ENG-1977 — Page 160

HOUSING AND LAND

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statistics and comparisons with previous years are contained in Appendix 29. At the end of the year, the card index of property owners contained the names of 321,822 people, an increase of 22,346 over the previous year. Some own several properties, but most are owners or part-owners of small, individual flats.

Urban Renewal and Environmental Improvement

In the Urban Renewal Pilot Scheme involving the complete redevelopment of one of the older areas in Hong Kong, the property acquisition programme and the construc- tion of the new road linking Hollywood Road and Queen's Road, Central, were completed during the year. Five sites were sold for a total of $81.15 million. The last stage of roads and drainage construction began in October and is expected to be finished in late 1978. The programme of clearance and demolition of properties, and the associated rehousing of occupants, continued and should be completed in 1978. Acquisition of land for open space and for government, institutional and com- munity uses continued in the densely-populated areas of Western district, Wan Chai and Yau Ma Tei. In the 1976–7 financial year, 31 properties were acquired by agree- ment at a cost of $16.3 million. In addition, nine properties were resumed at an estimated total compensation of $3.6 million. For the Hong Kong Housing Society's urban improvement scheme at First and Second Streets in Sai Ying Pun, 36 private lots were resumed during the year.

Private lots in areas zoned for open space and for government, institutional and community uses on outline zoning plans exhibited or approved under the Town Plan- ning Ordinance cannot be redeveloped unless permission is obtained from the Town Planning Board. Where such permission is refused by the board, owners wishing to dispose of their interests are invited to approach the Crown Lands and Survey Office to negotiate the surrender of their interests for cash compensation. Similarly, the Crown is prepared to open negotiations for the surrender of interests in lots zoned for a public purpose on a published town plan, without first requiring the owners to go through the Town Planning Ordinance permission procedure.

Acquisition for Public Purposes

The acquisition of private properties in both the urban areas and the New Territories is often unavoidable if public works projects are to be implemented. In particular, the new town development programme involves acquisition of large areas of agricultural land. Acquisition is carried out either by negotiation or by invoking powers under the Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance or, in cases of private properties required for the mass transit railway, the Mass Transit (Land Resumption and Related Provisions) Ordinance. If agreement cannot be reached on the compensation amounts, both ordinances make provision for such cases to be referred to the Lands Tribunal for determination. The tribunal was established in 1975 under the provisions of the Lands Tribunal Ordinance.

As mentioned earlier, large areas of land required for development in new towns in the New Territories are acquired by exchanging the land surrendered to the Crown for the right to develop sites in the new development areas.

The Streets (Alteration) Ordinance and the Public Reclamations and Works Ordi- nance also enable the government to undertake public works projects that may affect