 The 1956/57 valuation list for this small portion of land in the western New Territories was intended to be the first stage of a phased programme which would fairly rapidly extend the urban rating systems to other areas of New Territories.However, no further extension took place until 1974, primarily due to Government's earlier undertaking not to assess traditional village houses and the difficulty in agreeing a satisfactory definition of a village house.The pace of the New Territories extension was later stepped up, with an amendment Ordinance passed in 1975, providing exemption from rates for agricultural dwellings and village houses in the New Territories effective from 1 April 1976.