Approval for critical changes to flats must not be given in isolation
The article of May 29 on the removal of a structural wall in a flat in Lohas Park reveals only the tip of the iceberg. Renovation contractors of high-rise flats are apparently unafraid to remove structural walls, often without authority to do so. But even if they play by the rules, there seems to be a flaw in the Buildings Department approval system.
Suppose I live in a residential unit where, unbeknown to me, upstairs, downstairs, also to my right and left, some structural walls have been secretly removed because the property manager turned a blind eye to the chunks of concrete and bits of reinforcing bars being trucked down the lifts. I am the only one in the middle with intact walls, and I now dutifully apply to the Buildings Department for permission to remove a structural wall.
Not knowing what has happened in the surrounding flats, I assumed the entire building is sound, and I am the only one altering the structure.
The department could approve my application, but how meaningful is this approval in isolation, without the full context of which walls are actually missing in the building as a whole?
Unless a tally of all the units in the building is done, it remains a mystery as to how much modification has been done. Over time, with more and more alterations being carried out, the building structure is continuously being weakened.
For this reason, some residential buildings have rules in their deeds of mutual covenant (DMC) that forbid any alterations to the building structure. If the department approves the alteration, the flat owner may mistakenly think its approval overrides the restrictions in the DMC.
The government must step up education to solve these problems and plug the obvious loopholes in its structural alteration system. Before spending time to consider applications for alterations, the department should at least require all applicants to first show the changes do not violate their own DMC rules.
In this way, no contradictions arise between the department permitting the alterations in isolation and the property managers trying to stop the alterations in accordance with their DMC. Both parties are now coordinated in their work to keep buildings safe and sound.