1996 — Page 304

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 304 of 498

#98

346

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

resources is decreasing, meaning that there is a drop in Taiwan's sustained development index. This induces me to think that the index for Hong Kong will definitely come to a record low someday.

When we talk about environmental protection in Hong Kong, we always refer to Mai Po Ecology Reserve which is famous in the world. It seems that the Government of Hong Kong has made strenuous effort to provide environmental protection for this Reserve. However, from the Nam San Wai Incident, we can see that the government does not really have a strong will to protect the environment. As a result, a lot of wetlands in the northwestern part of the New Territories were lost in recent years. Taking the Nam San Wai Incident as an example, the government has set up two buffer zones in 1992 to reduce the impact of metropolitan development on Deep Bay (Hau Hoi Wan) and Mai Po Nature Reserve. For the first buffer zone, it is stated that under specific conditions no development is allowed there. As for the second buffer zone, it is supposed to be different from the first one and it allows development projects with no obvious impact on the surrounding environment to take place. However, the Town Planning Board revised the guidelines for the second buffer zone in 1993, relaxing significantly the development constraints of the zone. Only development projects for agricultural purposes and cultural and recreational purpose are not allowed initially whereas development projects for standalone and low-density residential buildings in the southeastern part of the zone can be included. Consequently, the TPB not only lost its court case and incurred a huge sum of legal costs, but was also forced to give up an important ecological wetland. In other words, it suffered a double loss which should have been avoided if the government took a firmer stand and insisted on taking environmental protection as its basic principle when drawing up the legislation. There were originally hundreds of fishponds of various sizes in the buffer zone. But more than half of them were now deserted. For those near the border of the buffer zone, they have even become wastelands, parking lots, open-air storage areas, etc. According to the staff of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, fishponds used for fresh water fish farming are valuable and the economic benefits of this farming industry are also high. However, the area around Deep Bay has been suffering from serious pollution and experiencing a drop in water quality in recent years. As the productivity of fishponds has dropped to an extent that no profit can be made, many fishpond owners in the New Territories sold their ponds or ancestral lands in view of the high land cost in Hong Kong. Moreover, the northwestern part of the New Territories has been seriously hit by the problem of land use abuses in recent years, bringing about pollutive flooding in the rainy seasons. As a result, it becomes more difficult to develop the industry of fresh water fish farming since its cost effectiveness is already very low. All these provide a good opportunity for developers who bought lands in the second buffer zone for major residential development at the expense of the ecological environment of the northwestern part of the New Territories. The loss of such an important ecological site is, in my opinion, a great pity to Hong Kong.

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Page 304 of 498 #98 346 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL resources is decreasing, meaning that there is a drop in Taiwan's sustained development index. This induces me to think that the index for Hong Kong will definitely come to a record low someday. When we talk about environmental protection in Hong Kong, we always refer to Mai Po Ecology Reserve which is famous in the world. It seems that the Government of Hong Kong has made strenuous effort to provide environmental protection for this Reserve. However, from the Nam San Wai Incident, we can see that the government does not really have a strong will to protect the environment. As a result, a lot of wetlands in the northwestern part of the New Territories were lost in recent years. Taking the Nam San Wai Incident as an example, the government has set up two buffer zones in 1992 to reduce the impact of metropolitan development on Deep Bay (Hau Hoi Wan) and Mai Po Nature Reserve. For the first buffer zone, it is stated that under specific conditions no development is allowed there. As for the second buffer zone, it is supposed to be different from the first one and it allows development projects with no obvious impact on the surrounding environment to take place. However, the Town Planning Board revised the guidelines for the second buffer zone in 1993, relaxing significantly the development constraints of the zone. Only development projects for agricultural purposes and cultural and recreational purpose are not allowed initially whereas development projects for standalone and low-density residential buildings in the southeastern part of the zone can be included. Consequently, the TPB not only lost its court case and incurred a huge sum of legal costs, but was also forced to give up an important ecological wetland. In other words, it suffered a double loss which should have been avoided if the government took a firmer stand and insisted on taking environmental protection as its basic principle when drawing up the legislation. There were originally hundreds of fishponds of various sizes in the buffer zone. But more than half of them were now deserted. For those near the border of the buffer zone, they have even become wastelands, parking lots, open-air storage areas, etc. According to the staff of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, fishponds used for fresh water fish farming are valuable and the economic benefits of this farming industry are also high. However, the area around Deep Bay has been suffering from serious pollution and experiencing a drop in water quality in recent years. As the productivity of fishponds has dropped to an extent that no profit can be made, many fishpond owners in the New Territories sold their ponds or ancestral lands in view of the high land cost in Hong Kong. Moreover, the northwestern part of the New Territories has been seriously hit by the problem of land use abuses in recent years, bringing about pollutive flooding in the rainy seasons. As a result, it becomes more difficult to develop the industry of fresh water fish farming since its cost effectiveness is already very low. All these provide a good opportunity for developers who bought lands in the second buffer zone for major residential development at the expense of the ecological environment of the northwestern part of the New Territories. The loss of such an important ecological site is, in my opinion, a great pity to Hong Kong. Page 304 of 498

