ENG-2006 — Page 266

218 Land, Public Works and Utilities

stages with extensive public consultation. It started at the end of 2000 and is now in its final stage, which involves drawing up a long-term development strategy and formulating response plans for 'what if' scenarios.

Sub-regional Development Strategies

These strategies provide a bridge between territorial and local planning. They translate the territorial goals into more specific planning objectives for the five sub-regions of Hong Kong, namely, the Metro Area, Northeast New Territories, Northwest New Territories, Southeast New Territories and Southwest New Territories.

The 'Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy' study has revealed that population growth could be significantly lower than that predicted earlier and that social and economic interactions with the Mainland have become stronger. These changes have prompted the need for a critical review of the sub-regional planning strategies and the development areas identified previously.

Within the Metro Area, planners are focusing their attention on the harbourfront and the old buildings there to see how they can improve the area's environment. The Government is working closely with the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee, an advisory body consisting of representatives from a wide range of community interests, on a review of the Harbour Plan.

In September 2006, the Security Bureau announced a proposed plan for reducing the size of the existing Closed Area near the boundary with the Mainland from about 2 800 hectares to about 800 hectares to free more land for development. The Planning Department has embarked on a study to examine the future use of the freed land under the principle of sustainable development.

District Planning

Development projects are implemented in accordance with statutory or departmental district plans. These plans aim to regulate and provide guidance to development in terms of land use, building density and development characteristics, and to ensure that they are in line with the planning objectives of the districts.

Statutory Planning

Established under the Town Planning Ordinance, the Town Planning Board (TPB) is responsible for preparing statutory plans for the use of land in specific areas. The broad plan covers the use of land for major roads and transport systems, and provides statutory planning controls in the form of land zoning and specification of development parameters. There are two types of statutory plans: outline zoning plans and development permission area plans.

Development permission area plans are similar to outline zoning plans except that they are interim plans. They cover rural areas of the New Territories and they are eventually replaced by outline zoning plans. Development scheme plans prepared by the former Land Development Corporation and its successor, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), also require approval by the TPB.