Dennis Kwok
The Secretary for Development, Paul Chan, said on Wednesday that the government recognises the need to review Hong Kong’s contentious small-house policy, but has no timetable for that review and does not consider it a top priority.
The small-house policy, introduced in 1972, gives male descendents of indigenous villagers the right to build a 2,100 square-foot, three-storey house on a plot of ancestral land – a measure that critics say is an anachronism that is taxing the city’s scarce land resources.
Responding to a question raised in the Legislative Council, Chan said there was no consensus in the community about the issue and there was a need to maintain a balance between the rights of indigenous villagers and the overall interests of the community.
Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who raised the question, said Hong Kong’s land supply shortage meant this was an issue that cannot be ignored. He urged the government to tackle this "white elephant", questioning whether the policy was sustainable.
The small-house policy, introduced in 1972, gives male descendents of indigenous villagers the right to build a 2,100 square-foot, three-storey house on a plot of ancestral land – a measure that critics say is an anachronism that is taxing the city’s scarce land resources.
Responding to a question raised in the Legislative Council, Chan said there was no consensus in the community about the issue and there was a need to maintain a balance between the rights of indigenous villagers and the overall interests of the community.
Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok, who raised the question, said Hong Kong’s land supply shortage meant this was an issue that cannot be ignored. He urged the government to tackle this "white elephant", questioning whether the policy was sustainable.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1224355-20151118.htm
