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THURSDAY, MAY 18, 1989
TEMPORARY CONTROL OF BUILDING DENSITY IN KOWLOON
THE GOVERNMENT WILL SHORTLY BE INTRODUCING A BILL INTO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO TEMPORARILY CONTROL THE DENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BUILDINGS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF KOWLOON.
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR PETER LAI, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (THURSDAY) EXPLAINED THAT THE PROPOSED CONTROLS IN THE BILL WERE NECESSARY TO AVOID OVER-STRAINING INFRASTRUCTURAL AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN THESE AREAS.
A REVIEW OF AIRPORT HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS (AHR) COMPLETED LAST YEAR BY THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED THAT EXISTING HEIGHT LIMITS IN SOME PARTS OF KOWLOON, SUCH AS TSIM SHA TSUI, HUNG HOM, KWUN TONG AND SAN PO KONG, COULD BE CONSIDERABLY RELAXED.
MR LAI POINTED OUT THAT ANY RELAXATION NOW WOULD RESULT IN GREATER DEVELOPMENT DENSITIES THAN CURRENTLY PERMITTED AND WOULD PLACE THE EXISTING AND PLANNED TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF ROADS, DRAINS AND OTHER COMMUNITY FACILITIES, UNDER AN UNACCEPTABLE STRAIN.
RECOGNISING THESE PROBLEMS, THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS ENDORSED GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL FOR A BILL TO BE INTRODUCED INTO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THE BILL WILL REQUIRE THE BUILDING AUTHORITY ΤΟ REFUSE APPROVAL OF ANY BUILDING PLANS SHOWING A BUILDING WHICH EXCEEDS A PLOT RATIO GREATER THAN IS PERMITTED UNDER THE PRESENT AHR.
MR LAI SAID THE PROBLEMS OF URBAN DENSITIES WERE BEING DEALT WITH IN THE WIDER CONTEXT OF THE METROPLAN STUDY.
"METROPLAN IS EXPECTED TO MAKE ITS RECOMMENDATIONS ΤΟ GOVERNMENT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
HE SAID.
"THE TEMPORARY CONTROLS CAN THEN BE LIFTED AT THE END OF 1990,
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