TNAG-0672-FCO40-821-Legislation-for-Crown-lands-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 94

C.S. 166

CONFIDENTIAL

機密

XCC(77)20

Proposals

4

2

No significant saving can be made in the time needed in the districts to complete the detailed land work which is required for a resumption, nor in the preparation of the resumption papers. Amend- ments to the Ordinance could affect a saving in time but these would undoubtedly raise strong opposition and it is not considered that this line of action should be pursued at this stage. The remaining possibility is to modify the way in which submissions are made to Council.

5

As has been explained in paragraph 3 above separate submissions are now made for each project and resumption of that area is then ordered. It is proposed instead that from now on submissions covering larger blocks of land should be submitted to Council to advise whether the area is required for a public purpose. If Council so advised, the resumption of the land would be ordered in sections as it was required for develop- ment. The introduction of such a system should allow for a significant saving in the time required to make land available for development. It would also reduce the staff time needed to prepare resumption papers, allow a longer period of notice to be given to lessees than is now possible, and, by allowing greater flexibility, avoid resumption too far ahead of actual need.

6

The submission of resumption papers would be co-ordinated with the development programmes as they are reviewed by the Public Works Sub-Committee and, in general, requests would not normally be made for land which was required more than twelve months ahead. The memo- randum would list the individual public works and other projects for which the land was required, which might, for example, include roads, housing estates and the formation of land for sales to the private sector. It would also summarise the clearance problems expected and the re- settlement and compensation to be provided for those affected. A general location plan would be annexed, but at this stage no details of the individual lots could be shown and no detailed list of lots affected could be annexed to the memorandum, because the land work would not be so far advanced at the time of submission as it is at present. Similarly, only a broad estimate of acquisition and clearance costs could be given. Full details would be submitted to the Secretariat when an individual resumption order was sought.

7

If the above principle is accepted, the procedure for resumptions would be as follows;

(a)

preliminary land work would be undertaken on a block of land which would be required for development over a period not normally exceeding 12 months and a paper

CONFIDENTIAL

機密