CE visits industrial land in Fo Tan (with photos/video)
*******************************************************

     The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, today (July 6) visited the former Fo Tan cottage area and the surrounding industrial land in Sha Tin to keep abreast of the latest developments in rezoning industrial land for residential use.

     "Housing is the greatest concern of Hong Kong people. It is also an area on which I will focus in the forthcoming Policy Address. The supply of housing and that of land go hand in hand. In order to have a sustainable supply of land, we need to think out of the box," the Chief Executive said.

     "Last month, I visited some potential land reclamation and rock cavern development sites. In fact, the potential of rezoning industrial land for residential use is considerable. It is worth further exploring," he added.

     The Acting Director of Planning, Ms Ophelia Wong, also attended the visit. "As Hong Kong continues to undergo economic restructuring, the Planning Department has been rezoning surplus industrial land for other uses. In the latest Area Assessment of Industrial Land in the Territories completed last year, we have recommended that about 30 hectares of industrial and business land be rezoned for residential use," she said.

     "It is estimated that the land will produce more than 20 000 private and public housing units. The industrial land identified for rezoning is located in Tai Kok Tsui, Tsuen Wan East, Fo Tan, Siu Lek Yuen, Yuen Long, Fanling Area 48 and Tuen Mun Area 9."

     The Chief Executive added, "We are making every effort to identify suitable industrial land for rezoning into residential use. Of course, we should consider carefully all the conditions and limitations, such as the surrounding environment, supporting facilities, property ownership and utilisation. Public support and community consensus are therefore very important.

     "We will seriously consider every proposal to increase the supply of land, and grasp every opportunity to improve the living conditions of the people."

     The Government plans to build six 27- to 37-storey residential blocks on the site of the former Fo Tan cottage area, providing about 4 200 units for about 12 000 residents. About 4.3 hectares in area, the site is currently an abandoned vehicle surrender centre of the Transport Department, a temporary bus depot and a carpark. The former cottage area was cleared in 2000.

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority consulted the Sha Tin District Council on the initial planning intention for the site late last year, and obtained the general support of members.



Ends/Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:27

NNNN