The Town Planning Board (TPB) today (November 26) promulgated a set of revised Guidelines (TPB PG-No. 29B) on submission and publication of representations, comments on representation and further representations (FRs) under the Town Planning Ordinance which will take effect in 2019.
The revised Guidelines aim to enable the TPB to process representations, comments and FRs in a more effective and efficient manner while ensuring the rights of the public to submit representations, comments and FRs and to attend the hearing.
Under the revised Guidelines, a representer, commenter or further representer, or his or her authorised representative (including a representative of an organisation or concern group), is required to provide his or her full name as shown in a Hong Kong identity card (HKID card)/passport and HKID card/passport number (first four alphanumeric characters only) for verification purposes. The authorised representative will also need to provide the original authorisation letter signed by the representer, commenter or further representer. The new requirement is to enhance the propriety of the plan-making process under the Ordinance. It will not affect the rights of any person to make representations, comments or FRs under the Ordinance.
To facilitate future communication in writing, the revised Guidelines require the representer, commenter or further representer, or his or her authorised representative, to provide a correspondence or email address for receipt of documents issued by the TPB in relation to the processing of the representation, comment or FR and hearing arrangement. If no correspondence or email address is provided, they would need to check the information regarding the hearing arrangement, relevant papers, etc on the TPB website, and contact the Secretariat of the TPB to make arrangements for their attendance at the hearing.
The requirements set out in the revised Guidelines will be applicable to all representations, comments and FRs in respect of plans exhibited for public inspection under the Ordinance starting in 2019.
The revised Guidelines are now available at the Secretariat of the TPB at 15/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong (Tel: 2231 4810 or 2231 4835), and the TPB's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb). Corresponding revisions are also made to the Guidance Notes on Attending the Meeting for Consideration of Representations, Comments and FRs under the Ordinance. Details will be provided at the specific webpage on "Plan Making: How to Participate" in the TPB's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb/en/plan_making/participate.html) for public information.
Any enquiries on the above may be addressed to the Secretariat of the TPB at the above address or by email (tpbpd@pland.gov.hk), or to the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department (hotline: 2231 5000; email: enquire@pland.gov.hk) at 17/F, North Point Government Offices, and 14/F, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin.
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