The Lands Department said today it has initiated prosecution against the occupiers of two government sites at Wang Chau, Yuen Long.
The department was responding to Legislative Council members-elect Eddie Chu and Prof Edward Yiu who raised issues about enforcement actions against illegal occupation of government land in the area.
The prosecution followed investigations into a complaint filed in February, during which containers and unauthorised structures were found in an area totalling 3.8 hectares.
The occupied land is located north of the area earmarked for the first phase of the Wang Chau public housing development.
The department placed notices on the land requiring the occupiers to cease the irregularities and remove the structures before deadlines.
The irregularities were ceased or rectified, except for the two sites.
Of the 3.8-hectares of land, the department has fenced off 2.6 hectares, and granted 20 short-term tenancies at market rate for the remaining 1.2 hectares.
The decision was made after carefully considering the applications filed before the deadlines.
The land patches were scattered around and squeezed between private land, making it difficult to rent them out individually through open tender.
As the land is not required for public purpose in the short term, granting tenancies on a quarterly basis is more preferable than leaving the sites idle or illegal occupation.
The provisions allowed the department to roll back the charging of rent to the date when the tenants started occupation.
The Government may terminate the tenancies by giving a three-months notice if the sites are required for public purposes.
