Transitional provisions.
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15. (1) Where plans of building works are submitted to the Bot. ing Authority before the 1st day of July, 1963, the Building Authon | may approve such plans if the carrying out of the building works show thereon would not contravene the law as it was prior to the commer ment of regulations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, and may give constr to the commencemeat of such building works.
(2) Where plans of building works are submitted to the Building Authority before the 1st day of January, 1966, the Building Authority may approve such plans if the carrying out of the building works shown thereon would not contravene the law as it was prior to the commence ment of regulations 3 and 4, and may give consent to the commencemen: of such building works.
Colbear
Clerk of Cornelle-
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Building Authority may permit is similar increase in floor area where land is usquired, either by agreement or compulsorily, for the purpose of street wooing.
4. Under the new regulation 200(3) the Building Authority may take no account of any floor space that is to be used solely for the parking, or for the landing or unloading, of motor vehicles, when the gross floor area of a building is being determined,
4. Regulation 22 of the principal regulations has been amended so as to increase the amount of open space that must be provided around domestic buildings on commer sites and island site. A definition of "corner site" is inserted in the principal regulations by regulation 2(c) of these regulations.
7. The opportunity has been taken to raise the minimum standard of Lighting and ventilation required for offices, and the new standard for offices has been applied to kitchens.
8. These regulations will come into operation on the 19th day of October, 1962, bat, by virtue of regulation 15, the Building Authority will be able to approve plans of building works that comply with the law prior to the com- mencement of these regulations if, in the case of the amendments effected by regulations 5 to 12 inclusive, the plans are submitted at any time prior to the In day of July, 1963, and, in the case of the amendments offected by regulations 3 and 4, the plans are submitted at any time prior to the 1st day of January, 1966,
(Secretariat BL3/742/60)
COUNCIL CHAMBER,
19th September, 1962.
Explanatory Note.
(This Note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general purport).
There has been much criticism recently of the very high density of development permitted under the Building (Planning) Regulations, 1956 (b principal regulations). Densities of 10,000 or more per nett acrs are possible corner sites frouting a street that is 100 feet wide; densities of 6,000 to the am are common. Densities of this magnitude pose many problema and, even afte allowance is made for the shortage of land in urban Hong Kong and Kosken it is now generally recognized that such intensity of development is undesirab on social, health and practical grounds,
1. Hitherto, intensity of development has been controlled by volume permissible height, and street width. On wide streets, the combination of what and height can result in excessive densities. On the other hand, developmem d a large site fronting a narrow street has been unnecessarily inhibited in mov
cases.
3. Under the new provisions introduced by these regulations, the interg of development will be controlled by the use of "plot ratio" and "site coverage" rather than by volume. Plot ratio is defined as the gross floor area of a building divided by the area of the site on which the building is erected. Provision made for a sliding scale whereby the plot ratio increases as the building b increases, but at the same time the area of site that can be covered by buildor is reduced as the building height increases. The regulations apply to bolt domestic and non-domestic buildings, though non-domestic buildings are perod a higher plot ratio and higher site coverage than domestic buildings.
4. in order to encourage developers to provide additional space for peds trlam circulation at ground level, the new regulation 208(1) provides that, when any space is given up for that purpose and dedicated to the public for the purpos of passage, the floor area of the building may be increased by not moneta five times the area of the space so given up. Under regulation 208/2) **