Nearly half of the owners of houses found to have illegal structures at a luxury Hong Kong estate have lodged appeals after authorities ordered them to demolish the unauthorised additions.
The Buildings Department said on Monday it had issued demolition orders to the owners of 68 homes at Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam, which required them to remove the unauthorised structures at their own cost.
“Owners of 32 of these orders have filed appeals, which are currently being processed by the appeal adjudication panel,” a department spokesman said.
Most of the demolition orders are related to rooftop structures or basements.
Among those filing appeals are the owners of seaside houses No 74 and 76, some of the first sites where illegal structures were found after a rainstorm on September 7 triggered a landslide at the luxury estate and brought the case to light.
The owners of properties with slopes or building structures who receive a demolition order must appoint registered professionals to submit repair and architectural proposals to the Buildings Department for approval, before commencing repair works within 90 days of getting the order.
The downpour last year also exposed unauthorised structures at houses No 70 and No 72.
Uncovering Hong Kong’s secret land grab at luxury estates
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While repair works are under way for No 70, the department said the owner of No 72 has not submitted a repair proposal after receiving a demolition order last September.
“The Buildings Department has issued a warning letter to the owner and initiated prosecution procedures regarding the demolition order,” a spokesman said.
The department warned those who failed to comply with the orders without reasonable justification could face prosecution.
Those convicted of flouting the order face a maximum penalty of up to HK$200,000 (US$25,500) and one year in prison. Offenders may also be fined HK$20,000 for each day they fail to comply with the notice.
The Lands Department also issued notices to 30 properties illegally occupying government land to dismantle the structures within 150 days.
Anyone caught illegally occupying government land can be fined HK$500,000 and jailed up for to six months for a first offence.
Repeat offenders face a maximum fine of HK$1 million and six months of jail, with an additional fine of HK$100,000 for each day their structures encroach on government land.
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Rampant rule-breaking in Hong Kong luxury estates, Post investigation finds
The Lands Department said it had repaired the slopes near the estate destroyed by the landslide, at a cost of about HK$1.8 million.
The government said it could take legal action against owners to recover the cost if the landslide was found to be related to unauthorised structures or illegal occupation of government land.
Authorities revealed last December that an inspection of 85 houses in Redhill Peninsula had found 40 had unauthorised structures, one illegally occupied government land and 29 were found to have violated both regulations.
The remaining 15 properties showed no signs of unauthorised building works or illegal occupation of government land.
A Post investigation also found nearly 90 per cent of homes at Flamingo Garden on Kowloon Peak, Villa Rosa in Tai Tam and Seaview Villas in Tai Po had suspected unauthorised additions, with city leader John Lee Ka-chiu vowing to crack down on the practice.