WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1982
+FOR EXAMPLE, ON LEASE CONDITIONS, PLANNING MATTERS, NEW ROAD PROPOSALS AND ROAD WIDENING SCHEMES, RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY MASS TRANS IT RAILWAY OPERATIONS, BY THE AIRPORT, GEOTECHNICS AND SO ON.
+BEFORE CENTRALISED PROCESSING CAME INTO BEING, AUTHOR¦ ̈ ́ PERSONS HAD TO RESEARCH ALL OF THESE FACTORS THEMSELVES, WHICH THEY FOUND TIME-CONSUMING AND A CAUSE OF CONSIDERABLE DELAYS IN THE PROCESSING OF THEIR PROPOSALS.•
MR MCDONALD FELT SURE THAT NO AUTHORISED PERSON WOULD WISH TO RETURN TO THAT SYSTEM WHICH WOULD OF COURSE RESULT IF GOVERNMENT WITHDREW ITS PRESENT PROCESSING SERVICE.
ON MR CHEN'S COMMENT THAT PROCEDURES IN HONG KONG ARE MORE COMPLICATED AND TIME-CONSUMING THAN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, MR MCDONALD REFERRED TO THE MARCH ISSUE OF THE R.1.B.A. JOURNAL IN WHICH THERE WAS AN ARTICLE ON COMPLAINTS RAISED BY ARCHITECTS OVER THE TIME TAKEN FOR PROCESSING PLANNING PERMISSIONS BY THE GREATER LONDON COUNCIL,
FROM THE EXPERIENCE QUOTED BY ONE PRACTICE, HE ADDED, THE AVERAGE TIME TAKEN FOR PROCESSING WAS 16.8 WEEKS.
+THIS IS CONSIDERABLY LONGER THAN THE STATUTORY 60 DAYS ALLOWED FOR PROCESSING IN HONG KONG,+ MR MCDONALD SAID.
+FURTHERMORE, SUGGEST THAT THE NORMAL BUILDING PROPOSAL CONSIDERED BY THE BUILDING AUTHORITY HERE TENDS TO BE A GOOD DEAL LARGER AND MORE COMPLEX THAN THE NORM ABROAD, EVEN IN LONDON,+
TURNING TO MR HU'S SUGGESTION THAT THE GEOTECHNICAL CONTROL OFFICE WAS OVER-CAUTIOUS AND LACKING IN CLEARLY DEFINED STANDARDS, MR MCDONALD SAID THE GCO NOW WORKED TO THE STANDARDS AND PRACTICE SET OUT IN THE TECHNICAL MANUAL FOR SLOPES PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER 1979.
THE MANUAL WAS PREPARED UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A STEERING COMMITTEE WHOSE MEMBERS, DRAWN FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND CONTRACTORS, TOOK FULL ACCOUNT OF LOCAL CONDITIONS AND CURRENT GEOTECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PRACTICAL AND COST IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND OF THE NEED TO AVOID OVER-CAUTIOUS AND EXTRAVAGANTLY EXPENSIVE STANDARDS.
THE MANUAL WAS PUBLISHED AS A DRAFT DOCUMENT TO PROMOTE DISCUSSION AMONG, AND COMMENTS FROM THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
IT WAS CLEARLY STATED THAT IT WOULD BE AMENDED IN THE LIGHT OF RELEVANT COMMENTS AND OF ANY IMPROVEMENT IN OUR GEOTECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE.
+HOWEVER, IN THE 2-1/2 YEARS SINCE ITS PUBLICATION VERY LITTLE TECHNICAL COMMENT ON THE MANUAL BAS BEEN RECEIVED,+ MR MCDONALD SAID.
/+IT IS