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Emergency vehicles access to crowded small house areas
Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Bing-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
At present, clusters of village houses and small houses built in close proximity to one another exist in certain areas of the New Territories, giving rise to concerns about the handling of emergencies in such areas. In view of this, will the Government inform this Council:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Answer:
Mr President.
(a)
whether the granting of approval for the construction of village houses or small houses in such areas is subject to sufficient clearance being provided for access of emergency vehicles (e.g. fire engines and ambulances);
if the answer to (a) is in the negative, how it ensures that there is sufficient clearance in such areas for access of emergency vehicles in case of emergencies; and
whether the authorities concerned have encountered any difficulty or delay in carrying out rescue operations in such areas in the past three years due to the above problem; if so, of the number of such cases?
Although the provision of emergency vehicular access (EVA) is not a statutory requirement in approving the construction of small houses, the small house grant conditions require the grantee to provide at his own expense and to the satisfaction of the Director of Fire Services (DFS) suitable means of access for the passage of fire services appliances and personnel to any structures erected or to be erected on the lot. Furthermore, the grantee shall at all times maintain such means of access and keep the same free from obstruction;