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Following is a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, to a question by the Hon Frederick Fung in the Legislative Council today (October 9):
Question:
It has been reported that military sites in Hong Kong have a total area of 2,700 hectares and some of them are not actually put to any military uses, and have even been left idle for a long time. It has been learnt that the Shek Kong airfield as a military site has a low utilisation rate but lands in its periphery are subject to building height restrictions to avoid obstruction to the landing or taking off of military aircraft, resulting in the lands not being put to optimal use. There are also comments that certain military sites situated in the urban areas are suitable for public use such as public housing construction, etc. Meanwhile, Article 13 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides that "[a]ny land used by the Hong Kong Garrison for military purposes, when approved by the Central People's Government to be no longer needed for defence purposes, shall be turned over without compensation to the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for disposal", and "[i]f the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region needs for public use any part of the land used for military purposes by the Hong Kong Garrison, it shall seek approval of the Central People's Government; where approval is obtained, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall make reprovision of land and military facilities for the Hong Kong Garrison at such sites as agreed to by the Central People's Government, and shall bear all the expenses and costs entailed". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the distribution of military sites and their respective areas; whether it knows the utilisation rates of the military sites, and the use of those situated in urban areas and reportedly left idle for a long time (e.g. the Kowloon East Barracks and the Gun Club Hill Barracks);
(b) whether the authorities will consider discussing with the Hong Kong Garrison the optimisation of the flight paths of the airspace in the vicinity of the Shek Kong airfield so that the building height restrictions on the lands nearby can be relaxed to enable more effective use of such lands; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(c) whether the authorities will raise with the Central People's Government the turning over to the SAR Government without compensation those military sites left idle for a long time, with low utilisation rates and suitable for public use, or the reprovisioning of those military sites at alternative sites; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
I have consulted the Development Bureau (DEVB) and my reply is as follows:
(a) Article 14 of the Basic Law provides that the Central People's Government (CPG) shall be responsible for the defence of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Article 5 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Garrison Law) provides that one of the defence functions and responsibilities of the Hong Kong Garrison is to control military facilities. The use of military sites is a matter of national defence for which the CPG and the Hong Kong Garrison have sole responsibility. Article 10 of the Garrison Law provides that the Government of the HKSAR (HKSARG) shall support the Hong Kong Garrison in its performance of defence functions and responsibilities and guarantee the lawful rights and interests of the Hong Kong Garrison and its members.
The Hong Kong Garrison has a total of 19 military sites, of which six are located on Hong Kong Island (namely the Central Barracks and Military Dock, Chek Chue Barracks, Headquarters House, Ching Yi To Barracks and Western Barracks), four in Kowloon (namely the Gun Club Hill Barracks, Kowloon East Barracks, Cornwall Street and Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks) and nine in the New Territories (namely Shek Kong Barracks, Shek Kong Village, San Tin Barracks, Tam Mei Barracks, San Wai Barracks, San Wai/Tai Ling Firing Range, Tsing Shan Firing Range, Tai O Barracks and the Military Transportation Centre at Chek Lap Kok), with a total area of about 2,700 hectares. These sites were established in accordance with the Exchange of Notes between the Government of the Peopleˇ¦s Republic of China and the Government of the United Kingdom in 1994 on the arrangements for the future use of the military sites in Hong Kong (Exchange of Notes), to be used by the Hong Kong Garrison for defence purposes after the Reunification.
In fact, the size and number of military sites held by the Hong Kong Garrison are far smaller and fewer than those held by the former British Forces stationed in Hong Kong before the Reunification. According to the 1994 Exchange of Notes, the CPG agreed that 25 military sites of the then British Forces, involving a total size of about 139 hectares, should be surrendered without compensation to the then Hong Kong Government for public purposes. These sites include the Royden Court Military Quarters at Repulse Bay, Mount Austin Mansions at the Peak, So Kon Po Sports Ground at So Kon Po, British Military Hospital at King's Park, St George's School at Kowloon Tong, Blackdown Barracks at San Po Kong and Burma Lines at Fanling. Some of these sites have already been turned into residential, government, educational and recreational uses, etc.
As we understand it, all existing military sites are currently used for defence purposes and none is left idle.
(b) Before the Reunification, the Shek Kong Airfield (the Airfield) was a military site of the former British Forces stationed in Hong Kong. It was handed over to the Hong Kong Garrison for defense purposes after the Reunification. The navigation clearance requirements of the Airfield were established with reference to the national standards and those of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Its geographical coverage is smaller than the pre-Reunification one by about 42 per cent. The height restrictions imposed for the developments near the Airfield seek to ensure the navigation clearance of the Airfield for the safety of aviation and residents in the vicinity, and is also a measure of the HKSARG to support the Hong Kong Garrison in its performance of defence duties and responsibilities as required by the Garrison Law. The HKSARG has no plan to seek any change to the height restrictions.
(c) Article 13 of the Garrison Law provides that any land used by the Hong Kong Garrison for military purposes, when approved by the CPG to be no longer needed for defence purposes, shall be turned over without compensation to the HKSARG for disposal. If the HKSARG requires for public use any part of the land used for military purposes by the Hong Kong Garrison, it shall seek approval of the CPG. The HKSARG shall in return provide land and military facilities for the Hong Kong Garrison at such sites as agreed to by the CPG, and shall bear all the expenses and costs entailed. However, as I mentioned in part (a) of the reply, all existing military sites are currently used for defence purposes and none is left idle. The HKSARG has no plan to seek any change to the use of these sites.
The HKSARG will continue to press ahead with the various short, medium and long-term initiatives to increase land supply as set out in the 2013 Policy Address, with a view to identifying more land suitable for development to meet the needs of the social-economic development and public's demand for housing in Hong Kong.
The 2013 Policy Address puts forward a number of initiatives to increase the supply of housing land in the short to medium term, covering a range of areas, including:
* to review various land use zonings and to convert suitable sites into residential use, including converting suitable Government, Institution or Community and other Government sites, Green Belt sites, as well as industrial sites into residential or other appropriate uses; to convert the land where the originally intended use is no longer required into housing or other uses that meet the more pressing needs in the community as soon as possible.
* to increase the development density of residential sites as far as allowable in planning terms, including the increase in development density of individual residential sites, so as to increase the number of housing units that could be built.
* to continue to promote the model of integrated development of mass transportation and residential property, to take forward housing development through redevelopment projects of the Urban Renewal Authority.
* to review land administration procedures to expedite land supply, and to expedite the administrative approval procedures and take other corresponding measures as long as they are in line with public interests, so that approved planning applications for residential development can be implemented as soon as possible.
Besides, the HKSARG is determined to extensively develop new land and build up a land reserve. Therefore, the HKSARG is taking forward a number of long-term land supply projects including the North East New Territories New Development Areas (NDAs), Hung Shui Kiu NDA, development of Lantau Island, review of deserted agricultural land in North District and Yuen Long, developing the New Territories North, exploring the options of reclamation on an appropriate scale outside the Victoria Harbour, and rock cavern and underground space developments, etc. These long-term land supply initiatives will be our focus to address future population growth, provide land resources for economic development, and improve people's living space and environment.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:52
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