ENG-2003 — Page 265

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

areas to show the planned land uses, development restrictions and transport networks in greater detail. There were 77 ODPs and 299 LPs covering Hong Kong in 2003.

Enforcement

Under the Town Planning Ordinance, no person shall undertake or continue a development in a development permission area (DPA) unless the development was a use in existence before the gazetting of the relevant Interim DPA or DPA plans, or is permitted under the DPA plan or the replacement OZP, or has obtained permission from the board. Development not satisfying these criteria is an 'unauthorised development (UD)' subject to enforcement and prosecution action. Currently, about 19 800 hectares of land in the rural area are covered by DPA plans or the replacement OZPs.

The Planning Authority may serve statutory notices on the respective landowners, occupiers and/or responsible persons, requiring them to discontinue the UD by a specified date unless planning permission for the development is obtained, or demanding a reinstatement of the land. It is an offence in law not to comply with the requirements of the notices.

In 2003, 282 new UDs were detected in the rural area. Most were related to uses such as open storage of vehicles, containers and construction machinery/materials; workshops; and container vehicle/trailer parks. The Director of Planning issued 998 warning letters for 246 cases, 673 enforcement notices for 128 cases, and 660 compliance notices for 120 cases. As for prosecution, 18 defendants in 16 cases were convicted. The average fine imposed was $30,117, with a range of $2,000 to $50,000. During the year, enforcement action resulted in the discontinuation of 197 UDs covering 55 hectares of land, and regularisation through the planning application system of another 226 UDs covering 80 hectares of land.

Urban Renewal

The Chief Executive announced in his 1999 Policy Address the setting up of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) to replace the Land Development Corporation and to expedite urban renewal. The URA was established in May 2001 to undertake a 20-year urban renewal programme. In November 2001, the Government promulgated the Urban Renewal Strategy (URS) after wide public consultation, setting out the policy guidelines for the URA in the implementation of the urban renewal programme.

The purpose of urban renewal is to improve the environment of the older urban areas and the living conditions of the residents therein through a comprehensive and holistic approach comprising the redevelopment of dilapidated buildings, the promotion of the rehabilitation of older buildings, the revitalisation of old districts. and the preservation of buildings of historical, cultural or architectural interest.

The Government has put in place a financial support package for the URA to enable it to launch the urban renewal programme on a sound financial footing. In May 2002, the Executive Council approved in principle land grants at nominal premium for urban renewal sites. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council also approved in June 2002 a commitment of $10 billion for equity injection into the URA in phases from 2002-03 to 2006-07. A total of $4 billion had been injected into the URA by year-end.

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