A Welcome Win 環團勝訴

A Welcome Win 環團勝訴

The Government should welcome the judgment against the Town Planning Board last week. The Judge ruled in favour of the environmental activist Chan Ka Lam regarding the Board’s 2014 decision to reserve land for small houses in three country park enclaves: Hoi Ha, Pak Lap and So Lo Pun.(郊野公園「不包括土地」：海下、白腊和鎖羅盤)

It will strengthen the Government’s case against the ferocious appetite for more land for small house development——a highly inefficient and destructive form of development, and threat to our remaining natural areas.

The Judge made it clear that when a decision is made to set aside land for village houses the Board (and Government) should consider justified genuine needs of indigenous villagers for development by indigenous villagers.(法官指出城規會(及政府)需要履行職責查證原居民對村屋的真正需要)

It was shown that the Board had relied on information provided by the village representative regarding the potential number of male descendants who might apply for building Small Houses. The Judge decided that this information is not verified or verifiable and can’t be used as proof of genuine needs of indigenous villagers.

This Court Ruling will have wide implications for the Lands and Planning Departments.

It has long been obvious to everyone in Hong Kong that small house development is mostly for sale to the market. The Lands Department condoned this by hiding behind the Small House Policy and guidelines set for them. They kept their eyes, ears and mouth shut to the reality. But no longer. In the future they will need to make serious inquiries and check information provided by the village leaders. (地政總署向來對村屋發展及買賣採取視而不見的態度，今後他們需要認真核實村長提供的資料)

The Government has 4 weeks to appeal. Let’s see whether the Government has the courage to withstand pressure from the Heung Yee Kuk. (政府可於四星期內提出上訴，即管看看他們能否抵擋來自鄉議局的壓力)   

(Above was first published in AM730 on 30 November 2017.)

環團勝訴 

有環保人士就城規會喺2014年決定喺海下、白腊同鎖羅盤嘅郊野公園不包括土地保留地方俾丁屋嘅決定提出司法覆核。高等法院上星期作出裁決，推翻城規會嘅決定，並要求佢哋重新審議。政府理應歡迎今次嘅裁決，因為呢個裁決將能加強政府對抗丁屋呢種無效率兼對環境造成破壞嘅發展樣式。

過去城規劃係規劃丁屋用地嘅時候，淨係會根據由原居民提供，對未來會申請丁屋嘅男丁人數嘅估算。但今次司法覆核嘅結果，講明呢啲估算唔單止無法驗證，亦唔能夠反映原居民嘅實際需求，所以法院指出城規劃係劃出土地發展丁屋嘅時候，必須確保原居民有真正同埋合理嘅需要，並要確保啲證據唔係任人作出黎。

今次裁決對地政局可以話影響深遠。而家係人都知丁屋起出黎係賣多過住，但地政卻寧願做無膽人，一日到黑用丁屋條例做擋箭牌。但隨住今次法院嘅當頭棒喝，佢哋再唔能夠對丁屋嘅問題隻眼開、隻眼閉。政府有四個星期時間決定會唔會上訴，大家又即管睇下佢哋能唔能夠抵得住鄉議局嘅壓力，接受裁決？哈！

（英文原文於2017年11月30日AM730刊登）