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Page 304 of 498 #98 346 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL resources is decreasing, meaning that there is a drop in Taiwan's sustained development index. This induces me to think that the index for Hong Konz will definitely come to a record low someday. When we talk about environmental protection in Hong Kong, we always refer to Mai Po Ecology Reserve which is famous in the world. It seems that the Government of Hong Kong has made strenuous effort to provide environmental protection for this Reserve. However, from the Nam San Wai Incident, we can see that the government does not really have a strong will to protect the environment. As a result, a lot of wetlands in the northwestern part of the New Territories were lost in recent years. Taking the Nam San Wai Incident as an example, the government has set up two buffer zones in 1992 to reduce the impact of metropolitan development on Deep Bay (Hau Hoj Wan) and Mai Po Nature Reserve. For the first buffer zone, it is stated that under specific conditions no development is allowed there. As for the second buffes zone, it is supposed to be different from the first one and it allows development projects with no obvious impact on the surrounding environment to take place. However, the Town Planning Board revised the guidelines for the second buffer zone in 1993, relaxing significantly the development constraints of the zone. Only development projects for agricultural purposes and cultural and recreational purpose are not allowed initially whereas development projects for standalone and low-density residential buildings in the southeastern part of the zone can be included. Consequently, the TPB not only lost its court case and incurred a huge sum of legal costs, but was also forced to give up an important ecological wetland. In other words, it suffered a double loss which should have been avoided if the government took a firmer stand and insisted on taking environmental protection as its basic principle when drawing up the legislation. There were originally hundreds of fishponds of various sizes in the buffer zone. But more than half of them were now deserted. For those near the border of the buffer zone, they have even become wastelands, parking lots, open-air storage areas, etc. According to the staff of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, fishponds used for fresh water fish farming are valuable and the economic benefits of this farming industry are also high. However. the area around Deep Bay has been suffering from serious pollution and experiencing a drop in water quality in recent years. As the productivity of fishponds has dropped to an extent that no profit can be made, many fishpond owners in the New Territories sold their ponds or ancestral lands in view of the high land cost in Hong Kong. Moreover, the northwestern part of the Nes Territories has been seriously hit by the problem of land use abuses in recert years, bringing about pollutive flooding in the rainy seasons. As a result. iz becomes more difficult to develop the industry of fresh water fish farming sinc its cost effectiveness is already very low. All these provide a good opportunity for developers who bought lands in the second buffer zone for majer residential development at the expense of the ecological environment of the northwestern part of the New Territories. The loss of such an important ecological site is, in my opinion, a great pity to Hong Kong. Page 304 of 498

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Page 304 of 498

#98

346

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

resources is decreasing, meaning that there is a drop in Taiwan's sustained development index. This induces me to think that the index for Hong Konz will definitely come to a record low someday.

When we talk about environmental protection in Hong Kong, we always refer to Mai Po Ecology Reserve which is famous in the world. It seems that the Government of Hong Kong has made strenuous effort to provide environmental protection for this Reserve. However, from the Nam San Wai Incident, we can see that the government does not really have a strong will to protect the environment. As a result, a lot of wetlands in the northwestern part of the New Territories were lost in recent years. Taking the Nam San Wai Incident as an example, the government has set up two buffer zones in 1992 to reduce the impact of metropolitan development on Deep Bay (Hau Hoj Wan) and Mai Po Nature Reserve. For the first buffer zone, it is stated that under specific conditions no development is allowed there. As for the second buffes zone, it is supposed to be different from the first one and it allows development projects with no obvious impact on the surrounding environment to take place. However, the Town Planning Board revised the guidelines for the second buffer zone in 1993, relaxing significantly the development constraints of the zone. Only development projects for agricultural purposes and cultural and recreational purpose are not allowed initially whereas development projects for standalone and low-density residential buildings in the southeastern part of the zone can be included. Consequently, the TPB not only lost its court case and incurred a huge sum of legal costs, but was also forced to give up an important ecological wetland. In other words, it suffered a double loss which should have been avoided if the government took a firmer stand and insisted on taking environmental protection as its basic principle when drawing up the legislation. There were originally hundreds of fishponds of various sizes in the buffer zone. But more than half of them were now deserted. For those near the border of the buffer zone, they have even become wastelands, parking lots, open-air storage areas, etc. According to the staff of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, fishponds used for fresh water fish farming are valuable and the economic benefits of this farming industry are also high. However. the area around Deep Bay has been suffering from serious pollution and experiencing a drop in water quality in recent years. As the productivity of fishponds has dropped to an extent that no profit can be made, many fishpond owners in the New Territories sold their ponds or ancestral lands in view of the high land cost in Hong Kong. Moreover, the northwestern part of the Nes Territories has been seriously hit by the problem of land use abuses in recert years, bringing about pollutive flooding in the rainy seasons. As a result. iz becomes more difficult to develop the industry of fresh water fish farming sinc its cost effectiveness is already very low. All these provide a good opportunity for developers who bought lands in the second buffer zone for majer residential development at the expense of the ecological environment of the northwestern part of the New Territories. The loss of such an important ecological site is, in my opinion, a great pity to Hong Kong.

1996 — Page 304

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