Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Kwu Tung North Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).   

     “The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Kwu Tung North area,” a spokesperson for the Town Planning Board said today (September 29). 

     The planning scheme area, covering about 447 hectares, is bounded by Shek Sheung River in the east, Castle Peak Road and Fanling Highway in the south, Tit Hang in the west and Tai Shek Mo (Crest Hill) in the north.

     The approved OZP has incorporated the amendments shown on the draft Kwu Tung North OZP No. S/KTN/3, which mainly involve (i) rezoning of two sites in Planning Area 32 and Area 34 from “Other Specified Uses” (“OU”) annotated “Business and Technology Park” and “OU” annotated “Business and Technology Park (1)” respectively to “Residential (Group B)1” for residential developments; (ii) rezoning of two sites near Yin Kong village from “Comprehensive Development Area” partly to “Residential (Group B)2” and partly to “Residential (Group C)1” for residential developments to take forward the decision of the Rural and New Town Planning Committee of the Town Planning Board on a Section 12A application; (iii) rezoning of two strips of land in Planning Area 28 and Area 9 from “OU” annotated “Amenity Area” and area shown as ‘Road’ respectively to “Government, Institution or Community” (“G/IC”) and “G/IC(2)” respectively; (iv) relaxation of the building height restrictions for three “G/IC” sites in Planning Area 9, Area 28 and Area 29; and (v) other amendments to reflect the latest road alignments and the boundaries of an “OU” annotated “Sewage Pumping Station” zone and an “OU” annotated “Railway Associated Facilities” zone, as well as the associated revisions to the boundaries of various zones.

     Opportunity is also taken to amend the Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP to reflect the above amendments and to update the general information of various land use zonings and the planning circumstances, where appropriate.

     The approved Kwu Tung North OZP No. S/KTN/4 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long East District Planning Office, (iv) the North District Office and (v) the Sheung Shui District Rural Committee.

     Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk). read more

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (September 29) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
      
     Twenty-three beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 as Fair (Grade 2), and three as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:

Cafeteria New Beach*	Pui O Beach*
Cafeteria Old Beach	Repulse Bay Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*	Shek O Beach*
Chung Hom Kok Beach	South Bay Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach*	St Stephen’s Beach*
Golden Beach*	Stanley Main Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach*	Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Hung Shing Yeh Beach*	Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach	Trio Beach*
Kwun Yam Beach	Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Middle Bay Beach*

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers’ Beach*	Discovery Bay
Approach Beach	Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach*	Kadoorie Beach*
Butterfly Beach*	Lido Beach*
Casam Beach*	Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach*	Silverstrand Beach*
Deep Water Bay Beach*	Ting Kau Beach*

 
Grade 3 beach are:

Castle Peak Beach	Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*

     Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria New Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach, Stanley Main Beach, and Tai Po Lung Mei Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Castle Peak Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 3.

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.

     In line with the vision to develop Hong Kong into a smart city, the EPD launched the Beach Water Quality Forecast System on August 15 to provide daily water quality forecasts for all gazetted beaches in Hong Kong that are open for swimming, to supplement the existing beach water quality monitoring programme and further enhance services to the public (see Note 3). From now on, members of the public can obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD’s beach thematic website.

Note 1: Lifeguard services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 26 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from September 28. Stanley Main Beach is temporarily closed for clearance and urgent repair works. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).

Note 2: This refers to the non-gazetted beach in Discovery Bay which has no lifeguard service.

Note 3: The EPD launched the Beach Water Quality Forecast System on August 15, 2023. For the press release, please visit www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202308/15/P2023081400345.htm . read more

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, and senior government officials will attend a flag-raising ceremony and a National Day reception on October 1 (Sunday) to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
   
     The flag-raising ceremony will be held at Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai at 8am. Community leaders and members of uniformed groups will attend the ceremony. No public viewing area will be set up. The Police Band will perform at the ceremony and a choir from Clementi Secondary School will sing the national anthem under the lead of two singers, Alex Tam and Li Yang, followed by a fly-past and a sea parade by the disciplined services.
   
     The National Day reception, led by the Chief Executive, will be held at the Grand Hall on Level 3 of the HKCEC after the flag-raising ceremony.
 
     Motorists are reminded that the Police will implement special traffic arrangements at Golden Bauhinia Square and the nearby area during the celebration events. read more

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon to facilitate the National Day Fireworks Display to be held on October 1 (Sunday). Kowloon ——-      The foll… read more

     A landlord of subdivided units (SDUs) contravened Part IVA of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7) (Ordinance) and pleaded guilty today (September 29) at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts for 10 offences under the Ordinance. He was fined a total of $7,800. The offences include six counts of failing to produce copies of the bills and provide an account in writing when requiring the tenant to pay for the reimbursement of the apportioned water and electricity charges, three counts of failing to provide the tenant with a rent receipt, and one count of failing to submit Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced. Since the Ordinance has come into force, eight SDU landlords have been convicted of contravening the Ordinance.
 
     The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) received the relevant complaint in June 2023. Upon in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD discovered that the landlord concerned was suspected of contravening the following three requirements of the Ordinance, and hence prosecuted against the landlord.
 
     Pursuant to Section 120AAZM of the Ordinance, when a landlord of a regulated tenancy requires the tenant to pay for the reimbursement of the charges for any of the specified utilities and services (including water and electricity charges) as a separate payment from the rent, the landlord must produce for the tenant copies of the relevant bills and provide an account in writing showing how the amounts are apportioned. The aggregate of the apportioned amounts also must not exceed the billed amounts. Failing to comply with such obligations is an offence. The landlord is liable on a first conviction to a fine at level 3 ($10,000), and on a second or subsequent conviction to a fine at level 4 ($25,000).
 
     Pursuant to Section 120AAZN of the Ordinance, a landlord of a regulated tenancy must, within seven days after receiving the amount of rent paid by the tenant, provide the tenant with a receipt. The receipt must state the landlord’s name and address, the period for which the rent is paid, and the date of payment. A landlord failing to comply with the above requirements commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 1 ($2,000).
 
     In addition, pursuant to Section 120AAZT of the Ordinance, the landlord of a regulated tenancy must submit a Form AR2 to the Commissioner to notify the particulars of the tenancy within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced. A landlord who refuses or neglects to comply with the above requirements without reasonable excuse commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000), and in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine of $200 for each day during which the offence continues.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD stresses that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, and also reminds SDU tenants of their rights under the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach, with close liaison with other departments, to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance.
 
     To this end, the RVD and the Water Supplies Department have been carrying out joint visits to SDUs to understand directly from the tenants if their landlords have committed any offence. The RVD also proactively requires landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether the landlords concerned have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Moreover, the RVD also provides a form (Form AR3) to enable tenants of regulated tenancies who have not yet received a copy of endorsed Form AR2 to provide the basic tenancy particulars to the RVD by electronic means or in paper form, so as to enquire whether the RVD has received the relevant Form AR2 for the department’s follow-up as appropriate. Depending on the actual circumstances and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecutions against suspected contravention of the Ordinance.
 
     The RVD spokesman appeals to members of the public to come forward and report to the RVD promptly any suspected cases of contravening the relevant requirements. This would help curb illegal acts as soon as possible. Reporting can be made through the telephone hotline (2150 8303), by email (enquiries@rvd.gov.hk), by fax (2116 4920), by post (15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon), or in person (please call 2150 8303 to make an appointment with the Tenancy Services Section of the RVD before visiting its office at Room 3816-22, 38/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai).
 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the above telephone hotline or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.html) for the relevant information.
  read more