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The Land Registry announced today (April 29) that its Sha Tin District Search Office would close from May 4, 2009.
A spokesman for the Land Registry said that after two years of operation with the new Internet services, the Land Registry carried out reviews of the use of all the New Territories District Search Offices in 2007-08. Due to low and declining use, the North and Sai Kung District Search Offices were closed on April 16, 2007, and the Tuen Mun District Search Office on May 5, 2008.
"At the beginning of this year, we carried out another review of the use of the remaining District Search Offices. The number of customers using the services of the Sha Tin District Search Office was found to have fallen to a very low level. In light of this, we have decided to close the Sha Tin District Search Office with effect from May 4, 2009, so that manpower can be redeployed to provide services that are in demand," the spokesman said.
After the closure, the owners' corporation registration services of the North, Sai Kung and Sha Tin districts will be taken up by the Tai Po District Search Office at 4th Floor, Tai Po Complex, 8 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po.
"The Sha Tin District Council has been notified of the arrangement and letters have been sent to all owners' corporations in the North, Sai Kung and Sha Tin districts. Notices of the intended closure have been posted at the Central Search Office in Queensway Government Offices and all District Search Offices," the spokesman said.
The department will continue to provide counter search and owners' corporation registration services through its Central Search Office in Queensway Government Offices and the District Search Offices in Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan. Customers can also conduct online searches at (www.iris.gov.hk).
Those who cannot make personal visits to other search offices or use the Internet can either conduct searches by mailing or faxing requests to the Customer Service Manager (Address: 28/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong; fax number: 2523 0065) or call the customer service hotline at 3105 0000.
People can obtain the addresses and telephone numbers of the Land Registry's offices from the Land Registry's website at www.landreg.gov.hk or by calling its customer service hotline.
"We will continue to closely monitor the use of the remaining New Territories District Search Offices and consider whether further changes should be made in future," the spokesman added.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:01
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