Minutes of 964 Meeting of the Town Planning Board held on 20.8 ...

Minutes of 964 Meeting of the Town Planning Board held on 20.8 ... Minutes of 964 Meeting of the Town Planning Board held on 20.8 ...

07.02.2013 Views

- 16 - (xv) ong>theong> preliminary view was that all private columbaria, which were proposed to be defined as premises / sites which stored human cremains at a charge and which were not built and/or operated by ong>theong> FEHD, would be subject to ong>theong> licensing scheme. They included those in existence before ong>theong> enactment date ong>ofong> ong>theong> new legislation. Operators ong>ofong> private columbaria subject to ong>theong> licensing scheme should be required to obtain a licence or temporary exemption; (xvi) proposed conditions for issuing/ renewing a licence included: - ong>theong> applicant should possess ong>theong> title to ong>theong> premises/ site being used as private columbaria; - ong>theong> application premises/ site should comply with all statutory requirements and any associated Code ong>ofong> Practice; - ong>theong> application premises/ site should be suitable for columbarium development in terms ong>ofong> land use and was permitted under ong>theong> lease; - ong>theong> grant ong>ofong> ong>theong> licence was not contrary to public interest . Such public interest considerations might include ong>theong> overall supply ong>ofong> columbarium niches in ong>theong> territory, local views, and interest ong>ofong> patrons ong>ofong> columbaria which came into existence before ong>theong> introduction ong>ofong> ong>theong> licensing scheme; (xvii) all private columbaria which existed before ong>theong> enactment ong>ofong> ong>theong> new legislation were also subject to ong>theong> licensing scheme. Operators ong>ofong> private columbaria which could not satisfy ong>theong> licensing requirement should apply for temporary exemption which allowed ong>theong>m to continue ong>theong>ir operation in ong>theong> interim before obtaining a proper licence. The temporary exemption

Discussion Session - 17 - should be time-limited, for example, with a validity period ong>ofong> two and a half years. For private columbarium operating under temporary exemption, ong>theong> number ong>ofong> niches ong>theong>rein should be frozen and furong>theong>r sale ong>ofong> niches before obtaining a proper licence should be stopped; (c) it was understood that similar to uses like bathhouse and massage establishment, ong>theong> TPB would formulate TPB Guidelines on ong>theong> application for columbarium development; and (d) ong>theong> public consultation on ong>theong> review ong>ofong> ong>theong> columbarium policy would end on 30.9.2010. Members’ views on ong>theong> proposals to increase ong>theong> supply ong>ofong> columbarium facilities and to regulate ong>theong> private columbaria were invited. 20. Three Members raised ong>theong> following questions/ suggestions: (a) if ong>theong> existing private columbaria could not satisfy ong>theong> licensing requirements and ceased ong>theong> business, ong>theong> cremains ong>theong>rein would have to be displaced and accommodated somewhere else. This would create difficulties for ong>theong> concerned descendents who might also get upset about ong>theong> situation. How ong>theong> Government would assist ong>theong> affected descendents in such situations; (b) it might be reasonable to require operators ong>ofong> private columbaria to share some social responsibilities so as to increase ong>theong> local acceptance ong>ofong> such facilities. The Administration could consider imposing conditions requiring ong>theong> operators ong>ofong> private columbaria, particularly those in ong>theong> New Territories (NT), to provide landscape treatment to enhance ong>theong> amenity ong>ofong> ong>theong> surrounding area. This could benefit ong>theong> local neighbourhood as well as promote local acceptance ong>ofong> ong>theong> columbarium facilities;

- 16 -<br />

(xv) <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> preliminary view was that all private columbaria, which were<br />

proposed to be defined as premises / sites which stored human<br />

cremains at a charge and which were not built and/or operated by<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> FEHD, would be subject to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> licensing scheme. They<br />

included those in existence before <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> enactment date <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> new<br />

legislati<strong>on</strong>. Operators <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> private columbaria subject to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

licensing scheme should be required to obtain a licence or<br />

temporary exempti<strong>on</strong>;<br />

(xvi) proposed c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s for issuing/ renewing a licence included:<br />

- <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> applicant should possess <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> title to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> premises/ site<br />

being used as private columbaria;<br />

- <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> applicati<strong>on</strong> premises/ site should comply with all<br />

statutory requirements and any associated Code <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Practice;<br />

- <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> applicati<strong>on</strong> premises/ site should be suitable for<br />

columbarium development in terms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> land use and was<br />

permitted under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lease;<br />

- <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> grant <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> licence was not c<strong>on</strong>trary to public interest .<br />

Such public interest c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>s might include <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> overall<br />

supply <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> columbarium niches in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> territory, local views,<br />

and interest <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> patr<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> columbaria which came into<br />

existence before <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> introducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> licensing scheme;<br />

(xvii) all private columbaria which existed before <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> enactment <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

new legislati<strong>on</strong> were also subject to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> licensing scheme.<br />

Operators <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> private columbaria which could not satisfy <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

licensing requirement should apply for temporary exempti<strong>on</strong><br />

which allowed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m to c<strong>on</strong>tinue <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir operati<strong>on</strong> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> interim<br />

before obtaining a proper licence. The temporary exempti<strong>on</strong>

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!