LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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identification of local needs, prioritisation of project implementation and resolution of local objections.
The TDD continues to implement the major improvement works, such as river- training and village flood protection works, either through agent departments or consultants.
Large tracts of low-lying land at Yuen Long, Kam Tin and Ngau Tam Mei are particularly susceptible to flooding during heavy rains. Major river-training and flood-prevention projects are being implemented to improve the drainage systems of the area. The flood control works for Shan Pui River, the down-stream and mid- stream sections of Kam Tin River, and the village flood protection works at Sha Po Tsuen, San Tin Village and Ha Mei San Tsuen are in progress.
Building Development
The Private Sector
Private building development underwent another year of consolidation in 1997. The number of building plan submissions increased from 13 340 in 1996 to 15 862 in 1997, and 838 buildings with a total floor area of 3.4 million square metres were completed at a cost of $31.22 billion. This compared with 1 000 buildings with a total floor area of 3.2 million square metres built at a cost of $28.08 billion in 1996.
Private sector activities continued to include redevelopment of existing sites, alterations and additions to existing buildings and new developments. The growing trend is towards an increase in the number and size of developments in the northern New Territories. To cope with the housing demand, measures have been introduced to expedite the building development process.
Apart from the extensive building works associated with the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, the Buildings Department has been increasingly involved with the building developments above the railway stations of the Airport Railway. Other involvement included developments concerning hotels, government assisted housing projects and the school improvement programme.
The department is studying the feasibility of the submission of plans and supporting documents for building proposals in electronic data format. The new approach will reduce the use of paper in building designs and drawings and will facilitate their retrieval. In the longer term, the study will pave the way for use of artificial intelligence in plan processing through computer technology.
A special task force continued to monitor and enhance the safety of construction and demolition sites in the private sector. In 1997, the department carried out 3 572 site safety inspections and issued 456 advisory letters to the responsible persons of those sites where safety related irregularities were discovered. The site monitoring task force has been successful in reminding contractors and professionals in the building industry of the importance of construction site safety.
New systems for the registration of authorised persons, registered structural engineers and contractors have been introduced to improve their experience, competence, and qualification and to ensure the quality and safety of building works. The requirement for the preparation of supervision plans to set out clearly the responsibilities of all parties involved in the supervision of building works has also been implemented. The new requirement will enhance the safety of construction sites.