Wider choices: Director of Lands Patrick Lau (right) says the new application list offers more sites and wider choices to developers in terms of size, location and uses.

The Lands Department today announced the 2006-07 application list for the sale of Government land, with 45 sites, including 33 residential sites and 12 commercial/business sites.

The residential sites, with a total area of about 29.6 hectares, can produce around 14,000 flats. Ten of them are on Hong Kong Island, nine in Kowloon and 14 in the New Territories and outlying islands. 

The 12 commercial/business sites, with a total area of about 8.7 hectares, are located in Central, Kowloon Bay, Tsuen Wan, Tin Shui Wai, Sai Kung, Shatin and Kwun Tong.

Seven of them may also be readily developed for hotel use, and the remaining may be allowed for hotel use subject to planning permission.

More sites, wider choices

Speaking to the press this afternoon, Director of Lands Patrick Lau said the new application list offers more sites and wider choices to developers in terms of size, location and uses.

"In terms of the number of sites, the 2006-07 Application List offers a total of 45 sites, of which 28 are carried over from the current Application List while the other 17 are newly included. Many of these new sites should be highly attractive to the market," Mr Lau said.

In response to the aspirations of the property sector and to facilitate participation of the medium and small-sized developers in property developments, the new application list includes 18 sites each smaller than 0.5 hectare in area.

Among these, 13 sites are for residential use and five of them are located in the urban area.

Luxury developments

Three sites ranging from 0.9 hectare to 3 hectare in area have been listed for large residential development projects. They are located in Wong Tai Sin, West Kowloon and Tung Chung and can produce around 3,890 flats in total.

Mr Lau said the list also contains 14 residential sites suitable for luxury developments.

The Government had indicated clearly in its statements on housing and land-disposal policy on numerous occasions that land supply would be determined by market demand, he said.

System working well

"To implement this policy effectively and consistently, the Government will continue to supply land to the market for development through the Application List system," Mr Lau said.

"The Application List system is market-driven. It enables the market to determine flexibly the quantity, the size, the location and timing of land to be put up for sale."

Stressing the system is working well, Mr Lau said the Government has no plan to revert to the practice of regular land sales and will not lower the trigger prices for sites in the list.

The 2006-07 Application List is now available from the Lands Department's website.