HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1953
Resettlement Areas
These areas are now divided into two grades:-
(a) Grade A, are those areas in which all structures must be of approved fire-proof materials which are not of a lower quality than the approved minimum standard. The cheapest and most popular material is the sand brick, which is made from a mixture of sand or decomposed granite and cement in the proportion of 1 part cement to 16 parts sand. Many cottages are built of the more conventional materials such as red blocks, hollow blocks or granite blocks. All are built on cement concrete foundations and have cement floors. The minimum permitted height is 9' from floor to eaves, and outside walls are a minimum of 41′′ thick. Most cottages have a pitched roof or corrugated asbestos sheets, but some, of a better grade of material and construction, incorporate a flat roof.
(b) Grade B, are those areas in which domestic dwellings may be constructed of any suitable material available to the settler. In the majority of cases the settler re-uses the material from his squatter hut and since this is generally timber and roofing felt, a rigid control is maintained on the spacing of these dwellings in order to minimize fire risks.
No resettlement area occupies levelled ground; all the areas are hilly and often severely eroded and involve extensive site formation with retaining walls for cottage terracing. The majority of this work has been done by the builders concerned but some has been done at Government expense. The provision of road access, main water supply and sanitation for all areas has also involved a heavy charge on Government funds.
Of the twenty areas set aside for resettlement, fifteen are now in use and one more is in the planning stage. In these fifteen areas there were, at the end of November 1953, a total of 43,015 persons housed in 8,732 cottages, of which 4,399 are of the approved type and 4,343 of Grade B construction. In
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