Draft North Point Outline Zoning Plan amended
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   The Town Planning Board (the Board) today (July 27) announced amendments to the draft North Point Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

    At the request of the board in October, 2003, and in the light of the Court of Final Appeal's judgment in relation to the draft Wan Chai North OZP No. S/H25/1 made on January 9, 2004, the Government commissioned the "Wan Chai Development Phase II Planning and Engineering Review" ("WDII Review") in March, 2004, to investigate the minimum practicable reclamation option for providing the essential transport infrastructure i.e. the Trunk Road comprising Central-Wan Chai Bypass (CWB) and Island Eastern Corridor Link, and reprovisioning the affected waterfront facilities that can meet the "overriding public need" test.

    On April 3, 2007, the board noted the "Report on Cogent and Convincing Materials to Demonstrate Compliance with the Overriding Public Need Test" (CCM Report) for the proposed reclamation for WDII and agreed that the Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP) prepared under the WDII Review could serve as the basis for amending the draft North Point OZP.  On April 20, 2007, and June 29, 2007, the board considered the proposed amendments to the North Point OZP prepared on the basis of the RODP.  In the draft North Point OZP No. S/H8/21, the minimum extent of reclamation required is 3.3 hectare.  An additional water area of 0.4 hectare will be affected by new flyover structures at the eastern end where the CWB joins the existing Island Eastern Corridor (IEC).

    The amendments mainly reflect the CWB associated facilities and the consequential amendments.  These include the tunnel portal with landscaped deck above, the administration building and service road near Oil Street, the ventilation building near Watson Road, the slip road and road realignments near Victoria Park, the waterfront open space and the amenity areas at the shore of North Point and the proposed landscaped deck extending from Victoria Park.  Arising from the CWB project, there are adjustments to the zoning boundaries of the sites occupied by Sea View Estate, Harbour Heights and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Depot and rezoning of the Sea View Estate site.

    Correspondingly, the Notes to the OZP are amended to incorporate, inter alia, building height restrictions of and the requirement for planning permission for the exterior design for the CWB administration and ventilation buildings, building height restrictions for areas south of the existing IEC and gross floor area restriction for Sea View Estate.

    The draft North Point OZP No. S/H8/21, incorporating the amendments, is now available for public inspection during office hours at the Secretariat of the Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters in North Point and Sha Tin, the Hong Kong District Planning Office and the Eastern District Office.

    Any person can make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Board on or before September 27, 2007.  Representations made to the board will be available for public inspection.

    Copies of the draft North Point OZP No. S/H8/21 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 board's website at http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/.

Ends/Friday, July 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:51

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