HOUSING AND LAND
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(with a few exceptions) and in the more urban parts of the New Territories are kept in the Land Office. Records relating to transactions affecting the other parts of the New Territories and the few exceptional New Kowloon cases are kept at district land offices forming part of the New Territories Administration.
The Land Office has responsibility for the registration of all instruments affecting land; the settling and registration of conditions of sale, grant and exchange of Crown land; and the granting of mining leases. It gives legal and other advice to the government generally on matters relating to land.
The Land Office has since early 1975 assumed responsibilities in connection with the enforcement of covenants contained in Crown leases. Assistant registrars inspect certain classes of buildings from time to time, and if breaches are discovered steps are taken to ensure that they are rectified or the lease is modified, usually on payment of a premium.
The Land Registration Ordinance provides that all instruments registered under it shall have priority according to their respective dates of registration. It also provides that unregistered instruments, other than bona fide leases at rack rent for any term not exceeding three years, shall be null and void as against any subsequent bona fide purchaser or mortgagee for valuable consideration. Registration is therefore essential to the protection of title, but does not guarantee it.
The number of instruments registered in the Land Office rose during the year by 20.4 per cent, bringing the total to 110,936 as compared with 92,138 in 1975. More detailed statistics and comparisons with previous years are contained in Appendix 29. At the end of the year, the card index of property owners contained the names of 299,476 people, an increase of 20,411 over the previous year. Some own several properties, but most are owners or part owners of small individual flats.
Urban Renewal and Environmental Improvement
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In the Urban Renewal Pilot Scheme area, nearly 50 properties were acquired by negotiation or resumption during the year. This almost completes the property acquisition programme of the scheme. The construction of a new road linking Holly- wood Road and Queen's Road Central began in March and is expected to be com- pleted in late 1977. Four sites in the pilot scheme area were sold during the year, realising a total of $25.8 million. A programme was drawn up to complete the clearance and demolition of properties and the associated rehousing of occupants to enable further public works and land sales to take place early in 1977.
Acquisition of land for open space and for government, institutional and com- munity facilities continued in the densely populated areas of Western, Wan Chai and Yau Ma Tei. There were 18 properties acquired by agreement at a cost of some $5.4 million from funds allocated in the financial year 1975-6. In addition, 21 properties were resumed at an estimated total compensation of about $2.65 million. There were 12 properties resumed for a new market in Wan Chai at a cost of nearly $10 million. Other areas for open space and for government facilities will be acquired in the near future as a result of permission granted by the Town Planning Board.