Change In Use Of Land: A Practical Guide to Development in Hong Kong

by Lawrence Wai-Chung Lai, Daniel Chi-Wing Ho

The major difficulties facing professionals in real estate development in Hong Kong involve the use and development intensity of land, the complicated procedures, and the mass of building laws. This book is a guide to tackling these difficulties. It provides an account of the concept of the use and change in use of land followed by an outline of the procedures for lease modifications and waivers, planning applications, reviews and appeals, and building applications and appeals. It also includes an overview of government enforcement against contravention of lease conditions; provisions of statutory town plans prepared under the Town Planning Ordinance; and provisions of the Buildings Ordinance.

A number of problems based on real life scenarios are offered. They can help developers avoid litigation with and complaints against government due to ignorance of the relevant institutional, procedural and policy arrangements.

For practitioners and policy analysts, the detailed appendixes in this book provide vital statistical information on both aggregate and non-aggregate development applications. They enable better appreciation of the chance of success of applications for specific uses, locations or sizes of development on a zone-by-zone basis in the light of refutable hypotheses.

241 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2010