232 Land, Public Works and Utilities
The document is available for sale to the public on a chapter-by-chapter basis and uploaded to the Planning Department's website to promote public awareness and facilitate its application by non-governmental bodies.
Territorial Development Strategy
The Territorial Development Strategy (TDS) is the highest tier of planning in the hierarchy of town plans in Hong Kong. It provides a broad land use, transport and environmental framework for planning and development. It also serves as a basis for preparation of sub-regional plans and detailed district plans.
The last review of the TDS was completed in 1996. Taking into account the emergence of new factors having strategic planning implications, a new round of review, the Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy, commenced in 2000. The study is to assess Hong Kong's future development needs in a wider regional perspective and for a longer time horizon. The study comprises four stages with extensive public consultation conducted at each stage. The public consultation exercise for the first three stages were undertaken in 2001, 2002 and 2003-04 respectively. The study is now at stage four where a preferred development option and a development strategy are being formulated with a view to consulting the public again.
Sub-regional Development Strategies
These strategies provide a bridge between territorial and local planning. They translate the territorial goals into more specific planning objectives for the five sub- regions of Hong Kong, namely the Metro Area, North-East New Territories, North- West New Territories, South-East New Territories and South-West New Territories.
To take forward the recommendations of the Territorial Development Strategy, a review of all the five sub-regional development strategies has been conducted to explore and examine the need and feasibility of additional opportunities for new homes, offices, factories, supporting community services as well as the necessary infrastructural facilities. The reviews of the Metroplan, North East, North West, South East and South West New Territories Development Strategies have been completed.
The latest round of territorial planning, the Study on Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy, which is still ongoing, has revealed that the trend of population growth could be significantly lower than earlier postulated. At the same time, the social and economic interactions with the Mainland are becoming more intensified. These changes have prompted the need for a more critical review of the timing for the earlier identified new development areas as well as the possible mix of uses.
Within the Metro Area, greater planning efforts are now focused on local area improvements, particularly for the older urban core and the harbour-front, with a view to improving the quality of the environment. For this purpose, several planning studies have been launched, including the preparation of Pedestrian Plans for Causeway Bay and Central District and an Area Improvement Plan for Tsim Sha Tsui. Meanwhile, the Government is also working closely with the Harbour-front