ENG-1998 — Page 277

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

upgrading works to be carried out. Emergency action was taken by contractors in response to 10 reports on landslip incidents. To ensure proper maintenance and repair of buried water-carrying services, leakage from which might otherwise endanger slopes, 508 fill slopes were studied, resulting in the issue of 18 investigation/repair orders.

Since the implementation of the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance in May 1997, joint inspections have been carried out with the Fire Services Department to 295 prescribed commercial premises (banks, betting centres, jewellery shops, shopping arcades, supermarkets). Subsequently, 404 Fire Safety Directions were served to 159 prescribed commercial premises requiring the improvement of fire safety measures.

To step up fire safety in commercial buildings, the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) (Amendment) Ordinance came into operation in June 1998, to require upgrading of fire safety measures in old commercial buildings built before 1973. The department took joint enforcement action with the Fire Services Department under this ordinance, making 110 inspections and serving 282 Fire Safety Improvement Directions to 40 commercial buildings.

After a survey on the standard of fire safety in private buildings, a public consultation paper was issued in June 1998 on 'Proposals to improve fire safety in private buildings', targeting composite, industrial and residential buildings.

Work is in hand for preparing a brief for a consultancy to review the standards on the fire safety design of buildings and the need to reform the Fire Safety Codes and Regulations.

Land Administration

The main functions of the Lands Administration Office of the Lands Department, which consists of a headquarters and 14 District Lands Offices, are land disposal, land acquisition, land management and lease enforcement. Land use statistics are at Appendix 41.

Land Acquisition

When private property is needed in the public interest, mostly to implement public works projects, and cannot be acquired by negotiation, it may be acquired under ordinances which provide for payment of compensation based on the value of the property, and for business loss, where appropriate, at the date of acquisition. If agreement cannot be reached on the amount payable, either party can refer the claim to the Lands Tribunal for adjudication. Apart from statutory compensation, there is a system of ex-gratia payments.

About 406 000 square metres of private land in the New Territories were acquired during 1998 at a cost of $2.06 billion for public works projects, such as the Phase II development of Tung Chung New Town on North Lantau, the Shek Sheung River and Sheung Yue River Rehabilitation Works in North District, and Combined Wholesale Food Market in Yuen Long District. The entire village of Ma Wan at Tung Chung, Lantau Island, was removed and the villagers moved to a government- built village at nearby Pa Mei in connection with Phase II of the Tung Chung New Town Development.

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