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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Mid-levels West Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
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"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment in the Mid-Levels West area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (March 19).
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The Planning Scheme Area, covering about 230 hectares, is bounded by Bonham Road, Caine Road and Kennedy Road to the north, Bowen Drive to the east, Pok Fu Lam Road to the west and the Pok Fu Lam Country Park to the south.
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Residential developments occupying principally the central part of the area can be differentiated into two main groups. Developments to the north of Robinson Road, which are relatively high density, are zoned "Residential (Group A)", covering 8.69 hectares with shops or other non-domestic uses on the ground floor of the buildings.
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Developments to the south of Robinson Road are generally low-density residential in character. They are zoned "Residential (Group B)" or "Residential (Group C)" covering 45.54 and 13.88 hectares respectively.
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A shopping centre at May Road and a commercial/office development near the junction of Garden Road and MacDonnell Road are zoned "Commercial" covering a total area of 0.45 hectare to serve local residents.
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A total of 37.02 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community" (G/IC) and a total of 9.44 hectares of land is zoned "Open Space" to serve the needs of the local as well as district population.
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Existing major G/IC facilities in the area include the University of Hong Kong, the Canossa Hospital, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the HKSAR, the Young Women's Christian Association and the Caritas Community Centre.
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The Old British Military Hospital at Borrett Road, which comprises Grade II historical buildings and structures, is zoned "G/IC(1)". Any demolition of, or any addition, alteration, and/or modification to the existing historical buildings requires planning permission from the Town Planning Board.
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Sites allocated for specified uses, such as petrol filling stations, the Ladies Recreation Club and the Peak Tramway, covering 3.62 hectares, are zoned "Other Specified Uses".
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A large portion of Lung Fu Shan Country Park, covering 45.58 hectares, is zoned "Country Park". The hillslopes at the eastern, southern and western fringe of the Area are zone "Green Belt", covering 43.58 hectares.
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Building height restrictions are incorporated into the OZP to provide better planning control on future development/redevelopment, to prevent excessively tall or out-of-context buildings, and to preserve the existing views of the ridgeline and Victoria Harbour.
The approved Mid-levels West OZP No. S/H11/15 is now available for public inspection during office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department in North Point and Sha Tin, the Hong Kong District Planning Office and the Central and Western District Office.
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Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the plan can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).
Ends/Friday, March 19, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:29
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