Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.120> Article
Research Article

Analysis of the Compensation Standards and Judicial Review Mechanism under Hong Kong's Land Resumption Ordinance

Jiayi LiuEast China University of Political Science and Law*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Hong Kong's Land Resumption Ordinance (Cap. 124) is the core legal basis for the government to exercise eminent domain and carry out public housing construction, infrastructure development and urban renewal. The current compensation system takes the open market value as the primary principle and ex-gratia allowances as supplementary measures, while the Lands Tribunal is responsible for hearing relevant compensation disputes. In recent years, land resumption conflicts have become increasingly prominent, especially disputes over compensation for New Territories agricultural land and old multi-storey buildings. The existing compensation standards expose problems such as insufficient valuation and unreasonable benefit distribution, and The adjudication mechanism for land compensation disputes suffers from practical drawbacks including ambiguous demarcation of adjudication jurisdiction, protracted litigation cycles, and inconsistent judicial standards in rulings over similar cases. This paper systematically combs the legal framework of Hong Kong's land resumption and compensation, analyzes the practical dilemmas and root causes of current compensation standards and judicial review mechanisms based on legal texts, official documents and typical judicial precedents, and puts forward targeted optimization suggestions. The research aims to balance the exercise of public power and the protection of private property rights, improve the rationality and fairness of the land resumption system, and reduce social disputes arising from land resumption.

Keywords: Land resumption ordinance; eminent domain; compensation standard; judicial review; open market value
Published: August 24, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.36363
Volume: CHR Vol.120
pp. 107-114
Download PDF

References

  1. Goo, S. H., & Lee, A. (2022).Land law in Hong Kong(5th ed.). Hong Kong: LexisNexis Hong Kong.
  2. Development Bureau, HKSAR Government. (2015).Assessment of compensation for resumed properties and dispute resolution mechanism, CB(1)650/14-15(08). Legislative Council Secretariat, Hong Kong.
  3. Lands Department HKSAR. (2025).Ex-gratia compensation rates for resumed New Territories land. Lands Department HKSAR.
  4. Wang, H., Zhang, X., & Skitmore, M. (2015). Implications for sustainable land use in high-density cities: Evidence from Hong Kong.Habitat International.
  5. Chan, K. P. (2020). Market value principle and under-compensation of New Territories agricultural land under Cap.124.Hong Kong Law Journal, 50(2), 327–356.
  6. Wesley-Smith, P. (2022).Land law in Hong Kong(5th edn). LexisNexis.
  7. Tang, S. (2017). Ex-gratia allowance system defects for old multi-storey buildings in land resumption.Property Law Review (HKU), 17, 105–130.
  8. Legislative Council Research Office. (2015).Resolving disputes arising from land resumption(IN04/14-15). HKSAR Legislative Council.
  9. Law, M. Y. (2022). Judicial review boundary of Lands Tribunal's compensation determination in urban renewal resumption.Asia Pacific Law Review, 30(1), 91–112.
  10. Wong, C. H. (2024). Evidentiary and judicial disparities in Lands Tribunal compensation awards for resumed New Territories agricultural land.Hong Kong Law Journal, 54(1), 111–142.