A plan to build a heliport on the waterfront of the future Kai Tak development area has been criticised because it would deprive residents of the rights to enjoy Victoria Harbour .
The opposition was raised at a Town Planning Board hearing yesterday in which concern groups were invited to express their views on the development of the former airport site.
The government plans to turn the area into a commercial, tourism and residential complex.
According to latest plans, there will be hotels near the southern end of the old runway, a heliport serving the Pearl River Delta and a cruise ship terminal with at least two berths.
The other end of the runway will be dominated by a multipurpose stadium and low-density commercial and residential developments. A monorail may serve the area.
Lawmaker Chan Yuen-han, also a convenor of the Joint Concern Group on Kai Tak Development, said: "The Kai Tak waterfront belongs to the people. The government should not restrict the access to it to a small group of travellers."
Ms Chan urged the board to move the heliport to the roof of the future cruise terminal. Her group also urged the board to cap the plot ratio - the floor area of the buildings divided by the area of the site - at three to four, instead of the proposed five.
She said this could limit the density of the blocks and their heights to avoid a so-called "wall effect", which could worsen air circulation.
Planning Department district planning officer Eric Yue Chi-kin said buildings taller than 100 metres would need approval of the board.
The Economic Development and Labour Bureau said the location of the proposed heliport had been carefully chosen to avoid it being too close to residential areas.
At yesterday's meeting, the Real Estate Developers Association also urged the government to include more residential sites in the Kai Tak area. But the Planning Department said it wanted to set aside more land for commercial use. The government has been studying ways to develop the Kai Tak site since the airport moved to Chek Lap Kok in 1998.
