ENG-2020 — Page 231

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Planning, Land and Infrastructure

Sewage Treatment Works to caverns, and the investigation and design study for the planned relocation of Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs to caverns was under way. Upon relocation of these facilities, 32 hectares of land (28 hectares in Sha Tin and four hectares in Diamond Hill) can be released for other uses. The government also established the feasibility of relocating the Public Works Central Laboratory in Kowloon Bay to caverns, and feasibility studies were under way to move other government facilities to caverns.

Underground Space Development

The government continues its pilot study on underground space developments in Tsim Sha Tsui West, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Admiralty/Wan Chai.

New Territories North New Development Area

The government continues to study the first-phase development of the New Territories North NDA, covering San Tin/Lok Ma Chau.

Housing Land Supply

Public housing land supply comes from new government housing sites and redevelopment of existing public housing estates. Private housing land supply comes from various sources, including the disposal of government sites for private residential development through the Land Sale Programme, railway property development, urban renewal and private development or redevelopment projects.

Commercial and Industrial Land Supply

Measures to increase the supply of commercial/business sites include putting up new commercial and industrial sites for sale; converting government properties and government, institution or community (GIC) sites in CBDs for commercial use; providing commercial space at the Central Harbourfront upon completion of works; transforming Kowloon East into CBD2; and earmarking land for commercial and industrial use in new development projects, including the development of CBD3 on the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands proposed under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision.

Review of Government, Institution or Community Sites

The government is reviewing about 40 GIC sites with joint use potential to put forward proposals that optimise their use, including the development of multi-purpose buildings.

Revitalisation of Industrial Buildings

In 2020, the Town Planning Board approved 31 applications for the redevelopment of industrial buildings. It allowed the plot ratios of most of these applications to increase by up to 20 per cent to optimise the use of land resources, having confirmed the technical feasibility of the proposed increases in development density.

Land Disposal

Government land is usually disposed of through public sale for private residential, commercial and other developments. Included in the annual Land Sale Programme are sites with potential for sale that year. The government announces quarterly sites to be tendered to provide

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