ENG-1966 — Page 185

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LAND AND HOUSING

building programme and arrangements for those who do not have any priority for accommodation. Provision is made for homeless people, who are ineligible for resettlement, to erect their huts under licence in more remote areas where they will be free from disturbance for some years to come. The Resettlement Ordinance was amended in 1965 to give effect to the revised resettlement policy.

The New Territories Administration is responsible for the control of squatters in the New Territories, with the exception of Tsuen Wan district where control has been transferred to the Resettlement Department. The more accessible parts of the New Territories are regularly patrolled and are divided into prohibited and non- prohibited areas. In prohibited areas such as the margins of roads, development areas, and land exposed to flooding, no new domestic huts are allowed. In non-prohibited areas temporary structures may be built with a permit from the District Office. This year saw the completion of the initial block of a new resettlement estate at Yuen Long, the first to be constructed outside

Tsuen Wan district. This block has now been occupied by people cleared from areas required for road widening and other development, and the remain- ing blocks, four in number, will be occupied by people in similar circumstances from both Yuen Long and Tai Po districts.

HOUSING

It was estimated that at the end of 1966 domestic accommodation in the urban areas (excluding resettlement estates) comprised some 169,000 tenement floors, 45,000 small flats, 21,500 large flats, 1,000 houses and 37,200 low-cost housing units. Domestic accommodation predominates in many new building projects, but during 1966 the real estate market for this type of property continued to be depressed. In March 1966 there were 18,519 unoccupied domestic premises of all types compared with 11,455 in March 1965. How- ever, these statistics must be viewed against the very high level of construction of such properties in previous years. To counteract the lack of interest by purchasers, there are indications that real estate generally is taking on a new trend. More flats are available for rent instead of being for sale only, and special inducements are being offered to attract tenants. There has also been more interest shown in building smaller flats. One important pioneer scheme