6
Land Policy Adopted by the Hong Kong Government in the New Territories
The Hong Kong Government's land policy, as applied to the New Territories is totally inadequate and utterly unfair and has in the past 20 years, frustrated the economy and the development of the New Territories. We feel we must point out strongly in this memorandum that the feelings of the New Territories people against the Govern- ment's Land Policy are running extremely high and if ignored, will give the Communists more ammunition with which to attack the Government and reduce the people's support for the Government. In order to illustrate the inadequacy and unfairness of the present Land Policy we would pro- pose to discuss this subject in the remaining part of this memorandum under three seperate headings:
a) Resumotion
The rate of compensation payable by the Government to the property owners for the resumption of their land for development purposes is ridiculously low, taking no account at all of the potential value of the land resumed. For many, many years the criterion de- termining the rate of payment of compensation has been the lowest average rent or the lowest purchase price pay- able for the remotest and the most unproductive area. To cite a few examples: a) the compensation paid for the resumption of D.D. 131 Lot 394 in Castle Peak was 50 é per sq. ft. whereas the purchase price actually paid by the owners of land in the neighbourhood was between $3.70 and $6.00; (b) when D.D.120 in the centre of Yeun Long was resumed, the amount of compensation payable was cal- culated at 906 per sq.ft. against a current purchase price of $10.- $20. per sq. ft. It is obviously unfair that whereas the Government can aquire the land properties from the owners by paying the lowest average price, the owners, in return, will have to pay 10 or even 20 times more for the same property.
b)
Conversion
The premium charged by the Government for the conversion of a piece of land from one specified purpose (e.g. agriculture) to another purpose (e.g. building or industrial) is, on the other hand, ridiculously high, taking always into account the future possible use of the land for which conversion is sought. What is more inequitable and irritating is that the conversion premium is not calculated on a fixed and uniform basis; it is left entirely to the individual surveyors whose recommendations are the main factor determining the actual premium payable. This practice has given rise to a considerable difference in the amount of premium payable for the conversion of various plots of land in the same area.
c)
Restrictions
It has been the practice of the Hong Kong Government to "freeze" all private plans for the use of land in an area which has been declared to be a designated zone for development. The principle underlying this practice is not challengeable, but the indefinite period for which many
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