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Wednesday, November 29, 1972
"But until proper permanent planned development comes we must
deal with the day-to-day needs of the people now living in the country.
The policy dealt with today probably affects over 90 per cent of the
dwellings in the rural New Territories."
Mr. Bray said the benefits from the review of the policy, which
was started last year at the request of the Heung Yee Kuk, and with their
close co-operation, were several.
Firstly, he said, applications from villagers to build a new
house should be processed and approved much more quickly, generally
within six weeks of receipt of the application.
"This will be achieved by delegating the authority to approve
such applications to District officers, by doing away with the necessity to
submit individual building plans and by abolishing so called restricted
auctions and allowing Private Treaty Grants of sites within villages instead."
Secondly, he said more sophisticated health standards would be
required in these houses in future.
These standards would be much more in keeping with modern practice
and the Director of Urban Services intended to enforce them much more positively
than in the past, but in a manner suited to each individual house, he said.
The regulations constitute a minor extension to the class of buildings
exempt from many of the provisions of the Buildings Ordinance by allowing the
use of reinforced concrete in two-storey buildings covering less than 700 sq.ft.
and not exceeding 25 feet in height.
/Thirdly,