ENG-1992 — Page 224

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Apart from statutory OZPs and DPA plans, the Planning Department prepares outline development plans and layout plans for individual districts to show the planned land use patterns, development restrictions and road network in greater detail. These are non- statutory departmental plans to serve as a guide for land formation, implementation of public work projects as well as subsequent land sales and allocations. At the end of 1992, there were a total of 30 outline development plans and 234 layout plans.

During the year, the Planning Department provided planning inputs to a number of major reclamation and development projects, notably the Central and Wan Chai and the West Kowloon Reclamations. The plan for Hung Hom Bay Reclamation was also reviewed. Various planning studies were in progress, including those for the West Kowloon Development Statement and Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing Development Statement, and those on restructuring obsolete industrial areas, future development in Stanley, planning for vehicle repair workshops and density guidelines for private residential areas. The two major district planning consultancy studies commissioned in 1991 on the Comprehensive Review of Special Control Areas and the Review of Building Density and Height Restrictions in Kowloon and New Kowloon were near completion. The recommendations of these studies would be submitted to the TPB for consideration prior to incorporation into the relevant OZPs. Another study was commissioned in late 1992 to examine and assess the redevelopment potential of a number of under-developed government sites. In the New Territories, major forward planning studies covered North Lantau and the Lantau Port Peninsula. Studies were also being undertaken to identify suitable back-up sites to meet the increasing demand for container and open storage sites due to the rapid growth of the cross-border trade and the associated transport and storage activities.

Enforcement

One of the amendments introduced under the Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance 1991 is the provision of enforcement powers in areas covered by DPA plans. Under the ordinance, no person should undertake or continue development in a DPA unless the development is an existing use, is permitted under the DPA plan or planning permission to do so has been granted. Any development which does not satisfy any of these criteria is an unauthorised development and may be subject to enforcement proceedings by the Director of Planning.

Since July 1991, patrol teams have been established in the Planning Department to carry out regular patrol within the DPAs to identify suspected unauthorised developments. On receipt of public complaints and referrals from other departments, the teams also carried out individual site inspections to ascertain the nature of the suspected unauthorised developments and make recommendations on appropriate enforcement action. After detailed investigation, 476 warning letters were issued in respect of 62 such cases, 47 enforcement notices for 17 cases and three stop notices for three cases were served in 1992.

Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy

The Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) was endorsed by the Executive Council in March 1989. Its main objective is to improve the quality of life in the rural areas of the New Territories. RPIS is being implemented at both strategic and district levels. At the strategic level, land use policies are continuously reviewed to control incompatible developments and provide a more sustainable and cost-effective basis for public and

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