ENG-1997 — Page 258

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

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concurrently to consider the complex and contentious issues of compensation and betterment. Public comments received on the consultative document and the recommendations of the special committee provided important inputs in the formulation of legislative proposals to improve the planning system.

In view of the quantity and complex nature of the proposals involved, the administration decided to prepare a new piece of planning legislation with a view to replacing the existing one. The Town Planning Bill was then published in July 1996 in the form of a white bill for public consultation till the end of 1996. The comments received were diverse and on some issues conflicting. The administration has therefore considered it prudent to introduce interim measures, pending further study on the various issues relating to the comprehensive overhaul of the ordinance, to shorten the existing statutory planning procedures which is one of the proposed changes that received widespread support during the consultation. An Amendment Bill imposing a statutory nine-month period within which objections should be considered will be introduced into the legislature in early 1998.

Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines

This is a government document of planning criteria and guidelines for determining the quantity, scale, location and site requirements of various land uses and facilities. It is applied to planning studies, the preparation or revision of town plans and development control. The document is constantly under review to take account of changes in government policies, demographic characteristics as well as social and economic trends. Major tasks undertaken during the year included the formulation and revision of planning standards and guidelines for community centres, social welfare facilities, recreation and open space, industry, retail facilities and parking and loading/unloading facilities.

To promote public awareness of planning and to facilitate the use of the document by non-government bodies, it has been made available in various libraries. The document is also available for sale to the public, on a chapter-by-chapter basis.

Territorial Development Strategy

The Territorial Development Strategy (TDS) is the highest tier in the hierarchy of town plans in Hong Kong. It provides a broad land use, transport and environmental framework for the planning and development of Hong Kong. The aim is to facilitate the continued growth of Hong Kong and promote its hub functions as a regional centre of business and finance, a high-capacity container port and an international focal point for civil aviation.

A comprehensive review of the strategy commenced in 1990. Two regional development scenarios have been postulated in the current TDS Review. The first scenario assumes the Pearl River Delta as Hong Kong's economic catchment, and the second includes both Guangdong Province and other inner provinces of China as Hong Kong's economic catchment.

The TDS Review consists of three main streams of work: the foundation studies including identification of goals and objectives, key issues and evaluation criteria; the generation and evaluation of TDS development options and the formulation of a recommended long-term development strategy for Hong Kong and a medium-term strategy with an outline development programme. Public consultation was carried out