The government will speed up the grading of historic buildings to enable the owners to know the status of their properties, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam disclosed yesterday.

In the preservation of private historic buildings, Lam said financial incentives would be offered to the owners instead of using statutory powers to freeze their development right.

Lam yesterday had a meeting with media representatives to outline the Development Bureau's work in relation to the 2007 Policy Address.

Talking about the King Yin Lei Mansion, the historic building which has been declared a monument, she said she had managed to contact the owner's lawyer and the architect.

Although they were unwilling to disclose the owner's identity, they said they were authorized to fully represent the owner.

At a recent meeting with the architect, she was told that the owner had the sincerity to foot the bill of preserving and rejuvenating King Yin Lei Mansion.

The owner was also pleased to open the mansion to the public after it is rejuvenated, but he had no interest in keeping the mansion in the long term.

"In order to be fair to owners of historic buildings and give them the right to know, we will speed up the grading of the 1,400 historic buildings before the end of 2008," she said.

"The government will offer financial incentives to the owners and we will also use an 'easy things first' approach.

"It will be easier if the implied buildings have potential for further development. But it will be difficult for the government to grant the owners new sites or bigger sites than the original buildings," Lam said.

She further said the society then needs to consider the prices for keeping the historic buildings, whether in terms of real cash or greater density of buildings.

"But as far I can hear, society has reservation towards using taxpayers' money, especially in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars, to retain the buildings," she said.

On the work of the Development Bureau, she said infrastructural development, heritage protection and provision of a quality environment to the people are her prime duties.

Talking about her imminent tasks, she said she would re-consider the density of the approved development projects above the West Rail's Nam Cheong and Yuen Long stations.

The next step would be to chart green zoning plans in several big districts scheduled for completion by end-2007 and in the remaining areas on the Island and in Kowloon, the New Territories for completion in 2009, she added.

Besides, a new 60-kilometre bicycle trail linking Tuen Mun and Ma On Shan will be built and ready for use in 2012 apart from water supply, sewage, and man-made slope maintenance works.

The bicycle trail would be a very good facility, she said, adding that cycling is a good physical exercise and bicycles are more environment-friendly than motor vehicles.

(HK Edition 10/13/2007 page3)