ENG-2014 — Page 250

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Planning, Land and Infrastructure

In 2014, the Buildings Department served 540 repair orders on owners of dilapidated buildings. requiring defects repair and repairs to 849 buildings were completed.

In 2014, the Buildings Department stepped up its enforcement against unauthorised signboards as well as use of industrial buildings for domestic purposes. Priority enforcement was taken against new unauthorised building works (UBWS) and those creating high risks of fire or to a building's structural safety, including UBWs associated with subdivided units. Removal of UBWs erected on the exterior of buildings, including rooftops, podia and yards, has continued. The Buildings Department also progressively strengthened enforcement action against UBWs in New Territories village houses in line with the strategy implemented in 2012.

In 2014, 42,402 reports on UBWs were attended to, 11,816 statutory removal orders were served and 22,866 UBWs were removed. A total of 2,532 offenders were prosecuted for failure to comply with the statutory removal orders and 1,966 cases were adjudicated, resulting in 1,632 convictions and fines totalling $8.718 million.

Lifts and Escalators Safety

To enhance lifts and escalators safety, the government, in consultation with the Lift and Escalator Safety Advisory Committee, implemented a series of long-term improvement measures in 2014, including strengthening inspections, updating the contractor performance rating scheme, releasing for public reference the lift maintenance prices for government and private residential buildings, and promoting modernisation of aged lifts.

Greening, Landscape and Tree Management

The Greening, Landscape and Tree Management (GLTM) Section, consisting of the Greening and Landscape Office (GLO) and the Tree Management Office (TMO), was established under the Development Bureau's Works Branch in 2010 to champion a new, strategic policy on greening, landscape and tree management to achieve the sustainable development of a greener environment for Hong Kong. The GLO co-ordinates policy and departmental efforts on greening and landscape planning and design, while the TMO encourages high quality tree management among relevant departments and in the community at large.

The GLTM Section seeks to raise practitioners' professionalism and build up the industry's capacity by formulating standards and guidelines on relevant issues (such as adequate space allocation for new planting, proper selection of planting species, tree preservation, and management of stonewall trees), commissioning research, promoting knowledge-sharing both locally and with overseas counterparts, facilitating manpower development through enhanced training, and raising the qualification requirements for contractors and contractor management.

To better protect public safety, the TMO's tree risk assessment arrangements for government departments were further refined in 2014.

The GLTM Section fosters a tree care culture and promotes public awareness of greening issues through community involvement and public education. The section's 'Be Our Greening Partner' campaign launched in 2013 aims to enlist wider public support and involvement in promoting good greening and tree management. 'Our Favourite Old and Valuable Trees' contest was

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