Housing and Development Act 1959 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 4A · Upgrading Works in Precincts
77. Upgrading works in precinct
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2023. 3 amendments in all.
Where a precinct has been declared under section 76, the Board must —
precinct
“precinct” means a precinct declared by the Minister under section 76;
make arrangements to conduct in the manner prescribed a poll (in combination with another poll or otherwise) of prescribed owners of the flats within the precinct with a view to establishing their opinions about any proposal to carry out any of the following:
general upgrading works within the precinct together with specified upgrading works (if any) in any building within the precinct;
special upgrading works within a building, or in relation to more than one building, in the precinct;
flat upgrading works within any building in the precinct; (iv)commercial property upgrading works within the precinct; and
do such other things as the Minister may direct.
A poll conducted in connection with any proposal to carry out special upgrading works within a building, or in relation to more than one building, in a precinct must be a poll of the prescribed owners of prescribed flats within the building or buildings (as the case may be), being flats the occupants of which directly benefit from the special upgrading works.
special upgrading works
“special upgrading works” means —(a)any items of work necessary or ancillary to installing any lift or additional lift within or in relation to any building or part of a building; or(b)any other items of upgrading works prescribed by the Minister, being works to be carried out within or in relation to any building or part of a building (other than any part comprised in a flat) within a precinct for the erection, construction or installation of functional facilities for the convenience of residents of that building in general or a section of those residents;
A poll conducted in connection with any proposal to carry out any flat upgrading works within any building in a precinct must be a poll of the prescribed owners of prescribed flats within the building.
flat upgrading works
“flat upgrading works” means —(a)any items of upgrading works specified by the Board to be carried out —(i)within a flat comprised in a building;(ii)within a building or any part of a building not comprised in a flat for the provision of a service in relation to water, sewerage, drainage, gas, electricity, garbage or conditioned air, or other services relating to telephone, radio, television or any other means of telecommunication, that are reasonably necessary for or connected with the enjoyment of any flat comprised in the building; or(b)any other items of upgrading works approved by the Minister, being works to be carried out within a building or any part of a building not comprised in a flat, to —(i)facilitate the access to, and use of, the building and its facilities by persons with physical disabilities; or(ii)improve the fire safety or other safety features of the building or such other performance requirements for buildings as may be prescribed by any other written law,but does not include any specified upgrading works;
A poll conducted in connection with any proposal to carry out commercial property upgrading works within a precinct must be a poll of the prescribed owners of commercial property the owners of which will benefit from the commercial property upgrading works within that precinct.
commercial property
“commercial property” means any flat, house or building or any part thereof which is permitted to be used pursuant to the Planning Act 1998 or any other written law for the purpose of carrying on any business or which is lawfully so used;
The Board may, with the Minister’s approval, carry out general upgrading works within a precinct if it appears from a poll conducted under subsection (1)(a) of the prescribed owners of flats within the precinct that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all prescribed owners of all flats within the precinct have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out those upgrading works.
Board
“Board” means the Housing and Development Board established under section 3;
Where the Minister has approved the carrying out of general upgrading works in a precinct under subsection (4), and —
general upgrading works
“general upgrading works” means any upgrading works to be carried out in a precinct other than specified upgrading works, special upgrading works and flat upgrading works;
in the case of a building comprising wholly of residential flats — it appears from a poll conducted under subsection (1)(a) of the prescribed owners of flats comprised in the building that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all prescribed owners of all flats in the building have been cast in favour of any proposal to carry out any specified upgrading works in the building; or
in the case of a building comprising residential and non‑residential flats —
it appears from a poll conducted under subsection (1)(a) of the prescribed owners of residential flats comprised in the building that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all prescribed owners of all such residential flats have been cast in favour of any proposal to carry out any specified upgrading works in the part of the building comprising residential flats; and
it appears from another poll conducted under subsection (1)(a) of the prescribed owners of non‑residential flats comprised in the same building that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all prescribed owners of all such non‑residential flats have been cast in favour of any proposal to carry out any specified upgrading works in the part of the building comprising non‑residential flats,the Board may, with the Minister’s further approval, carry out those specified upgrading works in the building within the precinct.
Despite subsection (5), where it appears from the polls mentioned in subsection (5)(b) that the minimum percentage of value in votes have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out any specified upgrading works in a building by the prescribed owners of residential flats in the building but not by the prescribed owners of non-residential flats comprised in that building, the Board may, with the approvals of the Minister mentioned in subsection (5), carry out the specified upgrading works in the part of the building comprising residential flats.
value
“value”, in relation to a prescribed owner of any flat, means the value determined in the prescribed manner for that owner in respect of the owner’s vote.[65A
The poll mentioned in subsection (5)(b)(ii) must be conducted in relation to a building if it appears from the poll mentioned in subsection (5)(b)(i) that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all prescribed owners of all residential flats in the building have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out specified upgrading works in the part of the building comprising residential flats, but not otherwise.
building
“building” includes any house, flat, hut, shed, roofed enclosure or other accommodation, whether used for the purpose of human habitation or otherwise, and also any wall, fence, platform, staging gate, post, pillar, paling, frame hoarding, slip, dock, wharf, pier, jetty, landing-stage or bridge, or any structure or foundation connected to the foregoing;
The Board may, with the Minister’s approval, carry out special upgrading works within a building, or in relation to more than one building, within a precinct if, and only if —
it appears from a poll of the owners mentioned in subsection (2) that 75% or more of the total value in votes of such owners within the building or buildings (as the case may be) have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out special upgrading works within that building or in relation to those buildings; and
where the proposal is for the special upgrading works to be carried out within or in relation to any building in the precinct together with any general upgrading works within the precinct, it also appears from a poll of prescribed owners mentioned in subsection (4) that 75% or more of the total value in votes of all such owners of all flats within the precinct have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out the general upgrading works in the precinct.
The Board may, with the Minister’s approval, carry out any flat upgrading works within any building or buildings within a precinct if, and only if, it appears from a poll of the owners mentioned in subsection (3) that 75% or more of the total value in votes of such owners of flats within each such building have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out the flat upgrading works within that building.
The Board may, with the Minister’s approval, carry out any commercial property upgrading works within a precinct if, and only if, it appears from a poll of the owners mentioned in subsection (3A) that 75% or more of the total value in votes of those owners have been cast in favour of the proposal to carry out those upgrading works.
upgrading works
“upgrading works” includes any building operations, repair, demolition or installation works carried out for the purposes of improving or upgrading any flat, building or land and any addition to, or alteration in, landlord’s fixtures and fittings;
No poll is invalid by reason of any failure to comply with any provision of this Part or any rules made thereunder relating to the conduct of a poll if it appears that the poll was conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in that provision, and that the failure did not affect the result of the poll.
In this section, “owner” includes the Board in respect of any flat which the Board has not sold the leasehold interest therein.
owner
“owner”, in relation to any property sold by the Board, includes a person who has purchased a leasehold interest in the property and also includes a purchaser under an agreement for a lease.
Any poll conducted by the Board before 1 April 1992 in any housing estate of the Board or any part thereof with a view to establishing the opinions of owners of the flats within the housing estate about proposals to carry out general upgrading works or specified upgrading works is deemed to be a poll conducted in accordance with this section.[65C
specified upgrading works
“specified upgrading works” means any items of upgrading works specified by the Board to be carried out in a building or part of a building within a precinct as a result of which the floor area of a flat in the building will be increased, but does not include any special upgrading works and flat upgrading works;