In 2011, the then Director of the Development Bureau, Carrie Lam, implemented a new policy, vowing to crack down on illegal construction of village houses in the New Territories.
However, in the past ten years, law enforcement has almost only heard the noise of stairs, and even the Office of The Ombudsman cannot see that it wants to take the initiative to investigate.
"Hong Kong 01" found that the Hong Kong government finally "moved the real thing" early this year.
This year, the Buildings Department issued a total of 80 clearance orders to Yongping Village and Fantian Village in San Tin, Yuen Long, of which more than two-thirds of the entire village house must be cleared.
The reporter conducted an in-depth investigation and revealed the inside story of the township committee's involvement. The villagers even asked, "Are you surprised?" According to an insider, they have planned to delay until the change of government.
"01 Investigation" series of reports:
57 "village buildings" in San Tin, Yuen Long, were ordered to demolish the entire building and the township committee's intervention plan was dragged to the re-election of the government
Lam Cheng threatened to crack down on unauthorized construction of "village buildings" for ten years, the authorities only identified 208 buildings and only 19 buildings were demolished
The Buildings Department issued a total of 80 removal orders to Yongping Village and Fantian Village in Xintian in January and May this year. Among them, at least 57 orders require the removal of the entire village house and the relevant works must be completed within 180 days.
(Photo by Lin Songhua)
80 clearance orders will be completed within 180 days
The Buildings Department implemented a new policy on illegal construction of village houses in the New Territories on April 1, 2012. The illegal construction will be removed according to the severity and risk.
The then Director of the Development Bureau, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, pointed out at the time that the target for the first round of immediate clearance was a three-storey village house built to four storeys or more. It was renamed the six-storey village house in Fantian Village, Xintian, Yuen Long. Must be demolished.
The new policy has been implemented for more than nine years. The Buildings Department issued a total of 80 clearance orders to Yongping Village and Fantian Village in Xintian in January and May this year. Among them, at least 57 orders require the removal of the entire village house, which must be completed within 180 days. Related works.
Village buildings lined up with banners at the entrance of the village warning "Media and government filming"
Yongping Village is adjacent to Fantian Village. The village houses are densely lined, and the lanes are very narrow. There are many "village buildings" with four or more floors in the village. The highest is six stories high, each floor is 700 feet, and the roof Most have canopies.
Banners have been hung in different places in Xintian Yongping Village and Fantian Village, stating that "media and government departments" have been shooting arbitrarily in the village recently to warn anyone not to enter the village without permission.
(Photo by Chen Jingqi)
The reporter went into the village and found out that there were notices in the village. The Buildings Department recently launched a new round of crackdowns on illegal structures in village houses, and the owners contacted the Rural Committee to appoint a lawyer to handle it.
Banners have been displayed in many places in the village, claiming that "media and government departments" have been shooting arbitrarily in the village recently to warn anyone not to enter the village without permission.
Villagers: Yes, I was shocked and handed to the township committee to deal with it
In one of the five-storey small houses in the village, a demolition order was issued for the entire building recently.
The owner, Mr. Wen, did not respond positively. Will he be ordered to demolish the unauthorized building or file an appeal? He also said that he is not worried that the ancestral house will be demolished in its entirety: "No surprise! Is there a surprise?" He bluntly said that he was not alone. The demolition order was issued, and Fantian Village alone has nearly 40 illegally constructed buildings, which have been handed over to the township committee for handling.
Another three-storey connected village house in Fantian Village, with a height of 1400 feet per floor, was also ordered to be demolished. One of the residents refused to disclose any details. The reporter asked the Xintian Township Rural Committee for inquiries.
Wen Meigui, chairman of the Xintian Township Rural Committee, said in a telephone interview that the Heung Yee Kuk will announce the matter in this regard, saying that it is "inconvenient for individuals to speak" and immediately hang up.
People familiar with the township committee: delayed until the change of government
According to sources familiar with the Xintian Township Committee, the two villages received a large-scale removal order this time. "Nine out of ten will not be demolished!" and asked the reporter, "When did you hear that illegal houses would collapse? No problem. Just don't demolish it." He predicted that the committee will continue to use the usual method to deal with it by "dragging words", hoping to postpone it until the government changes or the judicial process extols the ruling before making any plans.
Wen Meigui, chairman of the Xintian Township Rural Committee, refused to respond to the large-scale demolition order received by the authorities in the village, saying that it was "inconvenient for individuals to speak" and immediately hung up.
(Profile picture / Photo by Liang Pengwei)
As for the village houses that have been issued with an entire building clearance order, if the purchase or sale is required, the buyer may refuse to take the risk, resulting in the unsuccessful transaction of the property and the freezing of assets in disguise.
People familiar with the matter said, "We will make a deal, we will not buy or sell, and we will not wait for the money to start the meal!" Based on past experience, he believes that it will take at least four to five years for an appeal result.
Xintian 80 clearance orders and 43 appeals
In response to the incident, the Buildings Department responded to "Hong Kong 01" stating that the site surveys of Yongnian Village and Fantian Village were carried out from 2018 to 2019. However, due to the impact of the work progress of the new crown epidemic, they were in succession. Therefore, in January and May of this year, according to The Buildings Ordinance issued a total of 80 removal orders for illegal structures in Yongping Village and Fantian Village respectively, of which 43 removal orders have entered the appeal process.
As for the remaining first round of target illegal structures, it is expected that all relevant land and floor information will be obtained within three months, and a removal order will be issued.
As for the six-storey village house in Fantian Village named by Lam Cheng in 2012, the Buildings Department stated that a removal order had been issued before the implementation of the new policy. The owner had revised the village house to meet the exemption conditions of the law and cancelled the relevant removal order. .
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