New guides for holiday camp, homestay licences
The Home Affairs Department on Monday released new guides for people applying for a licence to operate a holiday camp in a rural area or homestay lodgings in a village house. The guides set out how the authorities can permit a "pragmatic and flexible approach" to fire safety measures when camps and houses do not have emergency vehicular access, or are not located near a street fire hydrant. The premises in question would still need to have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors and meet fire safety standards. The guides also set out how applications for homestay lodgings could be accepted for village houses built before 1961 which may not fully comply with current construction standards. The authorities would look at a building's means of escape, lighting, ventilation and structural safety on a case-by-case basis. Edited by Thomas McAlinden