3
At first sight it seemd to me that the
creation of an Executive Board for town planning in
Hong Kong in place of the Advisory Committee
which was recommended by the Housing Commission
would not be calculated to fit in with the legitimate
sphere of the Urban Council. In this country, as
pointed out in the report of the Housing Commission
(para. 10 of Mr. Owen's memorandum) the housing and
town planning authority is normally a committee of
the municipal authority.
On reflection, however, I think the
Hong Kong Government is right in supposing that if
any effective work on town planning in the
circumstances of Hong Kong is going to be done, it
must be placed in the hands of a separate executive
authority empowered to take action in that sphere
subject to the Governor's approval and working in
liaison with the Urban Council. For the last
purpose the Governor intends that the chairman of the
Urban Council, who is a Class I Cadet in the Hong Kong
Civil Service, shall also be chairman of the proposed
Town Planning Board.
The question of alienated land must be one
which will come continually into the Board's schemes
and provision for compensation is made in Section 4(3)
of the present Bill. The Bill substantially follows
Pt. IX of the Sanitary Boards Enactment of the
F.M.S. which relates to town planning. In the
F.M.S. enactment there is provision (Section 23(1))
for a reference to the courts in the case of disputes
as to the amount or apportionment of compensation.
In the present Bill claims for compensation in respect
of resumptions are to be dealt with as if they were
resumptions for public purpose under the Crown Lands
Resumption