5.19
will continue.
During the year it was encouraging to find a greater use of soil investigation Consultants by private developers and it is hoped this trend
New soil laboratories with modern and sophisticated equipment have also made a substantial contribution to the marked improvement in the quality of investigations submitted to the Buildings Ordinance Office.
5.20
Although 1974 was generally a dry year, typhoon Carmen created some problems near the end of the year which kept the Division busy for some time in dealing with landslips.
5.21
DANGEROUS BUILDINGS DIVISION
Chief Building Surveyor:
C.H. RILEY, A.R.I.C.S.
The main objective of the Division, to seek out dangerous private buildings and deal with them in an appropriate manner under the Buildings Ordinance, was again actively pursued throughout the year.
5.22
Except for the late typhoons and heavy rains of October December there were, fortunately, no major landslips, collapses or fires to interrupt routine work, which resulted in a welcome substantial reduction in the number of closure and demolition orders obtained. The number of persons displaced was down by almost half whilst the number of redevelopment Notices enabling displaced tenants to claim compensation and rehousing and also Redevelopment Orders requiring redevelopment within a specific period under the Demolished Buildings (Redevelopment of Sites) Ordinance, was less than half those obtained during the previous year.
5.23 A landslip at the rear of Lai Sing Court, Tai Hang Road during Typhoon 'Carmen' resulted in the emergency closure of twin multi-storey blocks as a precautionary measure and the buildings were closed again during Typhoon 'Elaine'. Subsequently, owners were required to carry out remedial works to stabilize the surrounding slopes and the works were well in hand by the end of the year.
5.24
As the number of traditional pre-war brick and timber buildings requiring action diminishes, a change of emphasis within the workload of the Division is occurring with an ever increasing number of post-war reinforced concrete framed buildings coming under surveillance. The systematic planned surveys within urban areas on both sides of the harbour containing the most dilapidated pre-war buildings continued throughout the year, as time and staff permitted.
5.25
Repair Notices of all kinds now exceed Demolition Notices some sevenfold, showing how the Division, since its inception 11 years ago, has been able to largely eliminate all the most serious cases of danger especially in the older Western and Central Districts of Hong Kong Island.
5.26
The secondary objective of the Division, dealing with the ever expanding amount of defective private drainage, also continued unabated with a substantial increase in the number of Drainage Notices served, especially in Kowloon. Larger blocks of buildings in multiple ownership without any
47
5.19
will continue.
During the year it was encouraging to find a greater use of soil investigation Consultants by private developers and it is hoped this trend
New soil laboratories with modern and sophisticated equipment have also made a substantial contribution to the marked improvement in the quality of investigations submitted to the Buildings Ordinance Office.
5.20
Although 1974 was generally a dry year, typhoon Carmen created some problems near the end of the year which kept the Division busy for some time in dealing with landslips.
5.21
DANGEROUS BUILDINGS DIVISION
Chief Building Surveyor:
C.H. RILEY, A.R.I.C.S.
The main objective of the Division, to seek out dangerous private buildings and deal with them in an appropriate manner under the Buildings Ordinance, was again actively pursued throughout the year.
·
5.22
Except for the late typhoons and heavy rains of October December there were, fortunately, no major landslips, collapses or fires to interrupt routine work, which resulted in a welcome substantial reduction in the number of closure and demolition orders obtained. The number of persons displaced was down by almost half whilst the number of redevelopment Notices enabling displaced tenants to claim compensation and rehousing and also Redevelopment Orders requiring redevelopment within a specific period under the Demolished Buildings (Redevelopment of Sites) Ordinance, was less than half those obtained during the previous year.
5.23 A landslip at the rear of Lai Sing Court, Tai Hang Road during Typhoon 'Carmen' resulted in the emergency closure of twin multi-storey blocks as a precautionary measure and the buildings were closed again during Typhoon 'Elaine'. Subsequently, owners were required to carry out remedial works to stabilize the surrounding slopes and the works were well in hand by the end of the year.
5.24
As the number of traditional pre-war brick and timber buildings requiring action diminishes, a change of emphasis within the workload of the Division is occurring with an ever increasing number of post-war reinforced concrete framed buildings coming under surveillance. The systematic planned surveys within urban areas on both sides of the harbour containing the most dilapidated pre-war buildings continued throughout the year, as time and staff permitted.
5.25
Repair Notices of all kinds now exceed Demolition Notices some sevenfold, showing how the Division, since its inception 11 years ago, has been able to largely eliminate all the most serious cases of danger especially in the older Western and Central Districts of Hong Kong Island.
5.26
The secondary objective of the Division, dealing with the ever expanding amount of defective private drainage, also continued unabated with a substantial increase in the number of Drainage Notices served, especially in Kowloon. Larger blocks of buildings in multiple ownership without any
47
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