FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1984
BILL TO UPDATE WORDING OF BUILDING LAW
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A BILL AIMED AT AMENDING THE DEMOLISHED BUILDINGS (REDEVELOPMENT OF SITES) ORDINANCE WILL BE INTRODUCED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY (OCTOBER 10).
KNOWN AS THE DEMOLISHED BUILDINGS (REDEVELOPMENT OF SITES) AMENDMENT) BILL 1984, IT SEEKS TO UPDATE THE WORDING OF SECTION 4 (1) OF THE ORDINANCE AND BRING IT INTO LINE WITH CURRENT LEGISLATION AND PRACTICE BY REPLACING +VOLUME+ WITH +GROSS FLOOR AREA+.
THE PROPOSAL IS PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE TODAY
(OCTOBER 5).
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE WORD +VOLUME+ IN THE ORDINANCE DER IVED FROM THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS OF 1956 IN WHICH THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF SITES WAS CONTROLLED BY +VOLUME+.
THE CURRENT BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS, HOWEVER, CONTROL DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL BY +GROSS FLOOR AREA+.
+OLD BUILDINGS NORMALLY HAVE FAIRLY HIGH FLOOR-TO-CE IL ING HEIGHT, AND HENCE A LARGE VOLUME, WHILE MODERN BUILDINGS WITH LOWER CEILING HEIGHTS HAVE LESS VOLUME FOR AN EQUIVALENT GROSS FLOOR AREA.
+THIS HAS RESULTED IN RECENT REDEVELOPMENT CASES WHERE THE VOLUME REQUIREMENT CANNOT BE FULFILLED EXCEPT BY UNNECESSARILY RAISING THE FLOOR-TO-CE IL ING HEIGHT BEYOND THAT REQUIRED IN THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
NEW TOWN ON HK ISLAND ****
SIU CHAI WAN IN THE EASTERN PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND WILL BE DEVELOPED INTO A TOWNSHIP WITH A PLANNED POPULATION OF 34 000 PEOPLE IN ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
GOVERNMENT PLANNERS HAVE DRAWN UP A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPING THE AREA WHERE A NUMBER OF PUBLIC HOUSING AND PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL-COMMERCIAL PROJECTS WILL BE BUILT.
BY 1992, A PUBLIC RENTAL ESTATE, A HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME COURT AND A PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME ESTATE WILL RISE FROM THE AREA, PROVIDING 5 796 GOVERNMENT SUBSIDISED FLATS.
INITIAL FEASIBILITY STUDIES AND SITE INVESTIGATION ARE UNDER WAY FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE IN THE AREA.
THE ESTATE, TO BE DEVELOPED IN TWO PHASES, WILL PROVIDE 3 176 MODERN FLATS FOR ABOUT 17 000 PEOPLE UPON COMPLETION BY 1993.
'THE HOUSING