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Clarifications made to media reporting on 57 planning applications for residential development mentioned in Policy Address
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     In response to media reporting today (January 23) that there could be double-counting in the figure of 57 approved planning applications for residential development mentioned in the Policy Address, a spokesman for the Development Bureau clarified that there is no double-counting in the figure.

     The spokesman said, "The figure of 57 is a 'snapshot' of the planning approvals granted by the Town Planning Board (TPB) between January 2010 and December 2012, and the figure will change as the development projects with the planning approval complete all the necessary approval procedures and when planning approvals for new projects are granted by the TPB in future."

     The Policy Address has put forward 10 measures to increase the supply of housing land in the short to medium term. One of them is to expedite the administrative approval procedures and take other corresponding measures to speed up the administrative procedures required in the development process from lease modification to necessary approvals to full completion, including application for building plan approval, pre-sale consent, consent for commencement of building works, occupation permit, certificate of compliance, etc. The 57 planning approvals are mentioned in that context.

     "The 57 cases involved applications for planning permission made under section 16 of the Town Planning Ordinance between 2010 and 2012. Taking out the two planning approvals involving sites identified in the last round of review of industrial land for residential use, the other 55 planning approvals cover a total of 130 hectares of land and, if all these 55 development projects are implemented, it is estimated that they could provide over 45 000 flats. In deriving the figure of 57, we have already taken into account those development projects with more than one planning approval to make sure that there is no double-counting," the spokesman said.

     The 57 approved planning applications for residential development include Government land sale site projects, topside development projects along railway lines, private development projects as well as Housing Authority's development projects. They are currently at different stages of development and need to undergo different approval procedures.

     The spokesman continues to elaborate, "The figure is a 'snapshot' of the planning approvals, and will change as the development projects with the planning approval complete all the necessary approval procedures and when new planning approvals are granted by the TPB in future. On the one hand, the figure will be reduced when some of the development projects complete all the approval procedures, but, on the other hand, it will increase when planning approvals are granted by the TPB for new projects. For instance, after the delivery of the Policy Address, the TPB has granted planning approval for four residential sites in Tseung Kwan O last Friday (January 18) and they have the capacity to produce 3 320 flats which will be added to the figure of 45 000."

Ends/Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 22:13

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