Land Sharing Pilot Scheme

(Extract of Paragraph 22 to 23 of the Chief Executive's 2019 Policy Address)

1. On the other hand, the Development Bureau will soon announce details of the Land Sharing Pilot Scheme (LSPS) along the policy direction outlined in last year’s Policy Address. Views of stakeholders will be gauged with the target of accepting applications early next year. Unlike other development modes of Government-led planning and Government-initiated land resumption, LSPS will tap market force in planning and construction. We hope that this will release as soon as possible private lots with consolidated ownership but not yet covered by government planning and study, so as to speed up short- and medium-term housing supply. The Government will facilitate infrastructural enhancement to allow higher development intensity and prescribe that at least 70% of the additional gross floor area gained should be allocated for public housing or SH as intended by the Government. As such, land owners have to carve out part of their land and hand them over to the Government for the said housing development, while the remainder of the site can be retained for private housing development. The land owners concerned will be responsible for providing infrastructure and other community facilities necessary to support the housing development projects, and the associated construction cost will be deducted from the land premium.
2. Taking into account public views, we propose to adopt a fair, robust and transparent vetting and approval mechanism under which applications are subject to thorough examination by a multi-disciplinary team of civil servants. Also, a newly established Panel of Advisors comprising members with credibility in society will provide advice. After that, the applications will be submitted to the Chief Executive in Council for approval. All town planning and other statutory and administrative procedures will continue to apply, including the requirement for land owners to pay land premium at full market value for the private housing development and ancillary commercial facilities. LSPS will cover a period of three years and the area of private land to be approved will be capped at 150 hectares.

The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced that the LSPS would be open for applications from 6 May 2020 for a period of three years until 5 May 2023, subject to a cap of 150 hectares on the total area of private land to be approved.

Applicant should make their application to the Land Sharing Office of DEVB in the first place. Lands Department will be responsible for processing land clearance, resumption (if applicable) and land exchange or lease modification in relation to the application after which the Chief Executive in Council has granted support in principle.

Details of the LSPS together with related information including the application form, guidance notes for applicants have been uploaded to the DEVB's dedicated webpage.