Following is a question by the Hon Jeremy Tam and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (January 17):
Question:
Regarding the statistical information on government sites, will the Government inform this Council of:
(1) the total area of sites which are currently zoned (i) Government, Institution or Community (G/IC), (ii) Recreation, (iii) Open Space and (iv) Other Specified Uses, and changes in such figures in the past five years (with a breakdown by District Council district);
(2) the number of G/IC sites rezoned for other uses in the past five years, with a breakdown of the total area of such sites by the new use;
(3) the respective numbers of idle government sites zoned G/IC, Recreation and Open Space which are currently (i) planned and (ii) not planned to be opened for public use; and
(4) the respective numbers of G/IC, Recreation and Open Space sites which are currently allocated for use by (i) various bureaux and government departments and (ii) other organisations by way of government land allocations and temporary government land allocations, with a breakdown of the total area of such sites by their planned uses?
Reply:
President,
My reply to various parts of the question is as follows :
(1) As at December 31, 2017, the areas of land zoned as "Government, Institution or Community" (G/IC), "Recreation" (REC), "Open Space" (O) and "Other Specified Uses" (OU) on statutory plans are about 3 389 hectares (ha), 584 ha, 2 282 ha and 7 103 ha respectively. The changes of areas of aforementioned zonings in the past five years by District Councils are set out in Annex 1. The above figures are compiled with reference to planning of relevant uses shown on statutory plans, but do not completely reflect existing land uses, such as the provision of open space facilities in some land zoned G/IC as open space is always permitted in the zoning. The existing uses before the making of statutory plans are also not covered therein.
(2) From 2013 to 2017, a total of 173 sites on land zoned G/IC in statutory plans have been rezoned to other uses. The total area and land uses (after rezoning) of relevant sites are set out in Annex 2.
(3) The Government strives to optimise land resources through continued efforts in land use planning, allocation and management. If certain sites cannot be developed within a short time frame due to factors such as technical assessments, statutory procedures, land resumption and clearance or infrastructure works, there is an established mechanism to put these sites to appropriate short-term or temporary use if possible.
The Lands Department (LandsD) regularly provides information of vacant sites that may be applied by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for temporary greening or other community use in respective districts to relevant District Councils, District Offices and District Social Welfare Offices, and makes the information available in the relevant District Lands Offices (DLOs) for public inspection free of charge. Since March 2017, information of vacant school premises (VSPs) assessed by relevant DLOs as being suitable for application for short-term use by NGOs has been published on LandsD's website, including VSPs assessed by the Planning Department as suitable for "Government, Institution or Community" (G/IC) use. Moreover, from November 28, 2017, the LandsD also publishes on its website the aforementioned information of vacant government sites suitable for greening or community use to facilitate application by NGOs.
As at December 7, 2017, there are 869 sites (including VSPs) for application for greening or community use. Among these temporary vacant sites which can be applied, as per their planned uses shown on statutory plans, 91 sites have the majority of the area of the site zoned for G/IC use, 11 sites have the majority of the area of the site zoned for REC use, and 81 sites have the majority of the area zoned for O use.
(4) Generally speaking, the LandsD through Government Land Allocation (GLA) and Temporary Government Land Allocation (TGLA) allocates land for use by policy bureaux and government departments. According to the LandsD, as at early January 2018, the information of sites with the majority of the area of the site zoned for G/IC, REC and O uses as well as other land use zonings or not covered by any statutory plans, allocated through GLA and TGLA (including Simplified TGLA), are set out in Annex 3.
Ends/Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Issued at HKT 17:15
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