OUTLINE PLAN CALLS FOR RECLAMATION, A NEW WATERFRONT ROAD, A PUBLIC PARK AND A SECONDARY EAST-WEST TRAFFIC ROUTE
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NORTH POINT, HONG KONG, TO BE DEVELOPED AS RESIDENTIAL AREA
PROP
ROPOSALS for linking King's Road with the proposed water- front road at Wanchai, for extending Tin Hau Temple Road to link up with Chai Wan Road as a secondary east-west traffic route and thereby opening up a new area for residential development are included in an amended draft outline development plan for North Point.
The revised plan has been drawn up on the basis that North Point should continue to be developed as a predominantly residential area and to consolidate it as an area for middle- income groups.
It contains amendments, mainly of a minor nature, to the original plan approved by the Governor-in-Council in December 1957.
The plan is to small scale and the boundaries between the various zones will be subject to minor al- terations when detailed planning proceeds. The detailed layouts for each zone will provide for additional development roads and land for com- munity and other specific uses.
Although the Town Planning Board has found it necessary to in- vestigate some aspects of the plan in detail. the Board recommends that the statutory plan should permit wide flexibility, and the proposals have been designed with this in mind.
The area of North Point covered by the draft plan is about 633 acres.
The Town Planning Board's in- tention is to classify and simplity the uses within the existing built-up area and to encourage the continua- tion of industrial use on the water- front. together with Government needs.
RESIDENTIAL AREA
North Point is the principal re- sidential area for the middle-income
group which commutes daily to Central District by car or by public transport and the Board does not propose that it should become a major industrial area. Since 1958. a number of industrial lots in the district have been redeveloped for residential purposes and this trend is expected to continue. This will mean that more sites will be needed for schools and community purposes.
The Board recommends that most of the district should be gazetted as a smoke control area under the pro- visions of the Clean Air Ordinance, 1959.
A spokesman for the Town Plan- ning Board said the existing built-up area at North Point would continue to be the chief high density residen. tial section. For the area to the south of Tin Hau Temple Road. a slightly lower density was recom- mended with some restrictions as to the height of buildings owing to the presence of a radio station on Mount Butler.
"In order to balance the deficiency of schools in the existing built-up area the Board has suggested that a large proportion of the new land should be devoted to educational use. the spokesman said.
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"It has been impracticable to locate many of the proposed school sites in the existing built-up area and most of them have therefore been sited in the upper levels."
The plan shows that sites for two multi-storeyed car parks are reserv. ed off King's Road and Java Road respectively. It also shows an open space zone immediately to the north of Tin Hau Temple Road.
"This open space zone is intended to provide a lung' so as to separate the high density residential area off King's Road from the medium density residential area to the south." the Board spokesman explained.
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER VOLUME 19. NUMBER 1
PUBLIC PARK
The area of the lung is mostly steep hillside which is unsuitable for active recreation and the Board pro- poses that it should be considered as a public park, designed with foot- ways, seats and adequate tree plant- ing.
Another large green belt is pro- posed on the steep slopes on three sides of Braemar reservoir and Sir Cecil's Ride.
The Town Planning Board's spokesman said that King's Road is at present the only road in the dis- trict which can serve as a through traffic route. "King's Road has also become the main shopping street." he said.
"It is physically impossible to pro- vide an alternative main route round the densely built-up area at a low level but a secondary east-west route for through-traffic will become essen- tial with further development at Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan.
"The route recommended by the Board is the extension of Tin Hau Temple Road. which is designed to link up with Island Road, possibly at the Chai Wan Roundabout.”
WATERFRONT ROAD LINKS
The spokesman explained that the proposals incorporated in the draft plan for linking King's Road with the proposed waterfront road were not ideal or finalised.
"The proposals however take into account the existing development and the cost of resumption. The Board recommends that private land should be resumed where necessary to give effect to the plan."
The Board spokesman explained that these proposals consist of the link from the waterfront road to King's Road by way of Gordon Road and Jupiter Street, which will be one-
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