ENG-1957 — Page 236

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

Good progress is being made by private developers in providing living accommodation for the Colony, and a new type of industry appears to have grown up in the form of 'mail order' real estate business, in which fully illustrated and descriptive brochures of a proposed development are posted to various parts of the world. Many overseas Chinese are now purchasing a flat for their dependents in the Colony as a substitute for a regular remittance.

Plans for 1,922 new buildings were submitted in 1957 to the Building Authority for approval, and of these 1,625 were for living accommodation in one form or another-houses, flats and apartments, tenements and low-cost one-room flats. The remainder of the plans covered buildings such as factories, godowns, schools, churches, offices, etc. In addi- tion there were several thousand plans for building works other than new buildings-e.g. rehabilitation of, and altera- tions and additions to, existing buildings, site formation schemes, drainage works and amendments to previously approved plans.

During the same period 1,113 permits were issued for the occupation of completed buildings. Of these permits 679 were for buildings to be used for residential purposes.

NEW TERRITORIES HOUSING

In the New Territories (apart from New Kowloon) the Buildings Ordinance does not apply, but control of buildings is exercised by the New Territories Administration, along the lines of the Buildings Ordinance where town buildings are concerned, but with wide latitude in respect of village housing. No structure may be erected without the approval of the District Officer concerned.

In villages of traditional South Chinese construction the houses are built in rows one behind another, usually all facing the same way, the exact position of the village being determined according to principles of geomancy. A typical example of geomantic siting is for a village to be built on the