The Public Health and Buildings ordinance of 1903 was used to control the detail of the porgrammme of building development. The earlier building control was taken over by the Sanitary Board. Later the crown government discovered serious corruption in the board, with the result that the building conrol responsiblity was transfered to the Building Authority, which was within the Public Work Department.

On 1 June 1956, new legislation replaced the 1935 Building Ordinance. Four aspects are highlighted as follows:

1. The Building Authority can refuse a building plan if a prosposed development does not conform with adjacent buildings in terms of height, design, type or intended use or if a proposed development has a poor relationships to surrounding streets and traffic.

2. Witthout an Occupation Permit issued by the Building Authority, buildings cannot be occupied.

3. An appeals tribunal procedure was set up to consider appeals against plan refusals.

4. The Plot ratio, the ratio of floor space in a building to the site area covered by the building, was increased.

1. The Building Authority had to consider the planning and design of buildings during processing building plans. Under the 1956 ordinance, she had more power to control professional contractors and building construction.

2. With an increase in plot ratio, development density was dramatically aggravated, which led to traffic conjestion, overcrowding and overloaded services. Also private developers could construct buildings higher and thus create the current high-rise buildings landscape.

In 1959, an amendment to the Building(Administration )Regulations of 1956 introduced a new Section 16(1)(d). The Regulation granted a mandatory power to the Building Authority of refusing building plan if a proposed development did not conform to the draft outline zoning plan. What is its significance?

Its significance is that development control in Hong Kong had finally come.