ENG-2014 — Page 246

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Planning, Land and Infrastructure

objective basis for guiding future conservation efforts. In 2014, following the approval of the Chief Executive, Lin Fa Temple in Tai Hang, Hau Wong Temple in Kowloon City and Hung Shing Temple in Ap Lei Chau were declared as monuments in accordance with the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

Development Framework

Planning Control and Enforcement

The Town Planning Ordinance provides the Planning Authority with enforcement powers to tackle 'unauthorised developments' (UDs) in Development Permission Areas. The Planning Authority may serve statutory notices on the respective landowners, occupiers and/or responsible persons, requiring them to stop or discontinue a UD within a specified time. Subsequently, a further statutory notice may be served to require the site to be reinstated. Non-compliance is a statutory offence.

In 2014, 376 new UDs, including unauthorised open storage, workshops, vehicle parks and land/ pond fillings, were discovered and 2,871 warning letters or reminders (involving 554 cases), 1,637 enforcement notices (involving 294 cases), 412 reinstatement notices (involving 80 cases) and 1,806 compliance notices (involving 319 cases) were issued. A total of 62 defendants in 32 cases were convicted. The enforcement and prosecution actions resulted in the discontinuation of 286 UDs on 54 hectares of land. Another 48 UDs occupying 15 hectares of land were regularised through the planning application system.

Land Management and Lease Enforcement

The Lands Department currently manages 409 properties which have reverted to government ownership through surrender, lease expiry, re-entry, and other similar actions. During the year, 21 properties were taken over for management by the department and eight were duly disposed of.

The department keeps a register of man-made slopes and is responsible for the maintenance and safety of about 20,000 of them. The department inspects these slopes regularly with the help of consultants and in 2014 routine maintenance and improvement works were carried out on 6,963 and 190 slopes respectively. The department's website provides information about the responsibility for maintenance of registered slopes.

The Lands Department administers a 'Small House Policy' for indigenous villagers in the New Territories and approves the rebuilding of old village houses. In 2014, 1,060 applications to build small houses and 446 applications to rebuild old village houses were approved. The department is also responsible for processing rent exemption requisitions for indigenous villagers' rural properties in accordance with the exemption criteria in the Government Rent (Assessment and Collection) Ordinance.

The Lands Department carries out squatter control work and there are about 6,720 surveyed squatter structures in the urban areas and about 383,300 in the New Territories. Under the current policy, these structures are tolerated until they cease to exist or are to be cleared for development, environmental improvement or safety reasons. During the year, 371 illegal

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