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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Tai Po Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP is to establish a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment in the Tai Po area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (September 13).
The Planning Scheme Area, covering about 2 438 hectares of land, is located in the central part of North East New Territories. The Area can be broadly divided into three physical areas, namely the Tai Po Hui and its adjacent reclamation; the valley floors and lower hillslopes to the north and south; and the steep upper hillslopes in the peripheral areas.
To meet public aspirations for clearer planning control on development intensity and building height of the urban areas, building height and/or plot ratio/gross floor area restrictions have been incorporated into most of the development zones.
To improve the air ventilation of Tai Po area, a strip of non-building area at Fu Shin Estate and two strips of land subject to maximum building height restrictions of one and three storeys have also been designated at Tai Yuen Estate and Kwong Fuk Estate respectively.
About 99 hectares, 25.2 hectares and 134.4 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group A)", "Residential (Group B)" and "Residential (Group C)" respectively for private and public housing developments at various development densities.
A site to the north of Ting Kok Road and to the south of Fung Yuen Site of Special Scientific Interest is zoned "Comprehensive Development Area (1)" (18.4 hectares) for comprehensive residential development/redevelopment for low-density residential and agricultural uses with the provision of open spaces and other supporting facilities.
To reflect existing recognised and other villages, and to provide land considered suitable for village expansion and reprovisioning of village houses affected by Government projects, some 150.4 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development".
To serve the needs of the local as well as district population, about 182.4 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community" ("G/IC") for the provision of a wide range of G/IC facilities. Some 65.8 hectares of land is zoned "Open Space" to provide land for active and passive recreational activities and a site of about 3.8 hectares at Tai Po Kau is zoned "Recreational Priority Area" for eco-tourism related recreational developments.
Some 188.8 hectares of land is zoned "Other Specified Uses" ("OU") for specific uses which include railway stations and railway track of MTR East Rail, the Tai Po Industrial Estate and Tai Ping Industrial Centre, a golf course at the former Shuen Wan Landfill and two historical sites preserved for "G/IC" or cultural uses.
About 43.5 hectares of land covering Fung Yuen Valley and the Tai Po Egretry is zoned "Site of Special Scientific Interest" to deter human activity or development within the sites and to conserve the features of special scientific interest. Additionally, about 75.5 hectares of land including the Tolo Pond Mangrove, the Pai Mun Shan Area, the Tai Po Kau Headland and its adjacent inter-tidal ponds is zoned "Conservation Area" to protect and retain the existing natural landscape, ecological or topographical features. About 5.7 hectares of land within Tai Po Shan Country Park is zoned "Country Park" and development control is carried out under the Country Parks Ordinance.
About 1 279 hectares of land covering mainly hill slopes and wooded knolls is zoned "Green Belt" for defining the limits of urban and sub-urban development area.
The approved Tai Po OZP No. S/TP/24 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 Sha Tin, Tai Po and North District Planning Office, the Tai Po District Office and the Tai Po Rural Committee.
Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the 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, September 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:00
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