Govt open to extending policy on minor illegal works
Development chief Bernadette Linn on Thursday said officials are open to the idea of allowing homeowners in the urban area to declare minor illegal structures at their homes. Currently, owners of New Territories village houses can declare to the government unauthorised structures that do not pose immediate safety risks, which then requires regular inspections for such structures while sparing them from demolition. The policy allows the government to put the priority on high-risk structures. Lawmaker Doreen Kong on Wednesday proposed extending the policy to the urban area, given the high number of structures that need to be tackled. Speaking on Commercial Radio, Linn said that would be a "pragmatic" approach when it comes to minor unauthorised works such as hanging racks and air-conditioner support frames.  But she also said putting the structures on record doesn't mean the homeowners are being pardoned. On the illegal structures discovered at Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam, Linn described them as high risk and could not be dealt with just by homeowners declaring them.