XN000022-1991-04-19 — Page 15

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1991

14

VALUATION WORK ON NEWLY CONSTRUCTED PROPERTIES

ON

IN RESPONSE TO A REPORT PUBLISHED IN A NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS TODAY (FRIDAY) CONCERNING THE OUTSTANDING VALUATION WORK ON NEWLY CONSTRUCTED PROPERTIES AND THE EFFECT OF SPECULATIVE ACTIVITIES SUCH WORK, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE RATING AND VALUATION DEPARTMENT CLARIFIED THAT IN RESPECT OF NEWLY ASSESSED PREMISES, THE BACK-DATING OF RATES LIABILITY IS TWO YEARS.

MAXIMUM

HE EXPLAINED THAT FOR NEWLY CONSTRUCTED OR ALTERED PREMISES, RATES WERE PAYABLE FROM THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING THE DATE OF OCCUPATION, OR IF THE PREMISES WERE VACANT, THREE MONTHS AFTER ISSUE OF THE OCCUPATION PERMIT IN THE CASE OF SIX MONTHS IN THE CASE OF NON-DOMESTIC PREMISES.

DOMESTIC PREMISES

THE

AND

"HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT CAN ONLY CHARGE RATES 24 MONTHS RETROSPECTIVELY FROM THE ISSUE OF THE FIRST RATES DEMAND, EVEN THOUGH THE PROPERTY MAY HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED OR CERTIFIED FOR OCCUPATION MORE THAN TWO YEARS.

FOR

"NORMALLY, THE DEPARTMENT WILL ASSESS NEW PREMISES LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THEY ARE COMPLETED, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.

"

FURTHER ACTION AGAINST UBW'S

STAFF OF THE BUILDINGS AND LANDS DEPARTMENT TODAY (FRIDAY) POSTED 124 ORDERS TO REMOVE PROJECTING UNAUTHORISED BUILDING WORKS (UBW'S) IN A TO KWA WAN BUILDING AS PART OF THE "OPERATION APPENDAGES"

A GOVERNMENT OPERATION AGAINST ILLEGAL BUILDING WORKS.

THE ORDERS REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF UBW'S PROJECTING EXTERNAL WALLS OF BLOCK A OF I-FENG MANSTON AT 237 TO ICWA AND 24-40 CHI KIANG STREET, KOWLOON.

AS

FROM THE WAN ROAD

IDENTIFIED

THE BUILDING IS ONE OF THE 30 BLOCKS OF BUILDINGS TARGETS FOR CLEARANCE OF PROJECTING UBW'S IN "OPERATION APPENDAGES".

THE ACTING GOVERNMENT BUILDING SURVEYOR, MR CHEUNG SAID: "THERE ARE NUMEROUS PROJECTIONS INCLUDING METAL CAGES, AND METAL FLOWER RACKS IN THE BUILDING.

HAU-WAI, CANOPIES

W

"THEY ALL LACK MAINTENANCE AND SOME ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. THEY ARE ALSO ENVIRONMENTALLY AND AESTHETICALLY UNDESIRABLE, MR CHEUNG SAID.

HE SAID THE PROJECTIONS CONSTITUTE A RISK TO PROPLE USING THE PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES IN TO KWA WAN ROAD AND CHI KIANG STREET AND THE CENTRAL OPEN YARDS WHICH SERVE AS THE ENTRANCES TO THIS LARGE ESTATE.

BUILDING HAS BEEN SELECTED,

"THESE ARE THE REASONS WHY THE

MR CHEUNG SAID.

/THE 124