News Stories:

Click-on these handy "jump links" to quickly access the news item
you're looking for.

1. Plan to push Victoria Park to waterfront

2. One in 25 buildings don't meet standards: survey

3. Draft Tsing Yi Outline Zoning Plan amended

4. Draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay OZP amended

1. Plan to push Victoria Park to waterfront
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 29 September 2005

Victoria Park should be bigger and connect directly to the Causeway Bay waterfront, a property developer has proposed.

Swire Properties also thinks it is feasible to build a largely submerged Central-Wan Chai bypass to minimise the visual impact of the road to the waterfront. But reclamation is inevitable.

The developer submitted the Victoria Park Shoreline proposal to the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee early last month.

It was a response to the committee's public consultation over the future of the shoreline along Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau.

Under the proposal, the expanded Victoria Park would provide a green promenade to the sea. There would be a continuous path for pedestrians from the Convention and Exhibition Centre via a new pedestrian bridge over the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

The basin west of the Yacht Club would be converted into a restaurant and dining quay. The bypass would be largely submerged and swing around the tunnel.

The existing flyover connection between Victoria Park Road and the Island Eastern Corridor would be submerged to create a 0.9 hectare sandy beach.

"The urban beach is for the public to get closer to the sea. It is not designed for swimming," a Swire spokeswoman said.

The proposal did not disclose the reclamation area required.

Swire is the only property developer to have responded to the committee's consultations. It made a submission last year when the committee started reviewing the future of the old airport site.

Conservationist Hung Wing-tat said the proposal was "sensible". He liked the idea of tearing off part of the Island Eastern Corridor to create more public open space.

Mr Hung, an engineering professor at Polytechnic University, said reclamation was inevitable as a submerged road meant the water would be shallow and dangerous to ships travelling along the coast.

2. One in 25 buildings don't meet standards: survey
CHEUNG CHI-FAI, SCMP 2 September 2005

About 4 per cent of 140 residential buildings in an old district had unsatisfactory building hygiene and safety, according to a survey by a research team from the University of Hong Kong.

The buildings, mostly single blocks averaging 28 years old located in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui, were surveyed and inspected by researchers from the Department of Architecture and Department of Real Estate and Construction last year.

But the team said the unsatisfactory buildings might not pose any imminent danger as the rating covered a wide range of areas not all directly related to higher safety or environmental risks. Common problems were poor management, illegal structures, blocked fire exits, lack of insurance and corroded water pipes and electrical cables. The researchers made no mention of the risk of falling concrete.

Compiling the Building Quality Index, researchers rated buildings with indexes measuring health and hygiene conditions and safety conditions.

Sub-indexes covered two broad categories of building design and management. Factors examined included architecture, building servicees, external environment, management operations and approach.

The survey said 72 per cent of the buildings were graded "fair" concerning health and hygiene conditions, while 43 per cent were "fair" in terms of safety. Others were in either "good" or "very good" condition.

The team believed the ratings of most of the buildings could be lifted if they had an owners' incorporation and hired a property management company.

The team has made public a list of buildings in good and very good condition. But they declined to reveal those buildings in fair or unsatisfactory condition.

"We have to give the results to the building owners first and would only consider releasing the lists when we have completed surveys on more buildings," said Chau Kwong-wing, dean of the faculty of architecture. He added that their research results could also be shared with the Urban Renewal Authority.

He said the researchers planned to set up a building assessment centre next year in response to the government's proposal of mandatory building inspections.

"The centre will offer training to those carrying out building inspections and set out unified standards of measurement," Professor Chau said.

The team will study about 200 buildings in North Point this year.

3. Draft Tsing Yi Outline Zoning Plan amended
Hong Kong Government, 2 September 2005

The Town Planning Board today (September 2) announced amendments to the draft Tsing Yi Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The amendments mainly involve the inclusion of three pieces of land at North-west Tsing Yi into the Planning Scheme Area and zoning them as "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Recreation and Tourism Related Uses".

The public transport terminus next to Airport Railway Tsing Yi Station is rezoned from "Government, Institution or Community" to "Government, Institution or Community (1)" subject to a maximum building height restriction of 32mPD.

The woodland below the highest peak of Tsing Yi is rezoned from "Green Belt" to "Site of Special Scientific Interest".

Zoning amendments are also made to reflect the as-built conditions of the sites in Tsing Yi, and minor adjustments of the zoning boundaries are made to accord with the as-built conditions of the completed developments and roads. Corresponding amendments and refinements are also made to the Notes of the OZP.

The draft Tsing Yi OZP No. S/TY/21, incorporating the amendments, is now available for public inspection during office hours at the following locations:

* Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, 15th Floor, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road;

* Planning Enquiry Counter, 17th Floor, North Point Government Offices;

* Planning Enquiry Counter, 14th Floor, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road;

* Tsuen Wan and West Kowloon District Planning Office, 27th Floor, Tsuen Wan Government Offices, 38 Sai Lau Kok Road; and

* Kwai Tsing District Office, 10th Floor, Kwai Hing Government Offices Building, 166-174 Hing Fong Road.

Any person affected by the amendments can submit a written objection to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before September 23, 2005.

Copies of the draft 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 at the Town Planning Board's website at http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/.

4. Draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay OZP amended
Hong Kong Government, 2 September 2005

The Town Planning Board today (September 2) announced amendments to the draft Ngau Tau Kok Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The amendments to the OZP mainly involve realignment of road works and adjustment of zoning boundaries for the development proposals near Choi Wan Road and Jordan Valley including public housing estates, Government, institution or community facilities, open space and service reservoirs.

The zoning boundary of a site zoned "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Business" at the junction of Wai Yip Street and Sheung Yee Road is also amended.

A new Remarks item is added to the Notes for the "Government, Institution or Community" zone.

The draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay OZP No. S/K13/23, incorporating the amendments, is now available for public inspection during normal office hours at the following locations:

* Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, 15/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road;

* Planning Enquiry Counter, 17/F, North Point Government Offices;

* Planning Enquiry Counter, 14/F, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road;

* Kowloon District Planning Office, 14/F, North Point Government Offices; and

* Public Enquiry Service Centre, Kwun Tong District Office, LG/F, Kwun Tong District Branch Offices Building, 6 Tung Yan Street.

Any person affected by the amendments may submit a written objection to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before September 23, 2005.

Copies of the draft plan are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in Yau Ma Tei and North Point. The electronic version of the plan is viewable from the Town Planning Board's website (http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb).