4
If you are qualified for any of these allowances, please make a claim to the Mass Transit Office, Public Works Department. Additional information on, and explanation of, these allowances, and assistance with making a claim, can be obtained at the Town Management Office, Tsuen Wan District Office, Tsuen King Building, Hoi Pa Street, Tsuen Wan.
5.
A number of owners have claimed, and continue to. allege, that the value put on their premises is too low, and/or that the open market value should be determined as at a present date, not as at the date of reversion last November. As has been explained many times, the assessment of the open market value of your premises must bé made in accordance with the law, which requires that the value be determined as at the date of reversion. All owners of premises at Sai Lau Kok were given over nine months' notice of the resumption, and the procedure was explained to all in detail well before the date of reversion. I do not dispute that property prices have risen since that time, but any loss since then in the purchasing power of the compensation is a direct result of the owner's delay in accepting the compensation offered, or in some cases his refusal even to allow access to his premises so that a valuation and a firm offer of compensation can be made. Any owner who considers that the compensation for his premises is too low has a right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal; the Government has offered to pay the legal expenses of an owner making such an appeal, and the fee of a professional valuer employed by an owner to assist him in preparing his claim. The Government has also all along been prepared to pay to an owner the full amount of the assessed value of his premises without prejudice to his right of appeal to the Lands
Tribunal. This is to ensure that an owner
does not suffer from a rising property market whilst waiting for his appeal to be determined by the Lands Tribunal.
6.
I should also like to point out that there are still premises in Tsuen Wan for sale within the range of the compensation offered for the premises at Sai Lau Kok, on a foot for foot basis. Details can be obtained from the Mass Transit Office, Public Works Department, or the District Office, Tsuen Wan.
7.
Finally, I must stress that the present offer by the Government, as detailed in paragraph 3 above, will not be varied, that demolition of the remaining four buildings is now imminent, and that it is in your own and your family's interest to settle your compensation and rehousing without delay. In particular, if you are entitled to public housing, you should make the necessary arrangements with the Housing Department immediately, so that you and your family have alternative accommodation to move to before the buildings are demolished.
Yours faithfully,
c.c. TW 19/12C II
TW 3/426/78
APA/sl
(J.R. Todd)
Secretary for the New Territories.