The Lands Department (LandsD) today (January 11) posted resumption notices and acquisition notices in accordance with relevant ordinances to resume about 109 hectares of land for the implementation of the remaining phase development of the Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Areas (KTN/FLN NDA).
 
     Section 4 of the Lands Resumption Ordinance (Chapter 124), section 4 of the Land Acquisition (Possessory Title) Ordinance (Chapter 130), section 14 of the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370) and section 14 of Chapter 370 as applied by section 26 of the Water Pollution Control (Sewerage) Regulation (Chapter 358, Subsidiary Legislation AL) will be invoked. In addition, a one month notice of the intention to make an order directing the removal of human remains from seven graves in accordance with section 119(1) of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Chapter 132) will be gazetted on January 12. The Government will continue negotiating with the claimants for voluntary removal of the human remains from these graves before making the order.
 
     A total of 1 690 private lots with an area of about 109 hectares will be resumed, and the land being occupied by 40 graves and 17 urns with an area of government land of about 2 180 square metres will be acquired. The said land will revert to or vest in the Government upon the expiry of a period of three months from the date of affixing the notices (i.e. April 12, 2024). The Government will release ex-gratia land compensation to the relevant land owners after land reversion.
 
     The abovementioned land reversion date is the date of vesting of the ownership of the land in the Government. It is not the departure deadline of the affected households and business undertakings. According to the information obtained earlier from the freezing survey, there are a total of 1 065 affected households and 313 affected business operators within the remaining phase development of the KTN/FLN NDA. According to the project schedule, they are scheduled to depart in batches from the third quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2026. The LandsD sent letters to the affected households and business undertakings from November to December 2022 informing them of the scheduled departure dates and the compensation and rehousing arrangements for their reference and early preparation for moving out. The LandsD and its appointed Compensation and Rehousing Service Teams will maintain communication with the affected households and business undertakings, and provide updated information when necessary, including the posting of notices by the LandsD three months before the departure deadlines of the affected households and business undertakings in relevant areas in accordance with the applicable procedures. Based on the current situation, it is estimated that the first batch of 780 households and 207 business undertakings will have to move out as early as the third quarter of 2024.
 
     The Government is handling the compensation and rehousing matters of the relevant land owners, households and business undertakings at full steam, and will endeavour to arrange rehousing or release compensation for all eligible persons before the clearance commences. In response to affected households' concerns about living near the construction site, households affected by the remaining phase development can apply for early departure and receive rehousing and compensation. As of November 30, 2023, 889 households have applied, of which 336 eligible households have been rehoused, 11 eligible households have received ex-gratia cash compensation, and the applications of 447 households are being processed or the households have yet to submit supplementary information, and 95 households are not eligible based on the existing information (the main reasons include: households move into the development area after the freezing survey, living in unauthorised structures, or holding domestic property). The LandsD will continue to process relevant applications and contact the affected persons, particularly those households to be moved out in the first batch so as to follow up with their rehousing and compensation matters.
 
     The KTN/FLN NDA is the first new development area project commencing construction in the Northern Metropolis, which will supply land for housing, commercial, community and other developments. The first phase of site formation and engineering infrastructure works commenced in 2019. The remaining phase of site formation and engineering infrastructure works (including roads, drainage, sewerage, water mains, landscaping works, slope works and electrical and mechanical works, etc) are planned to commence in the middle of this year.
 
     Upon full development, the KTN/FLN NDA will provide about 86 200 housing units accommodating a population of about 226 700, and will also provide about 1 275 000 sq m gross floor area for economic activities while creating about 53 100 job opportunities.

Ends/Thursday, January 11, 2024
Issued at HKT 17:05

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