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Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area
Hung Shui Kiu, New Territories
Submissions made to the Study and Representations to the OZP 2010 - 2017
Background
Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area (HSKNDA) is probably the largest area of flat land in the New Territories which is already provided with major municipal services and transport connections. The NDA has a unique location and is one of the gateways to the Hong Kong territory from the Mainland. It is also close to Qianhai which is a fast developing and an economic engine of Shenzhen.
Involvement in the HSKNDA Study
Masterplan had been actively involved in various community engagement exercises/ public forums and made submissions in different stages of public consultations.
Comprehensive Planning
Masterplan supported the Government’s proposals to prepare of plans to guide the comprehensive new town development in order to provide a high quality, sustainable living environment for future generations. The planning of the area should maximize the opportunity to accommodate a large portion of the future needs of Hong Kong for housing and employment. It should also foster a better ladder of opportunities for both the existing and future residents of the NDA for a more prosperous social and economic future.
Positioning of the NDA
The HSKNDA should be positioned as a gateway centre, or a cross boundary regional centre, to create economic vibrancy and employment opportunities for Hung Shui Kiu and the NWNT region.
Optimize the Use of Valuable Land
It was considered that the targeted population was too low. The extensive open space network and the vast amount of land designated for village development had already provided visual openness for the NDA. As such, the identified sites for development should be targeted for higher densities to optimize the overall land use. There was no significant impediment to the adoption of a higher target population than 218,000 including about 43,000 existing population. It was proposed to increase the residential plot ratios across the area, and with little other adjustment to the PODP.
Balanced Community
The plan should achieve a better mix of housing types and achieve a more integrated distribution in Hung Shui Kiu. Opportunities should also be taken to address the extreme high proportion of public housing in Tin Shui Wai.
District Centre
It was suggested that a special design District Centre be located around the area of Lau Fau Shan. The centre should not be just dominated by large blocks of public housing as in Tin Shui Wai. It should provide some service job opportunities to future residents.
Flexible Economic Function
There was no apparent justification why the job opportunities should be limited to logistics and special technology employment. It was considered to be more appropriate to use an OU(Business) for more diverse nature of job opportunities.
Respect Indigenous People’s Culture
The history and cultural heritage of Ha Tsuen and other villages is an important part of the place. It was proposed that a heritage trail be identified to integrate with the proposed open space network to provide a distinctive recreational outlet. The heritage trail together with Lau Fau Shan may become an eco-tourism destination for mainland/overseas travelers as well as for local people. This would not only generate economic benefits to the communities of the NDA, Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan but also respect to the indigenous people’s culture.
Transportation Pattern and Population Capacity
It was considered that the close proximity of Qianhai from the NDA and its fast growth would attract people living in the NDA to commute to Qianhai for work. It would be prudent to have considered options which had different commuting patterns, different levels of self-containment depending on provision of employment opportunities in HSK, and consequential differences in population capacity for the NDA.
Some of the views expressed had been accepted by the government.
Draft Hung Shui Kiu (HSK) and Ha Tsuen Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/HSK/1
Masterplan made a Representation in relation to the “Regional Economic and Civic Hub” (Regional Centre) referred in OZP. The submission was made to facilitate quick implementation of the NDA and to optimize the use of the land in the Regional Centre. The implementation intention of the government to pursue a single development together with the large size of the development sites through urban design study would cause delay and may in effect minimize the private participation in the implementation of the NDA.
The submission proposed some amendments would help resolve this issue. These include amendments include
Relax the criteria for application for land exchange, and adopt the minimum lot size of 4,000sqm for all sites;
Improve the road network to serve the Regional Centre;
Provide flexibility associated with the Phasing Plan;
Adopt a more varied Building Height Restrictions for the OZP zones in the Regional Centre; and
No need for Urban Design Study
Representation R103 - Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen OZP No. S/HSK/1 (2018)
The Representer has made this representation in relation to a site at Yick Yuen Tsuen (the Representation Site), owned by the Representer, that falls within the Draft Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen OZP No. S/HSK/1 (the new OZP). The site has undergone a change of landuse zoning with the gazette of the new OZP. The property is reasonably sized to achieve a decent residential development with supporting facilities and road access.
The representation objects to the current Residential (Group 2) zoning at the Representation Site, and requires the site to be resumed indiscriminately for public rental housing or subsidized sale flats. It is an unreasonable encroachment into private land development rights. It does not compliment the immediate urban character and commercial facilities.
The Representer proposes an alternative zoning that enables a mix of private flats and subsidized Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats. The inclusion of HOS flats would fall in line with the Government intention for housing supply to the sandwich middle-class. It would not affect the overall public to private housing ratio in the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area. To enable the owner to proceed with a sensible residential development on the site, all that is required is a suitable zoning which would enable a land exchange application to be processed.
The proposed zoning is in line with the public aspirations to increase the housing supply for higher production of private and subsidized sale flats, as well as maximizing the employment opportunities and increasing development intensity at the Hung Shui Kiu Regional Centre.
Representation R104 - Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen OZP No. S/HSK/1 (2018)
The two Representers made this representation in relation to two sites at San Sang San Tsuen (Site S) and Kiu Tau Wai (Site K), of which the Representer are owners, respectively. They are located a significant distance from each other but have been directly linked by their common ownership and the zoning framework on the Draft Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen OZP No. S/HSK/1 (new OZP). Site S largely consists of overgrown vegetation and vacant land previously used for open storage uses. Site K has an existing industrial building operating a Motor Service Centre.
The implementation mechanism for the new OZP would end up with Government resuming the land in Site S, and then tender it out for open-bidding to the industrial operators (including LW), to bid for the Site S that they had originally owned and could have easily transferred their operations over from Site K. This is an unfair and unreasonable land resumption arrangement. There is a unique opportunity with the common private land ownership at the two sites.
The representation objects to the current Industrial (“I”) zone at Site S. The representation objects to Site K in terms of the boundaries of commercial “C(2)” and mixed-use “OU(MU)” zones, the improper alignment of the Environmental Friendly Transport System and the phasing plan; for unnecessarily cutting the site into two, and not respecting the private land ownership rights. These components in the new OZP remove all of the development rights that the Representer has, and is an unreasonable encroachment into private land development rights. It also disrupts the existing operation of the Motor Services Centre, without providing any indication of compensation or relocation plan.
The Representer proposes alternative zonings at Site S and K that would enable land exchange applications to be processed, which is crucial for the Representer to streamline the implementation process by early construction of compatible industrial developments at Site S, and a sensible mixed use or commercial development at Site K. The proposed increased development intensity at Site S would contribute to the employment opportunities in the district.
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