Draft Sha Tin Outline Zoning Plan approved
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    The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Sha Tin Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Sha Tin area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (June 15).

     The Planning Scheme Area of the Sha Tin OZP covers about 2,777 hectares of land. It is a developed New Town with a large portion of land zoned "Residential (Group A)", "Residential (Group B)" and "Residential (Group C)" with an area of about 235 hectares, 202 hectares and one hectare respectively, for various types of residential development.

     The existing town centre, with about 14.6 hectares of land zoned "Commercial/Residential" and 6.6 hectares of land zoned "Commercial" respectively, is centrally located around the existing Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) Sha Tin Station.

     In order to encourage development or redevelopment of relatively large sites in a comprehensive manner with adequate provision of infrastructure and community facilities, four sites are zoned "Comprehensive Development Area" ("CDA") and "Comprehensive Development Area (1)" ("CDA(1)"), with an area of about 4.6 hectares and 12.7 hectares respectively.

     To meet the indigenous villagers' demand for Small Houses, a total of 190.4 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development".

     To serve the needs of the local as well as district population, a total of 295.7 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community".  In addition, a total of 259 hectares of land is zoned "Open Space" for active and passive recreational uses.

     Sites allocated for various specific uses, such as Sha Tin Race Course, Fu Shan Crematorium and Columbarium, the columbarium development at Po Fook Hill, Tao Fong Shan Christian Cemetery, KCR Sha Tin Station, covering about 203.9 hectares of land, are zoned "Other Specified Uses" ("OU").

     Of the land zoned "OU", the Shek Mun Industrial Area is mainly zoned "OU" annotated "Business" and "Business(1)" for general business uses.  A total of about 52 hectares of land in the Fo Tan, Yuen Chau Kok and Tai Wai Industrial Area is zoned "Industrial" for general industrial uses.  The industrial land in Siu Lek Yuen is zoned "Industrial(1)" with 'Hotel' use under Column 2 in the Notes to allow flexibility for hotel development through planning application.

     The remaining area, about 982.9 hectares of land, is zoned "Green Belt" to define the limits of urban and sub-urban development areas by natural features and to contain urban sprawl as well as to provide passive recreational outlets.

     The approved Sha Tin OZP No. S/ST/23 is now available for public inspection during normal office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department, the Sha Tin, Tai Po and North District Planning Office, the Sha Tin District Office and the Sha Tin Rural Committee.

     Copies of the approved plan 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 at http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb.

Ends/Friday, June 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:30

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