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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Kam Tin North Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment within the Kam Tin North area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (December 12).
The planning scheme area, covering about 599 hectares, is bounded by Lam Tsuen Country Park in the north and the east, Castle Peak Road - Tam Mi and the San Tin Highway in the west and Kam Tin Road in the south.
The general planning intention is to channel suburban-type developments to appropriate areas. The types of suburban developments include private residential development, village housing, and environmental and infrastructural improvements. Also, good quality agricultural land, especially those under active cultivation, will be retained. Moreover, the rural industrial uses in temporary structures in Mo Fan Heung and Fung Kat Heung would be encouraged to be rebuilt in permanent materials with a view to upgrading the environment.
About 1.5 hectares of land are zoned "Commercial" for commercial developments, which may include shop, services, places of entertainment and eating places, functioning mainly as a local shopping centre serving the neighbourhood.
About 57.46 hectares of land are zoned "Comprehensive Development Area" for comprehensive development/redevelopment of the area for residential use with the provision of commercial, open space and other supporting facilities, if any. The zoning is to facilitate appropriate planning control over the development mix, scale, design and layout of development, taking account of various environmental, traffic, infrastructure and other constraints.
About 10.27 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group B)" for suburban medium-density residential developments in rural areas where commercial uses serving the residential neighbourhood may be permitted on application to the Board.
About 18.29 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group C)" for low-rise, low-density residential developments where commercial uses serving the residential neighbourhood may be permitted on application to the Board.
About 7.79 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group D)" to improve and upgrade the existing temporary structures within the rural area through redevelopment of existing temporary structures into permanent buildings.
About 6.19 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group E)" for residential development with the provision of environmental mitigation measures. Residential development may be permitted on application subject to the Board's approval.
About 80.17 hectares of land are zoned "Village Type Development" 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. Land within this zone is primarily intended for development of Small Houses by indigenous villagers.
About 37.17 hectares of land are zoned "Industrial (Group D)" for industrial uses that cannot be accommodated in conventional flatted factories due to extensive land and/or high ceiling requirements and for the redevelopment of existing informal industrial uses, which are operated in workshop premises in rural areas, to properly designed permanent industrial buildings.
About 5.46 hectares of land are zoned "Government, Institution or Community" for the provision of government, institution or community (GIC) facilities serving the needs of the local residents and/or a wider district, region or the territory.
About 4.45 hectares of land are zoned "Open Space" primarily for the provision of outdoor open-air public space for active and/or passive recreational uses serving the needs of local residents as well as the general public.
About 22.6 hectares of land are zoned "Other Specified Uses" for specific annotated uses including "Railway Reserve", "Petrol Filling Station" and "Amenity Area".
About 229.69 hectares of land are zoned "Agriculture" primarily to retain and safeguard good quality agricultural land/farm/fish ponds for agricultural purposes.
About 10.49 hectares of land are zoned "Green Belt" for defining the limits of urban and suburban development areas by natural features and to contain urban sprawl as well as to provide passive recreational outlets.
About 61.81 and 7.54 hectares of land are zoned "Conservation Area" and "Conservation Area (1)" respectively to protect and retain the existing natural landscape, ecological or topographical features of the area for conservation, educational and research purposes and to separate sensitive natural environment such as country park from the adverse effects of development, and to conserve the ecological value of wetland respectively.
The approved Kam Tin North OZP No. S/YL-KTN/9 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 Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long East District Planning Office; the Yuen Long District Office; the Kam Tin Rural Committee; and the Pat Heung 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 OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).
Ends/Friday, December 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:02
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