Judiciary:

Magistrates Courts at Causeway Bay, Sai Ying Pun, North Kowloon and New Territories... Messrs. Palmer & Turner

Police:

Inspectorate Quarters Messrs. Spence, Robinson & Partners

Mr. W. H. Kwan

Silvermine Bay Police Post

Urban Services Department:

Abattoir Messrs. Hal Williams & Co.

BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE

Chief Building Surveyor, R. Fairbairn, A.R.I.C.S.

Assistant Chief Building Surveyors, P. V. Shawe, A.R.I.C.S. G. Thomson, A.R.I.B.A.

117. The year saw a continuation of the upward trend in the volume of private building works which have been increasing steadily over the previous five years. Buildings erected for domestic use still dominated the scene, but as will be seen from the statistics other buildings were erected for a wide variety of uses. It is estimated that the value of private building works carried out during the year amounted to the record figure of $175,000,000, to which figure should be added the heavy expenditure by Government in schools, resettlement, police quarters and office buildings.

Domestic Buildings

118. A welcome development was the submission and approval of several private housing schemes to be built in Kowloon, each as separate estates of quite considerable areas. In this way the provisions of the Buildings Ordinance, 1955, were used to best advantage, one of the chief points being that the required amount of open space could in many cases be so arranged to provide 'off the street' playing grounds for the children of the tenants. Nearly all these schemes consisted of small self-contained flats, each unit having one room as living space with kitchen and bathroom or W.C. attached. It is interesting to note that developers of this type of accommodation rarely provided lifts unless the building exceeded seven or eight storeys in height, since the demand for these units was such that prospective owners or tenants were willing to walk up to the top floors.

119. High density development was most marked in the Causeway Bay/North Point areas and this resulted in the rapid transformation of


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