Following is a question by the Hon Alan Leong and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (November 3):
Question:
It is learnt that a piece of land in Ap Lei Chau zoned for "Government, Institution or Community" uses and granted directly by way of private treaty has been derelict since the relocation of a primary school on that site in 1994, giving rise to the breeding of mosquitoes and insects, as well as causing other environmental and hygiene problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it is waiting for the grantee of the above site to apply for alteration of land use; if so, of the criteria to be adopted in considering the application for rezoning the site to residential or commercial uses;
(b) why it has not yet resumed the land; and whether it will consider enforcing the provisions in the land lease for immediate land resumption, so as to improve the environmental and hygiene conditions of the area; and
(c) of the current number of pieces of land in the territory which were granted directly by way of private treaty, have been derelict for over 12 months, and which are zoned for "Government, Institution or Community" uses or zoned for "Other Specified Uses" for the provision of communal facilities, their locations and particulars of grantees, and the reasons for not enforcing the land resumption provisions in the land leases to protect public property and ensure optimum use of land resource?
Reply:
Madam President,
At the outset, I wish to provide some basic information concerning the lot cited in the question. The lot is Ap Lei Chau Inland Lot No. 61, granted by Government by way of private treaty grant in 1941. According to the current land lease, the lot has been granted for the purposes of "hostel and school" and "teaching gardening" only. The lot has been zoned "Government, Institution or Community" according to the draft Aberdeen & Ap Lei Chau Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H15/20.
My reply to the three-part question is as follow -
(a) and (b) Currently, it is not necessary for the Administration to process any request to rezone the lot as residential or commercial uses. However, the grantee has submitted a number of proposals for the use of the lot from time to time, including the latest proposal to operate an Outdoor Education Centre at the site. Lands Department (Lands D) is now awaiting the grantee's revised proposal for operating the Outdoor Education Centre and has no immediate plan to recover possession of the lot.
With regard to the environmental and hygienic problems of the lot, Lands D has written to the grantee requesting follow-up actions. A site inspection by Lands D on 19 October 2004 revealed that there were workers carrying out cleaning and refuse collection works.
(c) "Other Specified Uses" is a planning concept and such description is not used in land lease. According to the information known to the Administration, besides the above-mentioned lot, there are three other lots, granted by way of private treaty grant, which have not been used for the specified uses in the land leases, for 12 months or above. The follow-up actions of the Administration are as follows -
(1) Tai Au Mun, Clearwater Bay: the lot was designated for use as a non-profit-making home for the aged. The grantee has agreed to surrender the lot, and the Administration has decided to grant it directly to another grantee for operating a non-profit-making home for the aged. The documentation is under preparation.
(2) Kam Shan, Tai Po: the lot was designated for use as a primary school. An application for surrender from the organization was received in December 2002. Problems concerning legal procedure, government rent and dangerous slope maintenance have been encountered and the matter is in progress.
(3) Area 4, Tai Po: the lot was designated for use as a swimming pool complex with ancillary facilities. The grantee has obtained funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust funding for a redevelopment project. The matter is in progress.
Ends/Wednesday, November 3, 2004
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