ENG-2001 — Page 293

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Government Conveyancing

The Legal Advisory and Conveyancing Office of the Lands Department provides professional legal services to the Government in respect of all government land transactions and associated matters. It is responsible for the drafting of all government land disposal and acquisition documents, the apportionment and recovery of arrears (by re-entry or vesting action), of government rents, other than those payable under the Government Rent (Assessment and Collection) Ordinance (Cap. 515).

It provides conveyancing services to The Financial Secretary Incorporated for the extension of non-renewable leases, The Secretary for Home Affairs Incorporated for the purchase of accommodation for welfare purposes in private developments and other government departments in relation to certain loan schemes.

The office is also responsible for processing applications for the sale of units in uncompleted developments which are subject to the Lands Department Consent Scheme and for the approval of Deeds of Mutual Covenant which, among other things, set out the rights and obligations between the manager and co-owners of a development. During the year, 35 applications for the sale of units in uncompleted developments involving 21 000 residential units and 61 Deeds of Mutual Covenant were approved. Up-to-date information on consents granted is available at the Lands Department web site together with relevant circular memoranda issued to solicitors in private practice.

Survey and Mapping

The Survey and Mapping Office (SMO) is responsible for the provision of a wide variety of land survey services and up-to-date maps to support the rapid and intensive land and infrastructure development taking place in Hong Kong. The office publishes a wide range of map products which include 1:1 000 Basic Maps, Topographical Maps at scales varying from 1:5 000 to 1:100 000, Countryside Maps, Hong Kong Guide 2001, thematic maps and aerial photographs. These products, besides serving different government departments, are also available for sale to the public.

Apart from paper map products, the office also maintains and continually updates several digital map databases that cover the whole region of Hong Kong. These map databases contain the graphic map data as well as information on the map features. Utility companies, engineering consultants, computing system consultants and education institutes use the digital maps provided by the SMO as a common graphical base and reference for various purposes, such as automated mapping, facilities management and customer support as well as for geographical information systems.

In order to help the business sector make the most use of the digital maps, the SMO issues licences to permit business operators to use the data for various business. applications. With the Internet Map Permittee (IMP) licence, private enterprises may also develop and deliver map or location-based applications at their web sites. There are numerous possible applications for using location-based information, such as searching for places of interest, finding routes, and the order and delivery of goods and services.

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