ENG-1954 — Page 175

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

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of Kowloon Bay, which will amount to new towns. the population continues to increase it may be necessary to build a new settlement in the beautiful and fertile valley of Shatin.

Within the preliminary pattern the preparation of outline development plans is undertaken in the Public Works Department by a small unit co-ordinating the work of the various branches of the department on planning problems. The plans set out the principles to be followed in the improvement of the district con- cerned and are then broken down into greater detail on layout plans.

As the Government owns the freehold of virtually all land in the Colony, it is in a position to implement most of its planning provisions by direct covenants with the lessees, insofar as undeveloped land is con- cerned. In the case of developed land, the application of any planning requirements to which a property does not already conform is carried out either by including new covenants in a lease when it comes up for renewal or, if necessary, by re-entering upon the land and paying compensation. Up to the present, however, planning control of the type exercised in the United Kingdom is not applied in Hong Kong.

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