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The Government announced today (January 11) its decision to reduce the coverage of the Frontier Closed Area (FCA) to about 400 hectares after taking into account the views received during the consultation exercise conducted in late 2006.
According to the results of the initial review of the FCA coverage released in September 2006, the Government originally proposed to release all the land south of the existing boundary patrol road from the FCA, with only the boundary patrol road and areas to its north (including the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hoo Hok Wai area), the Starling Inlet plus the areas with points of crossing (i.e. the boundary control points and Sha Tau Kok town) remaining within the FCA. The FCA land coverage would, as a result, be reduced from about 2,800 hectares to about 800 hectares.
Having consulted the Heung Yee Kuk, Town Planning Board, Advisory Council on the Environment, relevant District Councils and Rural Committees in September to November 2006, the Government has decided to excise the Lok Ma Chau Loop (with a land area of about 100 hectares) and the adjacent Hoo Hok Wai (with a land area of about 300 hectares) from the FCA. This will further reduce the FCA coverage to about 400 hectares. A Government spokesman said: "The existing maintenance road of the Drainage Services Department to the north of these two areas will be used as the boundary patrol road. A primary boundary fence and secondary boundary fence will be erected along the opposite sides of the road."
With the exclusion of these two areas from FCA, the entire villages of Tak Yuet Lau and Ha Wan Tsuen will be released from the closed area, thus meeting the aspirations of the local community.
In addition, two patches of land northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village and north of Pak Fu Shan respectively will be excised from the FCA in response to suggestions from the rural community.
With respect to the FCA coverage of Sha Tau Kok town, the Government spokesman said, "Given the security risks associated with the lack of proper boundary control point facilities and a physical barrier to delineate the boundary between Hong Kong and the Mainland at Chung Ying Street, as well as continued smuggling activities and illegal immigration at Sha Tau Kok, it is necessary to maintain the FCA restrictions in the town. However, the FCA boundary at Sha Tau Kok will be pushed northwards up to the entrance to Sha Tau Kok town (i.e. the location of 'Gate One')."
He said, "The Government will continue to discuss with the local community options of allowing tourists to use the Sha Tau Kok public pier for accessing the outer islands and the east coasts of northern New Territories, with a view to drawing up a mutually agreeable arrangement."
The spokesman said a phased approach would be adopted to implement the new FCA boundary so that the land involved in the earlier phases could be released as soon as possible.
"Taking account of local topography and the works programme involved, we will split the fence and road works into four sections," the spokesman said.
Subject to the approval of the Legislative Council Finance Committee, the construction of Section 1, from Mai Po to the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, and Section 4, from Lin Ma Hang to Sha Tau Kok, may proceed concurrently at the end of 2009 for completion around the end of 2010.
Construction of Section 2, between the Lok Ma Chau Control Point and Ng Tung River, will proceed at the end of 2009 and will be completed around the third quarter of 2011.
Construction of Section 3, from Ng Tung River to Lin Ma Hang, will start at the end of 2010 after the completion of the land resumption procedures and should be completed around the end of 2012.
The Government spokesman said, "The Planning Department has embarked on a study to examine the development potential and the constraints of the land to be released from the FCA, and to formulate a planning framework for the preparation of statutory town plans to guide the conservation and development of the land based on the principle of sustainable development.
"The study includes a Strategic Environmental Assessment, the findings and recommendations of which will provide input to the formulation of an environmentally acceptable planning framework."
The study will be completed in mid-2009 before the new FCA boundary comes into effect. The conceptual plan for the area to be released from the FCA is expected to be ready for promulgation for public engagement purposes in the first half of 2008.
Ends/Friday, January 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:36
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