ENG-2008 — Page 267

Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation 211

heard two cases, one was dismissed and at year-end the other had yet to be determined.

The TPB also promulgates guidelines for applications for development in areas covered by statutory plans. In 2008, one set of new guidelines was promulgated and one set of existing guidelines was revised. At the end of 2008, there were 30 sets of guidelines.

Planning Enforcement

The Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance 1991 provides the Planning Authority (the Director of Planning) with enforcement powers to tackle 'unauthorised developments' (UDs) in areas covered by DPA plans or OZPs which replaced DPA plans. The Ordinance provides that all developments within these areas are deemed unauthorised unless they were either in existence before the DPA plans were gazetted, or were permitted under the relevant statutory plans or covered by valid planning permissions. The Planning Authority may serve statutory notices on the respective landowners, occupiers and/or responsible persons, requiring them to discontinue a UD or reinstate the land by a specified date. Non-compliance with al notice is a statutory offence.

In 2008, a total of 334 new UDs were detected in these areas. Most were related to uses such as open storage of vehicles, containers, construction machinery and construction materials, as well as container trailer parks, public car parks and workshops. The Planning Authority issued to offenders a total of 3 508 warning letters and reminders for 541 cases, 1 721 enforcement notices for 259 cases, 45 stop notices for six cases, 473 reinstatement notices for 85 cases, and 1 654 compliance notices for 237 cases. A total of 187 defendants in 45 cases were convicted. The average fine meted out was $14,445 and the fines ranged from $360 to $450 000. During the year, enforcement actions resulted in the discontinuation of 267 UDs which occupied 57 hectares of land, and the regularisation through the planning application system of another 112 UDs covering 40 hectares of land.

Departmental Plans

Outline development plans and layout plans are administrative plans prepared by the Planning Department. Detailed planning parameters are shown on these to facilitate the co-ordination of public works, land sales and the reservation of land for specific uses. There were 76 outline development plans and 294 layout plans.

Cross-boundary Planning and Development

The Government maintains close liaison with the Guangdong authorities on planning matters under

matters under an arrangement

arrangement called the Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference.

Cross-boundary surveys are commissioned regularly to collect statistical information on various aspects of cross-boundary activities, such as travel pattern and behaviour, and Hong Kong people's experience of and aspirations for taking up residence on the Mainland. The findings of these surveys provide valuable input for