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The Director of Buildings cautioned that it would be impossible to remove all unauthorised building works in a specified time frame as there were currently 60,000 private buildings, many of which had been altered and added to without approval. Moreover, the problem was not static as on average, about 500 new buildings came on stream each year.
However, Mr Cheng said the present situation represented a significant improvement over that before the new policy was introduced and he was confident that the problem was being contained and gradually reduced.
Commenting on the time frame and procedure in tackling the High Priority UBW, Mr Cheng noted that on average, most unauthorised building works were removed within six months.
He also noted that the UBW procedures were under constant review and in the light of last year's review, the following improvements had been made:
The procedures had been revised, resulting in better co-ordination among Government departments in respect of rooftop residents requiring rehousing or other assistance.
The necessary deterrent effect had been further strengthened by more rigorous prosecution and disciplinary action against offenders.
Greater efforts were being made in educating the public about the importance of building safety. These include a major publicity campaign in the year on the subject and better liaison with the Law Society, the Consumer Council, District Boards and local communities in the dissemination of such information.
In addition, Mr Cheng said: "a proposal to raise fines for unauthorised building works three times present levels is also being considered.
"All these measures show that we are sparing no efforts in refining the present policy in order to make it work better in the light of the changing circumstances. Where practicable, we will consider adopting those recommendations in the report that would further improve our policy," Mr Cheng said.
End/Tuesday, April 11, 1995