The Government recognises the need to review the Small House Policy in the context of prevailing land use planning as well as optimal land resource utilisation, Secretary for Development Paul Chan said.
In reply to a lawmaker’s query today, Mr Chan said the demand for small houses may change with factors such as births and the growth in numbers of indigenous villagers.
Not all eligible indigenous villagers submit applications to build a small house, he added, making it impossible for the Government to accurately estimate the land requirement for small house development.
Still, he said, the Government must reserve a certain amount of land for applications due to the prevailing policy.
A review will inevitably involve complicated issues involving aspects such as legal, environment, land use planning and demand on land, all of which require careful examination, he added.
He stressed that the Government does not have a firm stance yet on any suggestions with regard to the policy.
Asked whether the government has any plans to release more lands planned for building small houses to develop public and private housing, Mr Chan said those sites zoned for Village Type Development are generally not suitable for large-scale development because they are too dispersed and usually constrained by the existing infrastructural and other ancillary facilities.
