April_1965 — Page 27

is in itself inadequate, no amount of good architecture. will turn it into a town in the real sense of the word. So long as Government regards land as a field of dollar notes to be gathered up, and that land devoted to civic needs is so much loss of revenue, no proper plan can be made. The planner enters the same event as the developer, in the game of getting a "quart out of a pint pot."

Refund to Developers

The inflated price of land, does not encourage developers to buy more than the absolute minimum for his purpose, which in turn causes him to use the mini- mum area for the directly non-productive part of the building. In factory buildings this leads to inadequate space for loading bays, and the turn round of vehicles. In office buildings it leads to inadequate provision of lifts, corridors, lavatories and service area. In housing -to the rigid adoption of the 35 sq. ft. per person rule: and in tenements to the minimum and inadequate provision of lavatory and kitchen space.

Could not a refund of the cost of the land be made to those developers who use their sites to the best interest of the public? A formulae would be needed but land not covered by building and used within reason for space round buildings, parking and circulation within the site, could qualify for a substantial refund of premium.

One can already hear the cries we "cannot afford to use land so uneconomically," but we must afford to do so, if a stable and contented community is to be evolved. There is too much talk of land shortage: with only 10 per cent, of the land area of the Colony used for urban development, this is hard to believe. Admitted- ly a good proportion of the remaining 90 per cent. is hilly and what is not, is used for agriculture. But again if developers were offered a premium for bringing into use difficult land, Hong Kong with its penchant for enterprise, would surely find takers.

Such a premium could take a number of forms a free grant if a proper access road is provided long term repayment of the cost of the land, given at an economic price sale of land by negotiation and not

Use

all

by auction. Needless to say on the other hand development would have to conform to a Master Plan! This raises the question: Are we making the right of land? Without wishing to belabour the point. the answer is that without Planning, we do not know. But guessing like everyone else, one may make some observations.

Heavy industry needs flat land more than any other use; although there is not much of this in Hong Kong. If there was further development in this field, it would be difficult to find a location for it. All the flat sites are occupied by Resettlement Estates and light industry. One of the few flat areas of any size in Tsuen Wan has been given over to Resettlement, as is also the case at Chaiwan. After the Housing Authority had successfully demon- strated how to develop a steeply sloping site at So Uk. it was given a flat site for a large estate at Choi Hung which would have been better used for other purposes, (even recreational) and the housing itself would have been better if grouped on different levels.

Part of the Overheads

We know that sloping sites, makes housing more costly, but the economics of development must not be assessed in respect of individual aspects but as a whole another advantage of working to a Plan, enabling the whole economic position to be understood.

A region dependent on industry and commerce must regard housing as part of the overheads in providing conditions for the former to flourish, just as roads and services are needed, as well as shopping, schools, welfare and recreational facilities.

The foregoing is a collection of thoughts, rather than a treatise on Planning, but all the projects and proposals mentioned require assessement, and co-ordina- tion. Considerable large scale, overall thinking is required. Who is to do it? And after the thinking who is to carry it out

There is no doubt that the answer to the first question is a Regional Planning Authority and to the second a separate Development Authority.

The alternative? Chaos!

Kowloon peninsular "getting a quart out of a pint pot."

Far East Architect & Builder April, 1965

59