LEY MOM
From the Secretary of State
Dear Pehrs
LIKD.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
28 November 1990
Rn 28711
Miss Marssia Mr Stone
Thank you for your letter of 7 November enclosing
one from Mr Tim Tang of 3 Gerrard Street, London W1 and
other constituents, about the proposed extension of the Town Planning Ordinance to the New Territories.
The purpose of the proposed Town Planning
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(Amendment) Bill is to provide a legal framework for promoting proper planning and land use management in the rural and village areas in Hong Kong. Hitherto, the Town
Planning Ordinance has only applied to urban areas.
Landowners in the rural areas have been able to use their
land for virtually any purpose within the law, without
seeking planning approval. As a result, large areas of
rural land in the New Territories have been turned into
open storage sites for motor vehicles, containers and building material and equipment, thereby causing serious environmental problems.
The intention of the Bill is not to ban open storage
altogether. The Hong Kong Government recognise that open storage activities serve an economic need, and that it is necessary to continue to allow land to be used for this
purpose. But the authorities also have a duty to ensure
that such activities are planned properly in the
interests of the community as a whole.
The Rt Hon Peter Brooke MP
/As regards