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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Tai O Town Centre Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment within the Tai O Town Centre area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (August 21).
The planning scheme area covers a total area of about 46.14 hectares in the north-western corner of Lantau Island. It is located about 9km to the southwest of Tung Chung and about 14km west of Mui Wo.
The general planning intention of the area is to preserve the rural character and the fishing village of Tai O and to enhance its appeal as a main tourist destination in the territory.
About 0.18 hectares of land are zoned "Commercial" for commercial developments serving the neighbourhood and visitors, which may include shops, services, places of entertainment and eating places.
About 3.98 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group A)" for medium-density residential developments. This zoning covers an existing public housing estate and Home Ownership Scheme developments.
About 6.02 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group D)" for preservation of the general character of the domestic structures on stilts. It is also intended for improvement and upgrading of existing temporary structures within the rural areas through redevelopment of these structures into permanent buildings, and for low-rise, low-density residential developments subject to planning permission from the Town Planning Board.
About 8.77 hectares of land are zoned "Village Type Development". There is no recognised village in the area. This zoning covers the existing village developments at Tai O Wing On Street, Tai O Tai Ping Street, Tai O Market Street, Kat Hing Street and Kat Hing Back Street, and sites along Shek Tsai Po Street.
To serve the local and/or district needs, about 5.35 hectares of land are zoned "Government, Institution or Community". In addition, about 2.76 hectares of land are zoned "Open Space" intended for open-air public space serving the needs of local residents as well as the general public, while 1.37 hectares of land are zoned "Recreation" for recreational developments for the use of the general public. It encourages the development of active and/or passive recreation and tourism/eco-tourism.
About 1.11 hectares of land are zoned "Other Specified Uses" ("OU"). They include the "OU" annotated "Historic Building Preserved for Cultural, Recreational and Commercial Uses" covering the Old Tai O Police Station, which has been converted into a heritage hotel; "OU" annotated "Amenity Area" covering a site fronting Tai O Yat Chung; and a section of Shek Tsai Po Street along the waterfront leading to the pier at the western end of the OZP is zoned "OU" annotated "Promenade with Pier Landing Area".
About 5.6 hectares of land are zoned "Green Belt" covering the foothill of Fu Shan at the northern fringe of the area and a strip of land adjacent to the pond to the south of Tai O Road.
About 4 hectares of land are zoned "Conservation Area" to conserve the ecological value of wetland and ponds. It covers a sizeable pond between Tai O Road and Tai O reedbed in the south. It is hydrologically linked to the nearby stream and wetlands, and forms an integral part of the ecological system of the area. Mature mangrove and mangrove-associated species can be found along the border of this pond, which also provide an important resting and feeding ground for birds.
The approved Tai O Town Centre OZP No. S/I-TOTC/2 is 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 Sai Kung and Islands District Planning Office, the Islands District Office and Tai O Rural Committee.
Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the plan can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).
Ends/Friday, August 21, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:02
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