LCQ20: Use of lands on private recreational leases and military sites
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Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information on the lands which have been leased by the Government under private recreational leases (PRLs) with premium waived or at nominal premium to lessees for development of sports and recreational facilities and relevant services: names of the lessees, lot numbers and locations, site areas and the gross floor areas of the buildings therein, expiry dates of the existing PRLs and specified land uses; and
(2) of the locations and site areas of the military sites set aside for use by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison for defence purpose, the gross floor areas of the buildings therein, and whether it knows the current respective uses of such sites?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Security Bureau and the Lands Department, I reply to the two parts of the question as follows:
(1) Information on lands granted under private recreational leases (PRLs), including names of the lessees, lot numbers and locations, site areas and expiry dates of PRLs, is at Annex. Regarding the gross floor areas (GFA) of the buildings, we do not have the requested information for the individual PRL sites readily and we are unable to compile and provide accurate GFA data through relevant government departments within the time constraint. As for specified land uses, PRLs contain lease conditions requiring that PRL sites shall only be used for approved recreational and designated purposes and not for other purposes. Members of the public may search such information of PRLs through the Land Registry.
(2) Article 14 of the Basic Law provides that the Central People’s Government shall be responsible for the defence of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Article 5 of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Garrisoning of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides that one of the defence functions and responsibilities of the Hong Kong Garrison is to control military facilities. Military sites are military facilities. Their use and management are national defence matters for which the Central People’s Government and the Hong Kong Garrison have sole responsibility.
There are a total of 19 military sites in the HKSAR, of which six are located on Hong Kong Island (namely the Central Barracks and Central Military Dock, Chek Chue Barracks, Headquarters House, Ching Yi To Barracks and Western Barracks), four in Kowloon (namely the Gun Club Hill Barracks, Kowloon East Barracks, Cornwall Street and Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks) and nine in the New Territories (namely Shek Kong Barracks, Shek Kong Village, San Tin Barracks, Tam Mei Barracks, San Wai Barracks, San Wai/Tai Ling Firing Range, Tsing Shan Firing Range, Tai O Barracks and the Military Transportation Centre at Chek Lap Kok). They occupy a total area of about 2,700 hectares. These sites were established in accordance with the Exchange of Notes between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United Kingdom in 1994 on the arrangements for the future use of the military sites in Hong Kong for use and management by the Hong Kong Garrison. The details are military secret and cannot be disclosed.
Ends/Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:46
Issued at HKT 12:46
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