Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, at the question-and-answer session of the media session today (September 28) on the quarterly land sale programme for October to December 2016:
Reporter: Secretary, regarding the Ap Lei Chau land, can you explain why this has been chosen for development and now facing opposition, are you afraid that this may affect future land supply target?
Secretary for Development: As for the site on Lee Nam Road, Ap Lei Chau, this is quite a typical case reflecting the difficulties that we are facing in terms of increasing land supply in the short to medium term. As you may know, the site involves two parcels of land which are owned by the Government, and at the moment, on short term tenancy to a driving school. In our attempt to increase short to medium term land supply, we have taken a hard look at various sites available to the Government particularly those sites owned by the Government but for temporary use of different purposes. That is why having done all the technical assessments and having satisfied on the basis of those technical assessments and findings that these sites are suitable for rezoning, we put up the sites for rezoning and submitted the applications to the Town Planning Board for approval. I would not be able to comment too much further specifically on this site, fearing that this may be misconstrued as exerting influence on the Town Planning Board. But I would just like to assure members of the public that although this site has been included in the land sale plan for this year, we have a contingency plan in a sense that if this site cannot be rezoned in time for disposal in the coming quarters, we will have a substitute site to take care of the discrepancy. But this site is very important to the Government because we do need to have enough sites available, not just to support for land supply for this year, but to support the land supply for ensuing years. In face of the high property prices, and the still very tight supply-demand situation in the private residential property market, each and every site is very important to us, not just the Government, but to the people of Hong Kong because at the end of the day the flats to be produced in this site are to be occupied by Hong Kong residents.
Reporter: (Following up on the leakage of Arup's report.)
Secretary for Development: We take this matter very seriously. Having read the reports from the newspapers, I have asked my colleagues in the Works Branch of the Development Bureau to follow up on the matter with the relevant departments, including the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Drainage Services Department as well as the Planning Department. According to the consultancy contract with the Government, there are strict stipulations as regards declaration of interest and confidentiality. We are in the process of fact finding. Upon the finding of facts, we will take appropriate follow-up actions. We take this very seriously.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:15
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