CONFIDENTIAL
2
機密
ANNEX A CONT’D
16.
As to paragraph 13(c), in the earlier stages of deliberate urban development in the New Territories, the use of exchange entitlements was confined to the towns in which the land had been surrendered. But the lack of suitable land for private development in some areas involved holders of land in those areas in excessive delays in realising their entitlements, while there was a surplus in other areas. In 1966, therefore, all exchange entitlements were made inter- changeable between development areas. The present policy is to give priority to applicants holding the oldest exchange entitlements. Thus, holders of entitlements in respect of land surrendered recently in Sha Tin cannot compete success- fully for developable land in Sha Tin with holders of entitle- ments issued in respect of land surrendered several years ago in other developing districts; they may have to wait several years for land in Sha Tin, or elsewhere, to become available. In general, the insufficiency of land for exchange means that the principle of interchangeability cannot be set aside. Moreover, because the freedom to assign land exchange entitle- ments results in most of them being held by persons other than the original recipients and because of the availability of the cash alternative, no general change in the system is justified. Nevertheless, the Secretary for the New Territories believes there is scope for reserving limited areas for local exchanges within New Towns, where large areas of village building and agricultural land are being resumed, leading to virtual destruction of the village environs, and where suitable land becomes available. It is not intended that the limited degree of local priority proposed should give any absolute right to local land; only the right in certain cases to be preferred over others in the allocation of certain limited areas of land zoned for building development.
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CONFIDENTIAL
機密