Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chan and a reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today (June 19):
Question:
Among the sites included in the 2013-2014 Land Sale Programme released by the Government on February 28 this year, 22 residential sites (including a site located in the southwest of Aegean Coast in Tuen Mun) are currently not zoned for residential purposes. The authorities have yet to make applications to the Town Planning Board for rezoning such sites, or consult the District Councils concerned in this regard. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) when the authorities will apply for rezoning the aforesaid 22 sites and consult the District Councils concerned, and when the planning procedure is expected to be completed (list out in table form); and
(b) given that the aforesaid 22 sites are not zoned for residential purposes and the authorities have not applied for their rezoning, of the reasons for the authorities including them in the Land Sale Programme; and when the authorities will put them up for sale?
Reply:
President,
I reply to the question as follows:
(a) The 2013-14 Land Sale Programme (LSP) announced by the Government on February 28, 2013 has 46 residential sites, of which 22 are subject to statutory planning procedures of amending the relevant outline zoning plans (OZPs) for rezoning or revision of development parameters. The information on the location, size, zoning under the current OZP, gazettal date of application for rezoning/revision of development parameters and date of District Council (DC) consultation, etc. of these 22 sites are set out in Annex. Among these sites, 15 of them have completed or commenced the statutory planning procedures with the relevant DCs consulted. Regarding the remaining seven sites pending commencement of the statutory planning procedures, the relevant DCs have been consulted on the rezoning proposals for two of them. In general, the statutory planning procedures of rezoning must be conducted and completed within the timeframe stipulated in the Town Planning Ordinance, and the actual time needed for each site to complete the planning procedures varies depending on circumstances.
(b) It is the established practice of the Government to formulate and announce the LSP on an annual basis, and to include in the LSP sites that it anticipates can be made available for sale in the market during that year. Some of the individual sites in the LSP may not be immediately available pending completion of various processes (e.g. termination of short term tenancy, pending the completion of works project, pending the completion of statutory town planning procedures for amending the relevant OZPs), but are anticipated to be available within the year. This arrangement provides the market with the information about anticipated land supply and facilitates the necessary preparation by the market. As for sites subject to the statutory town planning procedures for amending the relevant OZPs, the Government will sell such sites in the market only after the completion of relevant procedures. The departments concerned will accord priority to the relevant tasks and endeavour to expedite the completion of relevant processes.
Ends/Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:26
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