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

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(c) how <strong>the</strong> licensing system would help improve <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> service <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
private columbaria;
(d) for <strong>the</strong> benefit <strong>of</strong> consumers , it was necessary to consolidate and publicize
<strong>the</strong> updated information on <strong>the</strong> availability <strong>of</strong> niches in private columbaria;
(e) whe<strong>the</strong>r human ashes was defined as human remains; and
(f) whe<strong>the</strong>r existing private columbaria, which were open recently and <strong>the</strong>ir
niches were not fully occupied, would be subject to different control.
[Mr. K.Y. Leung left <strong>the</strong> meeting temporarily at this point.]
21. In response, Mrs. Lai Chan Chi Kuen, Marion, said that:
(a) <strong>the</strong> purchase <strong>of</strong> niches in private columbaria should be bounded by private
contracts. In case a private columbarium ceased its business and <strong>the</strong>
cremains stored <strong>the</strong>rein had to be displaced, <strong>the</strong> necessary arrangement
should be governed by <strong>the</strong> terms and conditions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> private contracts.
The Administration would draw up measures to deal with cases where <strong>the</strong>
operator failed to deal satisfactorily with <strong>the</strong> cremains displaced. In
drawing up <strong>the</strong> measures, <strong>the</strong> Administration would bear in mind <strong>the</strong>
sensitivity and <strong>the</strong> interest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> descendents concerned;
(b) it was agreed that columbaria with improved outlook and layout could ease
<strong>the</strong> concern and anxiety <strong>of</strong> nearby residents and promote acceptance by <strong>the</strong>
public. The Government was working towards improving <strong>the</strong> design <strong>of</strong>
public columbaria and adopting measures like landscaping facilities and
centralising joss paper burning activities in order to gain easier acceptance.
Such measures should also mitigate <strong>the</strong> nuisance on air, noise or light to
<strong>the</strong> neighbourhood. These would also set a benchmark for private
columbaria to follow;
[Dr. C.P. Lau arrived to join <strong>the</strong> meeting at this point.]