Land and Development Advisory Committee holds meeting
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     At its meeting today (June 3), the Land and Development Advisory Committee was briefed by the Development Bureau (DEVB) on the Government’s efforts to streamline development-related administrative processes, as well as the strategies and initiatives to promote the adoption of advanced construction technologies in the construction industry.
     Members welcomed the Government’s efforts in streamlining development-related administrative procedures. In particular, they highly appreciated the DEVB’s initiative to promulgate a circular by the third quarter of 2024 to institutionalise the policy direction of adopting a facilitating and collaborative mindset in processing development-related applications. Guiding principles and good practices would also be provided to relevant bureaux and departments (B/Ds) for their reference in improving their practices. While noting that more measures would be required to cultivate a customer-oriented culture, Members considered that the new circular was a significant step forward to drive cultural change in approving B/Ds. They appreciated that the proposed circular had addressed common issues of concern faced by the industry, for instance, by requiring B/Ds to give specific reasons of rejection of proposals and suggest solutions to address B/D’s requirements. Members suggested various means to ensure proper implementation of the circular, for instance, formulation of clear guidelines to frontline officers, ongoing evaluation and monitoring, effective communication with industry stakeholders and timely escalation to resolve problems, and sharing of successful experience. The Government would take into account Members’ views and continue working with the industry and other relevant stakeholders to keep the administrative procedures under review and identify further rooms for improvement as necessary.
     Members welcomed the Government’s work to promote the adoption of advanced construction technologies, including Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), construction digitalisation such as adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and enhancing applied research and development (R&D), in the construction industry. While sharing the vision of growing the MiC sector as an industry, Members acknowledged that the initiatives would assist in enhancing productivity and efficiency of the construction industry, as well as promoting the development of the supply chain of MiC modules by utilising Hong Kong’s strengths in quality assurance, certification and marketing, as well as capitalising on cooperation with the Mainland, in particular in the Greater Bay Area. Members made various suggestions, including updating of standards and practices, enhancing collaboration with industry partners both in Hong Kong and outside Hong Kong, promoting wider adoption of MiC, establishing a Manufacturer Certification Scheme, increasing the cost-effectiveness of adopting MiC in individual projects, enhancing procurement approaches, strengthening R&D and other support for the construction industry, including sharing of successful experience and training. The Government would take into account Members’ views in promoting the use of advanced construction technologies.