Private building development continued to slow down although the rate appeared to be levelling off. The number of building plans submitted for approval remained low. The number of building sites, where superstructural works started increased slightly from 110 in 2001 to 113 in 2002, involving a total floor area of 1 603 983 square metres and 1 170 592 square metres, respectively. A total of 1 107 buildings, with a total floor area of 3.98 million square metres, were completed at a total cost of $45.7 billion. This compared with 449 buildings, with a total floor area of 2.76 million square metres, built at a total cost of $30.12 billion, in 2001.

    Major construction works in progress include the Cyberport development in Pok Fu Lam, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, and the Ma On Shan Rail and the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension of the KCRC East Rail. Building plans for the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park were submitted for approval in February, and construction works began later in the year. Work also commenced in August to provide a new railway extension line to serve the theme park.

    The Government continued to promote the design and construction of environmentally friendly facilities in new developments. The Second Joint Practice Note issued in February provides incentives by way of exemption of certain green features from gross floor area calculation. These new features include non-structural prefabricated external walls, utility platforms, mail delivery rooms with mailboxes, noise barriers and communal sky gardens.

    To further enhance safety and quality supervision of building works, the Buildings Department introduced in August 2000 the Quality Supervision Plan System requiring private building professionals and contractors to strengthen supervision of foundation works and ground investigation field works. Under a new auditing strategy on building works introduced in May 2001, surprise audit checks are conducted on all active foundation and superstructure sites to ensure compliance with specified standards. A working group has been set up to review all site supervision requirements under the Buildings Ordinance and to devise an integrated site supervision system. A draft proposal has been prepared for consultation with the industry.

    To tackle the problem of unauthorised building works (UBWs), the Buildings Department continued to embark on 'blitz' clearance operations. The modus operandi of demolishing in one exercise all external UBWs on a number of buildings in a district has proved effective in inducing building owners to comply voluntarily with removal orders. A total of 1 759 buildings were targeted for 'blitz' clearances in 2002, compared with 1 571 in 2001 and 404 in 2000. Enforcement action against illegal rooftop structures on single staircase buildings that posed a serious fire hazard continued to gather momentum. A total of 632 buildings were targeted in 2002 for removal of illegal structures, compared with 95, 220 and 402 in 1999, 2000 and 2001, respectively.

    In support of the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, the Buildings Department is conducting a three-year programme to clear unauthorised structures in back lanes. Some 30 and 66 back lanes were targeted in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and a total of 995 unauthorised building structures causing obstruction were removed.

    During the year, 15 555 reports on UBWs were processed, and 54 010 removal orders issued, resulting in 37 923 UBWs being removed. A total of 467 prosecutions were instituted against offenders for erecting UBWs or failing to comply with removal orders. These resulted in 390 convictions with fines totalling $1,513,410.

    To improve fire safety in prescribed old commercial premises, joint inspections with the Fire Services Department were made on 191 prescribed commercial premises (banks, betting centres, jewellery shops, shopping arcades, supermarkets) under the Fire Safety (Commercial Premises) Ordinance. As a result, 120 Fire Safety Directions were served on these premises to remedy infractions. The second phase of the action programme, targeted at the inspection of specified commercial buildings built between 1973 and 1987, has commenced. A total of 2 730 Fire Safety Improvement Directions were issued against 141 buildings requiring upgrading of fire safety standards and facilities.

    The Fire Safety (Buildings) Bill was passed by the Legislative Council in July, and requires the upgrading of essential fire safety provisions in composite and domestic buildings. The upgrading programme will be carried out in phases after the new ordinance comes into effect. The initial phase requires owners of 9 000 composite buildings designed for both domestic and commercial uses and built before 1987 to upgrade fire service installations and fire safety construction. Subsequent phases will cover more than 3 000 domestic buildings in which the fire risk involved is lower.

    In addition, the Buildings Department provides emergency services to deal with dangerous buildings and advertisement signboards. A total of 836 calls were received under the 24-hour service for emergencies during the year. Some 71 per cent of the emergency calls concerned danger from external building defects and loose wall finishes.

    Surveys of advertisement signboards continued with 56 119 signboards inspected, resulting in the removal or repair of 1 917 signboards which were found to be abandoned or dangerous.

    Apart from removing UBWs, the Buildings Department launched the pilot Coordinated Maintenance of Buildings Scheme in 2000. Of the 150 buildings targeted by the scheme that year, owners of 143 buildings had initiated repair works with a completion rate of 62 per cent. Besides this, a total of 6 578 unauthorised building works had been removed. Of the 40 targeted buildings that did not have an Owners Corporation when the scheme was launched, 22 now have one. Another 200 buildings have been selected for action under the scheme.

    The Buildings Department has revamped the Building Safety Loan Scheme to expand the coverage and provide more flexibility in eligibility criteria. The department recorded a fivefold annual increase in applications since its commencement in July 2001. During the year, 2 830 applications were approved.

    As part of a 10-year Landslip Preventive Measures Programme that commenced in 2000 to enhance the maintenance of slopes, the Buildings Department issued 222 orders to building owners requiring them to investigate and upgrade their substandard slopes. In addition, the department investigated a total of 510 filled slopes and issued nine orders requiring the owners concerned to investigate and repair the buried water-carrying services which might affect slope safety.

    The department began a comprehensive review of the Buildings Ordinance and its regulations in 2000. The objective of the review is to rationalise the building control regime and strengthen safety requirements.

    The proposed amendments include, among other things, the introduction of minor building works which can be carried out without the prior approval of the Building Authority provided the work is done by registered contractors and, as appropriate, supervised and certified by qualified building professionals. This will provide a fast and proper channel for owners to carry out alterations and additions to their buildings.

    The proposed amendments will also empower the department to issue warning notices on illegal structures and register such notices against the property title. It is also proposed that the department should be empowered to prosecute any uncooperative owners if they obstruct an Owners Corporation in complying with an order issued by the department.

    In addition, as a deterrent it is proposed to increase the maximum fines for serious offences involving substandard building works or construction dangers.

    Legislative amendments have also been proposed to rationalise the composition of the Contractors Registration Committee for specialist contractors and the requirements for renewal of the registration of an authorised person/registered structural engineer/registered contractor; and to enable the department to charge fees for providing non-certified copies of documents and plans, and for public inspection of them.

    Furthermore, statutory requirements will also be introduced for provision of emergency vehicular access to all new buildings and for appointment of registered geotechnical engineers to undertake the investigation, design and supervision of geotechnical works.

    It is expected that these amendments will be introduced into the Legislative Council in 2003.