XN000022-1983-12-21 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1983

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PLOT RATIO CRITERIA EXPLAINED ****

THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING PLOT RATIO WAS EXPLAINED BY THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR NICKY CHAN, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON ANDREW SO, HE SAID THE PLOT RATIO OF A PARTICULAR SITE WAS NORMALLY DETERMINED BY APPLYING THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS. HOWEVER, IN SOME CASES, THE MAXIMUM PLOT RATIO MAY BE DETERMINED BY APPLYING OTHER LIMITS SUCH AS THOSE LAID DOWN UNDER RULES GOVERNING DENSITY ZONING, TOWN PLANNING, BUILDING HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE AIRPORT, AND LEASE CONDITIONS.

UNDER THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS, HE SAID, PLOT RATIO WAS DETERMINED BY DIVIDING THE GROSS FLOOR AREA OF A BUILDING BY THE AREA OF THE SITE ON WHICH IT WAS BUILT.

THE TWO MAIN FACTORS WHICH DETERMINED PLOT RATIO UNDER THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS WERE THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING AND THE CLASS INTO WHICH THE SITE FELL.

+WHETHER DEVELOPMENT ON A SITE IS TO BE DOMESTIC OR NON-DOMESTIC ALSO AFFECTS THE EXTENT OF PLOT RATIO PERMISSIBLE, MR CHAN SAID.

HE SAID DENSITY ZONING RULES, WHICH WERE BASED ON POLICY DECIDED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL, RESTRICTED THE INTENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED ON A SITE HAVING REGARD TO ITS URBAN, SUBURBAN OR RURAL LOCATION AND USE.

MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE PLOT RATIOS WERE PRESCRIBED IN SOME STATUTORY TOWN PLANS. FOR EXAMPLE THOSE COVERING THE PEAK AREA AND KOWLOON TONG. THE REASONS WERE GENERALLY TO PRESERVE OR ACHIEVE A CERTAIN STANDARD OF AMENITY OR ENVIRONMENT, TO PREVENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES BECOMING OVERLOADED, OR TO AVOID GEOTECHNICAL PROBLEMS.

IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, LIMITATIONS ON PLOT RATIO MAY BE PRESCRIBED IN LEASE CONDITIONS TO ACHIEVE DEVELOPMENT OF A CERTAIN TYPE AND LIMITED DENSITY BELOW WHAT WAS PERMISSIBLE UNDER OTHER MEANS OF RESTRICTION ALREADY MENTIONED.

MR CHAN SAID THE CRITERIA GOVERNING PLOT RATIO EMBODIED IN THE BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS HAD NOT BEEN REVIEWED SINCE THE IR INTRODUCTION IN 1962 AND THE DENSITY ZONING RULES DATED FROM (APRIL) 1966.

AS REGARD STATUTORY PLANS, AIRPORT-RELATED RESTRICTIONS AND LEASE CONDITIONS, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BE PRECISE ABOUT THE FREQUENCY OF REVIEW IN EVERY CASE, BUT IT COULD BE SAID THAT ALL RESTRICTIONS WERE SUBJECT TO REVIEW FROM TIME TO TIME.

/R CHAN