What is the current status of building development in the private sector?
Private buildings development continued to slow down although the rate appeared to be leveling off. The number of building plans submitted for approval remained low. The number of building sites, where superstructural works started increasing slightly from 110 in 2001 to 113 in 2002, involving a total floor area of 1,603,983 square meters and 1,170,592 square meters, respectively. A total of 1,107 buildings, with a total floor area of 3.98 million square meters, 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 meters, 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.
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