34
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1988
IT
WOULD ALSO CONSIDER COMMITTEE TO MONITOR AND HELP IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME.
SETTING UP A RURAL DEVELOPMENT BRING FORWARD THE URBAN FRINGE
"RURAL AREA IMPROVEMENTS ARE LOCAL PUBLIC WORKS AND THE URBAN MR BARNES SAID.
CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE UNDER THE FRINGE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES,
FI
"MOST OF THESE INVOLVE FAIRLY SMALL SCALE WORKS WHICH ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO IMPLEMENT.
"HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF ITEMS IN THE URBAN FRINGE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME COVER MORE EXTENSIVE WORKS WHICH OFTEN INVOLVE LAND ACQUISITION, AND THE TIME-SCALE FOR THIS IS SOMEWHAT LONGER THAN FOR MINOR ITEMS IN THE LOCAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME.
"THE RESULT IS THAT THESE WORKS HAVE NOT PROGRESSED AS QUICKLY AS ONE WOULD HAVE WISHED AND IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE GAINED OVER THE PAST YEAR, I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO WAYS OF EXPEDITING THE PROGRAMME INCLUDING SETTING UP A DEDICATED STAFF TEAM SPECIFICALLY FOR RURAL IMPROVEMENTS.
"
TURNING TO THE PROBLEM OF UNAUTHORISED BUILDING WORKS, MR BARNES SAID BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE WAS NOW GEARED TO UNDERTAKING LARGE-SCALE CLEARANCES ON A DISTRICT-BY-DISTRICT BASIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH RECENTLY CHANGED POLICY.
PRIORITY DEMOLITION TEAMS HAD BEEN SET UP TO TAKE RAPID ACTION AGAINST WORKS WHICH POSED A DANGER TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.
THE TEAMS WOULD PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION ΤΟ DEMOLISHING NEW WORKS IN PROGRESS, BEFORE THEY COULD OCCUPIED.
STOPPING AND BE SOLD OR
PROGRAMME OF
MR BARNES ADDED: "WE ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN A PUBLICITY AIMED AT OWNERS AND RESIDENTS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF UNAUTHORISED BUILDING WORKS AND ENCOURAGING SELF-ENFORCEMENT AMONG BUILDING MANAGEMENT BODIES, IN THE HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL EVENTUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT IN THEIR INTERESTS TO INFRINGE THE LAW OR TO TOLERATE ITS INFRINGEMENT BY OTHERS."
/35