LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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Kai Tak Air Cargo Terminal extension, stage one of the Lamma Power Station, and the Castle Peak 'A' Power Station at Tap Shek Kok.
A refuse storage chamber in all new building projects was, with certain exceptions, made mandatory by the Building (Refuse Storage Chambers and Chutes) Regulations 1984. The review of other parts of the Buildings Ordinance and Regulations continued. During the year, appeals to the Appeal Tribunal against the decisions of the Building Authority declined, but there was an increase in actions in the courts relating to earlier decisions taken by the Building Authority.
To deal more effectively with the problem of illegal structures and unauthorised building works, a separate Control and Enforcement Branch was created in the Buildings Ordinance Office in January. In its first year, the branch made 11 046 inspections, resulting in 3 836 orders being served to remove illegal structures and to reinstate the buildings to their original approved condition.
Having been empowered to deal with dangerous building works as well as dangerous buildings, the Building Authority closed 44 dangerous buildings in 1984; 36 of these were emergency cases. In addition, it served 518 orders requiring the demolition or repair of dangerous buildings/dangerous building works, 14 orders requiring remedial work to be done to dangerous slopes and 64 orders requiring repairs to defective drainage.
In addition to administering the Buildings Ordinance and Regulations, the Buildings Ordinance Office performed a number of other related functions such as assessing the suitability of licensed premises. For this, 2 718 food businesses, 230 schools, 95 child care centres, 711 places of public entertainment, and 24 oil storage installations were examined. The office also dealt with 162 applications for permitted work permits in respect of construction noise control.
Geotechnical Control
Much of Hong Kong's development is on steep and difficult terrain and the Geotechnical Control Office of the Engineering Development Department continued to publish reference material with the aim of improving the general standard of geotechnical expertise in Hong Kong. Publications during the year included the second edition of the Geotechnical Manual for Slopes, the Model Specification for Ground Anchors and the Bibliography on the Geology and Geotechnical Engineering of Hong Kong. Three Geoguides on soil and rock description, site investigation and the geology of Hong Kong were being prepared to expand and amplify information in the Geotechnical Manual for Slopes. These will be available for sale in 1985.
In May, the Geotechnical Information Unit (GIU) was opened to the public. The GIU contains over 12 000 volumes of information including geotechnical books and journals, site investigation and laboratory testing reports, a catalogue of slopes and retaining walls, old maps and plans of Hong Kong, landslip records as well as piezometric and rainfall records. This is the first comprehensive geotechnical engineering reference library to be opened to the public in Hong Kong and a reading area and photocopying service are provided.
Terrain classification mapping of the entire territory at the scale of 1:20 000 was nearing completion. Geological mapping of about 40 per cent of the territory was in progress and will eventually provide 1:20 000 geological maps with explanatory notes.
The routine work of the Geotechnical Control Office continued and, in all, 4 350 geotechnical submissions for private and public construction projects were processed. In a continuing and comprehensive programme of landslip preventive measures, work was
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