Buildings Department's special work arrangements for public services
To gradually provide more basic public services to meet the needs of the public and enterprises, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (August 28) that it will implement targeted measures to reduce social contact and infection control measures for the provision of the following counter services from next Monday (August 31) until September 6 in addition to the emergency and essential public services provided in the past month:
- The Receipt and Dispatch Counter services at the office of the BD's New Buildings Divisions on 7/F, 14 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong will be open from 9.30am to 3pm from Monday to Friday for receiving statutory submissions and related documents and forms for new building works, and for the applicants to collect processed plans and related documents by appointment;
- The Building Information Centre at 2/F of the BDHeadquarters at North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, will be open between 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday for inspection and copying services for private building records. There will be limits on the number of customers to be served in order to reduce social contact;
- The Receipt Counter at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters will be open between 10am to 4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for receipt of documents from members of the public. There will be limits on the number of customers to be served in order to reduce social contact. In addition, a drop-in box and a tender/quotation box will be provided at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters from 8.30am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday to supplement the Receipt Counter services. The department will issue receipts/acknowledgements of documents received via the drop-in boxes in due course; and
- A Contractor Registration Card Replacement Counter will be set up at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters for Registered Minor Works Contractors (Individual) to replace their registration cards according to the replacement schedule as given in the notification letters issued by the BD in July 2020. The Counter will be open on weekdays between 10am to 4pm starting from next Tuesday (September 1). The BD will implement crowd control arrangement. Therefore, BD appeals to these contractors that instead of visiting the Counter, they can return their old registration cards by post or via the designated drop-in box placed at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters. BD will then send out new registration cards to them via post within 3 weeks. In addition, a hotline (3842 5061) has been set up for these contractors to make appointment to replace their registration cards at the Contractor Registration Card Replacement Counter.
Under the special work arrangement, the handling time of BD's services may be longer than usual.
The General Enquiry Counter at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters and meeting rooms of the BD will not be open to the public until further notice. Appointments, meetings (except meetings essential to meet statutory requirements such as Minor Works Contractor Registration Committee meetings) and inspections scheduled for the period may be rescheduled to later dates. Registration Committee meetings for building professionals and contractors will be re-convened and recruitment interviews will be re-arranged. Individuals concerned will be notified in due course.
The BD appeals to the public to minimise visiting the department's offices in person unless they genuinely require its public services urgently. The public may call 1823 to make emergency reports. For general enquiries and other reports, they may call 1823 or inform the department by email (enquiry@bd.gov.hk), online reporting (eform.one.gov.hk/form/bd0001/en), fax (2537 4992) or post (BD Headquarters, North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon). In addition, electronic information may be submitted to the BD via receipt@bd.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, August 28, 2020