Public consultation on Mandatory Building Inspection to end on Wednesday

The Government today (March 12) urged different sectors of the community to promptly submit their views on the proposals as the public consultation on mandatory building inspection would close on Wednesday (March 15).

The Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau has so far received more than 130 submissions since the consultation began on October 21 last year. The Government has held four public forums and one industry forum to gauge the views from the public and the industry. Government representatives have also attended a total of 26 meetings organised by District Councils, political parties and concerned groups to exchange view on the proposals.

In response to views received during the public consultation, the Government had earlier extended the consultation period from the end of January to mid-March to allow the community to have more time to deliberate on the proposals and to collate views for submission to the Government.

The Government proposes to introduce a mandatory building inspection scheme under which owners of private buildings aged 30 years or above are required to engage qualified inspectors to inspect their buildings every seven years and undertake the necessary repair works as specified by the inspectors.

The Government has also proposed in the consultation document two options for mandatory window inspection by owners, namely regular window inspection and one-off window inspection within a specified time. It has also proposed a package of support measures to assist owners in carrying out building inspection and maintenance.

Copies of the consultation document and leaflet can be obtained from the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau (HPLB), the Buildings Department (BD) and various District Offices; or downloaded from the HPLB website (www.hplb.gov.hk) and the BD website (www.bd.gov.hk).

People can submit their views by fax (2845 3489), by e-mail (bmm@hplb.gov.hk) or by post (Urban Renewal Unit, Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau, 9/F Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong).

Ends/Sunday, March 12, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:01

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