HOUSING AND LAND
99
In the urban areas, there are 39 planning areas, of which 24 are covered by draft or approved statutory plans. In the New Territories, Tsuen Wan New Town and Sha Tin New Town are covered by draft statutory plans and a draft plan for Tuen Mun New Town is being prepared.
The standard notes attached to a statutory plan set out the land uses which are permitted in a particular zone and other uses for which the Town Planning Board's permission must be obtained. These notes are under revision in the Town Planning Office. The availability of planning permission for alternative uses allows greater flexibility in land use planning and enables better control of development projects to meet changing needs. During the year, the board received and considered 120 applications for permission for alternative uses, 30 per cent more than in the previous year.
The Town Planning Office provides services to the Town Planning Board, the Land Development Policy Committee and the New Territories Development Progress Com- mittee. The office prepares draft outline zoning plans, departmental outline development plans, layout plans and planning guides. It is responsible for development control and for the reservation of sites for public purposes, and it provides planning advice to other government departments, advisory bodies and the public.
The revision of all chapters of the Hong Kong Outline Plan was completed during the year by the Town Planning Office and was approved by the Hong Kong Outline Plan Steering Group and the Land Development Policy Committee. The Hong Kong Outline Plan lays down general planning concepts and policies and defines standards and locational factors for the provision of community and other facilities. Planning studies, land use and building surveys, and a 10-year development programme are undertaken by the Town Planning Office. It is also responsible for updating planning information and for providing background material to prepare and revise statutory plans and departmental plans. During the year, the more important documents completed were the 1979 Report on Land Production, prepared for the Special Committee on Land Production, and the Phase 1 Report of the North-Western New Territories Planning Study.
Planning studies for the future use of released military land, including proposals and layout plans for the former Royal Air Force station at Kai Tak, Sham Shui Po Army Camp and Victoria Barracks, continued in 1979.
Site investigations were carried out and planning briefs were produced in 1979 for sites earmarked for public housing estates and Home Ownership Scheme projects. Feasibility studies were also carried out in consultation with other departments.
Many departmental plans for new development areas were prepared and existing plans were revised to take into account changes in population forecasts, government policies, planning standards and other trends. A schedule of all existing statutory outline zoning plans, departmental outline development plans and layout plans is issued to other govern- ment departments, utility companies and concerned organisations for their information.
Private Building
Even though bank lending rates were increased on a number of occasions during 1979 and high prices were being paid for land, the pace of private building continued unabated. A variety of large-scale multi-million dollar projects were initiated or under way on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon and the New Territories. The Buildings Ordinance Office of the Public Works Department processed a total of 988 new building proposals in 1979 compared with 914 in 1978.