TNAG-0670-FCO40-819-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-land-in-New-Territories-1977 — Page 23

C.S. 166

CONFIDENTIAL ##

For discussion

on 26th July 1977

XCC(77)55 34 Copy No Page 1 of 4

MEMORANDUM FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

NEW TERRITORIES VILLAGE REMOVAL POLICY

nghiêng

of 80

31

RECEIVED IN REGIRY No. 51

-

1 AUG1977

HKK 360 k

On 1st December 1959 the Executive Council considered

memorandum XCC(59) 172 on the question of resiting villages in Tsuen

The principles approved were:

Wan.

(a)

(b)

village building land would be surrendered in exchange for an equivalent area of building land in a less valuable area;

the villagers would receive a cash adjustment amounting to the difference in value between the old and the new sites, plus cash compensation for all legal buildings on their land;

(c)

the credit balance in the villagers' favour would be used by them to construct a new village; and

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(d)

Government would offer resettlement accommodation

to any tenants living in the villagers' houses.

The system was found not to work entirely satisfactorily, and in December 1965 the Finance Committee approved revised provisions for village removal. It was then agreed that pre-war owners of building lots and any others who derived their title from succession to building lots acquired pre-war should be eligible for a grant of lot in a village resite area and a cash grant to enable them to build a new house of approved design. It was agreed that it would be necessary for detailed standards of eligibility for sites and building grants to be worked out for the special circumstances of each village and that a summary of the terms applicable in each case should be provided when funds were sought for each operation. The basic principle was that a site of 675 square feet should be granted in exchange for each 0.01 acres (436) square feet) of building land surrendered. (0.01 acres was the area of most old village house sites. Post-war new grants in the mid-1960's were usually about 675 square feet).

3

Under this system most of the new village houses were built by block contracts for the whole village, under the control of village building committees assisted by the District Office. Following the failure of one of these contracts and complicated legal proceedings

CONFIDENTIAL #2

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