********************************************

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Pat Heung Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

A spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (July 7) the approved OZP would provide a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment in the Pat Heung area.

The area, which covers about 553.04 hectares of land, is located in the eastern part of the North West New Territories.

A total of 117.94 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development" for the development of small houses for indigenous villagers in the area.

The "Residential (Group D)" zone, which covers 48.83 hectares, is intended to upgrade residential development with the provision for very low-rise and low-density residential development on application to the Board.

The "Open Storage" zone, which takes up about 96.45 hectares, is intended to cater for the demand of open storage uses.

The "Industrial (Group D)" zone covering 0.66 hectares is intended to upgrade existing industrial uses.

A site of 0.87 hectares is zoned "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Film Studio" to reflect its existing use.

About 6.46 hectares of land is designated as "Government, Institution or Community" to cater for local as well as district needs.

About 112.40 hectares of land, which consists of both actively cultivated and fallow agricultural land, is zoned "Agriculture".

The foothills, lower hill slopes, spurs, isolated knolls, woodland and vegetated land covering 7.84 hectares are zoned "Green Belt" to preserve the natural features.

The "Conservation Area" in the eastern and western fringes of the planning area, which takes up 156.23 hectares, is intended to add protection to the adjacent Lam Tsuen Country Park.

The approved OZP No. S/YL-PH/6 is now available for public inspection at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long District Planning Office, the Yuen Long District Office and the Pat Heung Rural Committee.

Copies of the approved plan are available at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei.

End/Friday, July 7, 2000

NNNN