LCQ22: Pet cremation services
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Question:
It is learnt that the demand for pet hospice services is growing day by day. Given that the Government currently has no plans to establish a licensing regime for operators of pet hospice services, nor does it provide pet cremation services, most pet owners choose to entrust private organisations with the handling of their pets' after-death arrangements, resulting in the rapid development of the relevant industry. As the cremation of animals in ordinary industrial buildings (IBs) constitutes breaches of land leases, owners intending to set up cremation facilities and provide pet funeral services in ordinary IB units must apply to the Lands Department for an amendment to lease conditions or exemption from the relevant use restrictions, which may require applying to the Town Planning Board for a change of statutory planning use or planning permission. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of applications received, approved and rejected by the relevant departments in each of the past three years concerning the amendment to lease conditions or exemption from restrictions for the setting up of pet cremation facilities in IBs;
(2) regarding the setting up of cremation facilities in IBs to provide pet funeral services, whether the relevant departments have considered streamlining the application procedures for amending lease conditions or exempting from restrictions, and providing guidelines on the application procedures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) regarding operators of pet hospice services who have not applied for the setting up of pet cremation facilities in IBs, whether the authorities have grasped the numbers of their companies or facilities, as well as the locations thereof (e.g. IBs, brownfield sites, shopping centres and commercial buildings); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Currently, various government departments regulate pet cremation operating premises in accordance with applicable legislations or the terms of the land leases. For example, upon receipt of complaints about these premises causing sanitary nuisance, environmental pollution, fire hazard or breach of terms of the land lease, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the Fire Services Department or the Lands Department (LandsD) will carry out inspections and take enforcement actions as necessary.
Having consulted the Development Bureau and the Security Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Chan Chun-ying is as follows:
(1) and (2) Generally, the leases of industrial buildings specify that the lot shall be used only for industrial and/or godown purposes. If an owner intends to install a cremation facility in an industrial building unit to provide pet cremation services, the owner must apply to the LandsD to modify the lease terms or waive the relevant user restrictions. In the past three years, the LandsD received only one waiver application in 2023 for the installation of pet cremation facility in an industrial building. As the application failed to meet the statutory land use zoning requirement, the LandsD rejected the application in 2024.
"Pet cremation facilities" is currently not under any existing categories of use in statutory town plans. Interested operators may submit an application to the Town Planning Board in accordance with section 12A of the Town Planning Ordinance to rezone a certain statutory planning use to a designated use for "pet cremation facilities", or submit an application for planning approval in accordance with section 16 under appropriate circumstances if said "pet cremation facilities" are for temporary use only. If any person applies to the LandsD for modifying lease terms or waivers to install cremation facilities in industrial buildings to provide pet cremation services, upon receiving the application, the LandsD will examine whether the application meets the statutory land use zoning requirement, and will consult the relevant policy bureaux and/or departments to ascertain whether it receives policy support and complies with other laws and regulations, before considering whether to approve the application. Details can be found on the LandsD's website (www.landsd.gov.hk/en/land-disposal-transaction/land-transaction.html) or by contacting the District Lands Offices.
(3) Upon receipt of complaints regarding pet cremation operating premises or applications from operators on specific facilities and land leases, various government departments will follow up in accordance with their respective areas of responsibility. The Government does not maintain statistical data on the total number or locations of such facilities.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:30
Issued at HKT 11:30
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