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

     "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment within the Tsuen Wan area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (January 17).

     The Planning Scheme Area, covering an area of about 743 hectares, forms part of Tsuen Wan New Town. It extends from Wo Yi Hop Road in the east to Yau Kom Tau in the west.

     Ten sites totalling about 16.67 hectares are zoned "Comprehensive Development Area" or its sub-area for comprehensive development/redevelopment of the area. Three are located at or near the West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station, one is located at the periphery of Tsuen Wan East Industrial Area, five are located to the north of Yeung Uk Road at the northern part of Tsuen Wan East Industrial Area, and one is located at the junction of Yeung Uk Road and Ma Tau Pa Road.

     About 101.44 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group A)" or its sub-areas for high-density residential developments. Sites intended primarily for medium-density residential developments are zoned "Residential (Group B)" or its sub-areas (about 11.01 hectares). Four sites located at the upper hill slopes of Yau Kom Tau and another site at Route Twisk totalling about 2.19 hectares are zoned "Residential (Group C)" or its sub-area for low-rise and low-density residential developments.

     To encourage the phasing out of existing industrial uses for residential use through redevelopment (or conversion) on application to the Town Planning Board, about 3.23 hectares of land covering the Young Ya Industrial Building at Sha Tsui Road and most of the industrial buildings along Kwok Shui Road are zoned "Residential (Group E)".

     The existing villages and land reserved for village expansion, covering a total area of about 71.28 hectares, are zoned "Village Type Development".

     To serve the needs of local residents and/or the general public, about 97.13 hectares of land are zoned "Government, Institution or Community" or its sub-areas, covering a wide range of government, institution or community facilities, whereas 131.84 hectares of land are zoned "Open Space" to provide outdoor open-air public space for active and/or passive recreational uses.

     About 7.65 hectares of land are zoned "Commercial" or its sub-areas to provide for commercial developments.

     About 22.78 hectares of land mainly clustering around the Tsuen Wan East industrial area and Chai Wan Kok industrial area are zoned "Industrial" for general industrial uses.

     Sites intended primarily for general business uses to cater for information technology and telecommunications industries, non-polluting industrial, office and other commercial uses are zoned "Other Specified Uses" ("OU") annotated "Business" or "Business (1)" (about 10.97 hectares). About 22.02 hectares of land are zoned "OU" for other specific uses, such as the Mass Transit Railway and associated facilities, sports and recreation clubs, petrol filling stations and ferry piers.

     About 164.12 hectares of land are zoned "Green Belt" to conserve the natural environment, safeguard it from encroachment by urban-type development, and provide additional outlets for passive recreational activities.

     Building height restrictions are incorporated into the OZP to prevent excessively tall or out-of-context buildings and to provide better control on the building heights of developments in the Tsuen Wan area. Requirements on provision of building gaps and non-building areas are also included in the OZP to facilitate air ventilation of the Tsuen Wan area.

     The approved Tsuen Wan OZP No. S/TW/31 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 Tsuen Wan and West Kowloon District Planning Office, the Tsuen Wan District Office and the Tsuen Wan 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 website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

Ends/Friday, January 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:00

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