ENG-1998 — Page 275

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Phase 3 will start early in 1999 and new plans for the remaining development are being produced as part of a comprehensive feasibility study due to be completed in March 1999.

Islands District

The development of the other islands, continues mainly to improve the living environment of existing residential districts. Construction of sewers and the north- east river wall and site formation work at Tai O, the road improvement works for Cheung Chau Old Town, and the reclamation, road and drainage works at Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island are in progress.

Building Development

The Private Sector

Private building development slowed down while completion of earlier projects peaked in 1998. The number of building sites on which superstructure works started fell from 276 in 1997 to 213 in 1998, involving total floor areas of 3 426 017 square metres and 1899 033 square metres respectively. The number of building plan submissions decreased from 15 862 in 1997 to 14 626 in 1998. However, 888 buildings with a total floor area of 5.4 million square metres were completed at a cost of $57.95 billion. This compared with 838 buildings with a total floor area of 3.4 million square metres built at a cost of $31.22 billion in 1997.

Although the new airport at Chek Lap Kok became operational in July 1998, the Buildings Department continued to be involved in the ongoing developments on the airport island and above Airport Railway stations. Throughout the year, the department advised on two new railway projects the KCRC West Rail (Phase I) and the MTR Corporation's Tseung Kwan O Extension. The department played an important part in the school improvement programme, which is now in full swing with a target of providing additional classrooms in about 1 000 schools by 2003.

A consultancy study on the feasibility of electronic submission of building plans and supporting documents was completed. The study confirmed the feasibility and concluded that this new approach would speed up information transfer, reduce the use of paper in building designs and drawings, and facilitate their retrieval. The department is trying out the pilot system developed in the study and will consider the implementation plan for setting up an operational system for use by the department and building professionals.

Another consultancy study has started to review current requirements on lighting and ventilation of buildings and to update the relevant building codes as necessary. The new site safety supervision plan system and registration system for building professionals and contractors have been implemented in phases as scheduled in 1998. They have brought about a trend in the continuous improvement of the general conditions of building sites, construction site safety and the general quality of building works.

The first round of inspections of all old buildings in the 1946-58 age group was completed. In 1998, 1869 buildings in this age group were inspected and 297 investigation or repair orders served. The department also inspected 960 cantilevered slab canopies and balconies, resulting in the issue of 278 investigation orders. For

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