By providing for land exchange the Government on the one
hand enables landowners to obtain part of the development
value of their land, and on the other gives them land in
return for land surrendered; this latter being considered of
cardinal importance. The system is ingenious, but it has
a serious weakness in present circumstances.
The ratio of 5:2
was calculated at a time when Government's requirement for
land for public purposes in the layout areas
was roughly
60% of any given area (i.e. 5:2), but, since then, there
have been ever-increasing demands for land for more public
building and for an expanded housing programme.
For these
reasons Government has failed to keep abreast of its promisc
to grant land in exchange for land surrendered, and a
backlog, known as the "exchange commitment", has built up.
It is only by making use of reclaimed areas or of borrow areas
on Crown hillsides, which do not involve acquisition of
/private
CONFIDENTIAL
機密