The land resumption arrangement in Hengzhou is not ideal

01 point of view

Written by: Review Editor Room

2020-07-14 07:00

In March this year, the Legislative Council approved funding for site formation and infrastructure projects for the development of public housing in Heng Chau. The Government will also officially start land resumption this Wednesday (15th), requiring all residents to move out on the same day. The villagers involved have fought for many years, both in protesting the government's "forcible demolitions" of residential houses and dissatisfied with the authorities' compensation and resettlement plan for "off the ground." Even if development is inevitable, the government still needs to ensure that the villagers involved are properly compensated for resettlement, balancing urban development with rural life, residents' rights, etc. However, the current arrangement is disappointing.

The Hengzhou public housing project originated in 2013, when the government intended to build 17,000 public housing units on brown land in northern Hengzhou. However, the government and local rural people repeatedly "finished" afterwards, and plans to reduce it to 4,000 units. In addition, many brownfields have been excluded from the scope of development and replaced by green belts including Yongning Village, Fengchi Village and Yangwu New Village. Since the brownfields involved were owned by rural people, the government was subsequently widely criticized for succumbing to the interests of squires, and changed to "operating" on non-indigenous residents. The government emphasizes that 4,000 units are only the first phase of the development of the Heng Chau project. The second and third phases will still be developed in the future, and the total number of residential buildings to be built is the original 17,000, which is expected to be completed as soon as 2033.

It is no wonder that non-indigenous villages have fought for many years. The government failed to shake the interests of the village, and in disguise asked the villagers to bear the cost of development, it was difficult to convince the public. But it is also important that even if the development of Hengzhou is imperative, the government does not necessarily perform its responsibilities in resettlement compensation. According to government figures, there are a total of about 258 households affected by the project. Currently, 130 eligible households have been resettled. 12 households are processing applications, and 31 households have applied for ex-gratia allowances instead of resettlement. However, as of the end of June, a total of 85 households did not meet the resettlement eligibility reasons, including households with residential properties in Hong Kong, the structures they are occupying are illegally constructed, and once enjoyed subsidized home ownership plans. The remaining 52 households have no resettlement plan.

(Profile picture / Hong Kong 01)

Resettlement compensation is not done

The government had promised that the land resumption in Heng Chau would not cause households to become homeless, but in view of the current situation, it seems that there are still many villagers who have to ask for more blessings. According to the latest resettlement arrangement of the government, in addition to the cash special constitutional allowance, eligible villagers can choose to resettle in the public housing of the HA or a dedicated resettlement village built by the Housing Society after a few years (located in Fanling and the flood respectively) Bridge), the former is subject to economic review, the latter is not necessary, but the applicant must be at least seven years in the structure. On the surface, this arrangement seems to take care of most villagers, but in fact the conditions are still quite harsh. For example, some villagers have applied for the Housing Department's "Home Purchase Subsidy Loan Scheme" in the past, but later sold their properties and moved to Yangwu New Village. However, when the government repurchased land, she refused to relocate her to a public housing unit . Admittedly, Hong Kong’s public housing policy does not allow citizens to enjoy secondary benefits, but the government’s land acquisition development has affected the lives of villagers who have taken root here. It is reasonable to provide reliable relocation options, and the government should appropriately relax upstairs qualifications.

Villagers cannot be placed in public housing in vain, but they may not be able to find alternative housing in the private market through compensation. In 2018, the government reformed the ex-gratia compensation and resettlement plan for land resumption, which greatly increased the ex-gratia compensation, which had been capped at 600,000 in the past, to a maximum of more than 1.2 million. At first glance, it seems to be quite rich, but in fact compensation is linked to the building area The old arrangement once capped the ex-gratia payment at 55 square meters, that is, the compensation for the area greater than this number will not be higher than 600,000 yuan. Now the new arrangement only increases the compensation for buildings with an area greater than 55 square meters, and caps it at 100 square meters. This means that compensation for an area of ​​55 square meters or less has not changed. According to the Hengzhou Green Belt Development Concern Group, more than half of the squatters affected by the development are more than 400 square feet (that is, about 37 square meters), so the compensation for most residents is still only 420,000 yuan, and the full 1.2 million There are very few villagers. However, the ex-gratia payment of more than 400,000 yuan may only be paid to the rents of ordinary New Territories residences for 2 to 3 years, let alone to buy homes. What's more, many villagers originally had limited income, but living in squatters can save their housing expenses. Finally, they can get a living. Now they only get a small amount of money. How to teach this group of villagers how to go?

Land resumption is slow not to blame the villagers

How stingy the government is in requisitioning land can also be seen from the compensation for agricultural land. Legislative Council member Zhu Kaidi once criticized the government's acquisition of agricultural land in Hengzhou only based on the price per square foot of land in 2015, but the price per square foot in 2019 has risen from 695 yuan to 843 yuan, which shows that compensation to the owner Injustice, but the Lands Department refuted that property owners have repeatedly delayed the land acquisition process. For example, if the government increases the adjustment amount, it will only be unfair to the taxpayer. But in this way, the responsibility is laid on the villagers, but it is assumed that the affected villagers can only accept the government plan, if there are objections, they can only bear the consequences, and even assume that the villagers deliberately procrastinate, and did not reflect on compensation or even overall resettlement. Whether the plan is reasonable.

Throughout the development of the entire Heng Chau, the government has repeatedly lost the interests of non-indigenous residents. Therefore, it is necessary to do more to the affected residents. At least, they must pay close attention to the whereabouts of the 52 villagers who have not yet "landed" and moderately relax the upstairs. Eligibility to respond. More importantly, the government will continue to have to reclaim land in the New Territories in the future and must thoroughly review the compensation and resettlement arrangements and efforts. Urban development has its own needs, and land resumption in the countryside may be inevitable. However, if the government can make good compensation and resettlement, it can help balance urban and rural development, and it can also reduce development disputes, avoid delays in housing disputes, and delay the supply of housing.

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