ENG-1981 — Page 167

HOUSING AND LAND

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applicable, within the framework of the statutory outline zoning plans prepared by the Town Planning Board.

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Planning guides are prepared for large areas within the New Territories, such as Lantau Island and the Sai Kung Peninsula, where there is a need to lay down planning guidelines for development. These planning guides indicate broad areas reserved for water catchments, country parks, conservation, agriculture, urban development and other major land uses.

The work of the Town Planning Office can generally be classified into two main streams, outline planning and district planning. The first aspect of work is undertaken largely by the Outline Planning Division, whose main duties are to carry out surveys and studies including the commissioning and monitoring of consultancy studies and to provide background data inputs for various planning purposes. During the year, the more important planning projects undertaken included the commissioning of a consultancy study on harbour reclamations and urban development to assess whether there is any further development potential in the existing urban areas; a study on the existing and proposed use of land under flyovers and pedestrian footbridges; forecasts of population distribution throughout the territory; a forecast of land production undertaken for the Special Committee on Land Supply; a forecast of the demand for and supply of industrial land; and a study to examine lift and loading/unloading requirements in industrial buildings.

The district planning function is performed by three district planning divisions which service the Town Planning Board in the preparation and revision of all statutory outline zoning plans, including those for the New Territories, and they are responsible for all departmental plans outside the new towns. They also scrutinise development submissions, reserve sites for various public purposes, undertake special planning studies and provide planning advice to other government departments, advisory bodies, consultants and the public.

In the main urban areas, major layout plans prepared during the year included those for the Red Hill and Tai Tam area, the former Murray Barracks, the proposed commercial site west of Connaught Centre, Sai Wan Ho reclamation and Quarry Bay Reclamation. Other major studies included Kornhill development, Hung Hom Whampoa Dockyard redevel- opment, and Wan Chai reclamation development. Feasibility studies were also carried out and planning briefs were produced for sites earmarked for various forms of public housing schemes to ensure the meeting of government's public housing targets. During the year, planning briefs completed included the Wan Tsui redevelopment scheme and the Sau Mau Ping environmental improvement scheme.

In the development of the New Territories the role of the Town Planning Office is basically two-fold. At the regional level, it is responsible for the forward planning of large areas in the New Territories through the preparation of planning guides and the provision of planning inputs to inter-departmental regional development studies. The North Lantau development study was one major study undertaken during the year. In parallel with these regional studies, the statutory development control of the new towns is exercised through the draft statutory outline zoning plans prepared for them. At the local level, the office also undertakes detailed planning for smaller rural districts, outside the new towns, which are under various forms of development pressure. Plans of this nature prepared during the year included the Yuen Long Industrial Estate layout, Ngau Tam Mei (North) layout, Fairview Park access road layout and the Tai Shang Wai and Mai Po plan. Work had also started on the systematic preparation of layouts for villages in the New Territories, outside the new towns, in order to co-ordinate development in these areas.

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