The purpose of this book is to explain both the historical context and current practices of land administration in Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong has an open and business-friendly environment, it is underpinned by a socialist leasehold land tenure system. The government is landlord to virtually all land and so it plays a pivotal role in the administration of this scare, and therefore, valuable resource. As land administration is governed by private contract law rather than legislation, it is constantly evolving with the courts handing down significant decisions on a regular basis. Government practice has to respond to this, as well as the community’s concern on how best land can be administered. The fifth edition has some substantial and important updates which should continue to be useful to both students and practitioners of surveying, architecture, planning and law, as well as the wider business and financial community.

Hong Kong is frequently acclaimed as being the most open and business user-friendly environment in the world. However, it is often forgotten or overlooked that this paragon of capitalism is founded, and indeed underpinned, by a socialist leasehold land tenure system. As the government is landlord to virtually all land, it plays a pivotal role in the administration of this scarce and therefore valuable resource. The purpose of this book is to explain both the historical development and the current practice of land administration.Since publication of the book in 1998, it has been welcomed by students and practitioners of surveying, architecture, planning and law, and also by the wider business and financial community. In this second edition, the text has been thoroughly updated and should continue to be equally useful and popular.

Although Hong Kong is an open and business-friendly environment, it has a socialist leasehold land tenure system. The government is landlord to virtually all land, so it plays a pivotal role in the administration of this scarce and therefore valuable resource. As land administration is governed by private contract law rather than legislation, it is constantly evolving with the courts handing down decisions on a regular basis. Government practice also has to respond to this, as well as to the community's concerns on how best land can be administered. As a result, regular updates of this book are required and this new Third Edition is fully up to date to serve its readers — students and practitioners of surveying, architecture, planning and law, and the wider business and financial community.

Provides an account of the concept of the use and change in use of land, and an outline of the procedures for lease modifications and waivers, planning applications, reviews and appeals, and building applications and approvals. It also includes an overview of government enforcement against contravention of lease conditions, provisions of statutory town plans prepared under the Town Planning Ordinance, and provisions of the Buildings Ordinance -- Back cover.

The First Estates shows the impact on Hong Kong’s urban history of Fairview Park and Hong Lok Yuen, the earliest examples of private estates provided in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Completed in the 1970s and 1980s, both are examples of land development projects built as low-density, American-style suburban house living, the first true alternative to the typical high-rise urban living of Hong Kong. In this book, Roger Nissim traces their evolution—from retreats for urban dwellers to family residences—that followed the expansion of Hong Kong’s public transportation system. The book draws heavily on the original documents that are reproduced in the book. These unearthed documents detail land acquisition process and the negotiations with the government, financiers, local villagers, contractors, and new residents. Read together, this collection of key primary sources—concerning government approvals, site selection, planning and implementation, layout plan, and sales policy—provide the reader with an unparalleled vision of this unique period in the evolution of Hong Kong’s urban development before the establishment of formal town planning. Nissim also re-examines the role of Clifford Wong, the visionary behind these projects. Exhaustive research and interviews with early residents who still live in the estates, early employees in the various relevant departments, and Wong’s descendants complete this volume and enhance the understanding of Hong Kong’s urban history. ‘This book records a unique period in Hong Kong’s evolution in terms of urban development prior to the establishment of a formal town planning system. Given that much of this history has already been lost, the book therefore has considerable archival merit with regard to both estate projects and the man behind them, Clifford Wong.’ —Keith Mckinnell, founder and managing director of the Real Estate Academy ‘Roger Nissim is to be congratulated on producing this excellent review of two pioneering and groundbreaking projects in Hong Kong. This study underlines the realities of the market. This is well illustrated by the care with which Clifford Wong monitored the property cycle, and the considered manner and speed with which he made critical decisions regarding land premium and other risk-related issues.’ —Nicholas Brooke, former president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

This book provides the market and the profession an overall view of the land management system in Hong Kong by presenting a combination of both factual account of the system and practice as well as some academic and theoretical discussion of the application of development appraisal models. The author discusses various basic appraisal models and gives his views on the future development of cash flow model to be applied in land. This is not only a useful guide to investors investing in Hong Kong, but also an important reference for development appraisal taking place in a similar land market, Mainland China.