XN000022-1982-11-15 — Page 3

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1982

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PREMIUM ON SMALL NT HOUSES REDUCED

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THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO REDUCE BY 30 PER CENT THE FIVE-YEAR, NON-ASSIGNMENT PREMIUM ON SMALL HOUSES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE DISTRICT LANDS OFFICER, YUEN LONG, MR THOMAS H.K. HO, REVEALED TODAY.

SPEAKING AT THE NEW TERRITORIES ROTARY CLUB'S DINNER TONIGHT, MR HO SAID OWNERS OF SUCH HOUSES NEED ONLY PAY AN ADMINISTRATIVE FEE OF $400 PLUS A PREMIUM FOR THE MODIFICATION OF THE SMALL HOUSE CONDITIONS, THUS ALLOWING THEM TO SUB-DIVIDE THEIR HOMES INTO THREE SEPARATE FLATS, SUBJECT TO A DEED OF COVENANT GOVERNING THE THREE FLATS.

MR HO SAID THAT A VILLAGE HAD BEEN SELECTED FOR THE DRAWING UP OF A VILLAGE LAYOUT SO THAT SYSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT COULD BE ACHIEVED.

AND FOR THE YUEN LONG INDUSTRIAL AREA, PLOT RATIOS HAVE BEEN READJUSTED ACCORDING TO NEEDS SO THAT LARGE SITES COULD BE SUB-DIVIDED INTO SMALLER PLOTS.

AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS READJUSTMENT, MR HO POINTED OUT THAT FOR TWO PLOTS OF LAND IN THE YUEN LONG AREA WHICH WOULD BE AUCTIONED ON NOVEMBER 18, THE PLOT RATIO HAS BEEN ADJUSTED FROM SIX TO THREE,

+AND AGAIN IN JANUARY 1983, THE PLOT RATIO FOR TWO SITES WHICH WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE IN THE SAME AREA HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM EIGHT TO THREE, HE ADDED.

THE REMAINING INDUSTRIAL AND GODOWN SITES IN YUEN LONG WOULD BE SIMILARLY READJUSTED TO A PLOT RATIO OF NOT MORE THAN THREE, HE SAID.

HE ALSO SAID THESE WERE SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THE LAND ADMINISTRATION POLICY WHICH HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE KEPT AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE TO MEET THE DEMANDS FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+GOVERNMENT WILL ALSO ALLOW PRIVATE LAND OWNERS TO PARTICIPATE IN DEVELOPMENT. IN THE CASE OF TONG YAN SAN TSUEN, GOVERNMENT WILL ONLY RESUME LAND FOR ROADS AND DRAINAGE WORKS WHILE LAND OWNERS WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO COME FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS FOR IN-SITU EXCHANGES,+ MR HO SAID.

LOOKING AT THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE, MR HO SAID THAT 14.5 HECTARES OF LAND IN YUEN LONG WOULD BE OFFERED FOR SALE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THESE WOULD INCLUDE 4.8 HECTARES FOR INDUSTRIAL AND GODOWN USE, SEVEN HECTARES FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES ONLY AND TWO HECTARES FOR COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL USE.

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