Following is a question by the Hon James To and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):
Question:
It has been reported that the Government plans to convert nine "Green Belt" ("GB") or "Government, Institution or Community" ("G/IC") sites in Tseung Kwan O to public housing sites. Some Tseung Kwan O residents have pointed out that, as the current population in the district has already exceeded 380 000, the completion of these public housing projects as well as the successive completion of a large number of private housing units in Tseung Kwan O Town Centre and near LOHAS Park Station on the MTR Tseung Kwan O Line in the next few years will overload the existing infrastructure in Tseung Kwan O. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the reasons for the authorities to adjust downward the planned population of Tseung Kwan O from 480 000 to 450 000 in 2005; the population to be brought by the proposed public housing to Tseung Kwan O, and whether that figure has been included in the planned population for Tseung Kwan O;
(2) among the nine sites mentioned above, of the original planned uses of the "G/IC" sites; if the original planned uses include community facilities, whether the Government has assessed the impact of converting these sites to public housing sites on Tseung Kwan O residents, and whether it has plans to find other sites to build the community facilities concerned;
(3) among the nine sites mentioned above, whether the "GB" sites are located in the vicinity of Clear Water Bay Country Park; if so, whether the Government has assessed if the public housing proposed to be built will damage the ecology of the Country Park;
(4) whether it has conducted any environmental impact assessment study to examine if the public housing proposed to be built will aggravate the ventilation problem caused by wall effect in Tseung Kwan O; if it has not, of the reasons for that;
(5) whether it has assessed if the existing transport infrastructure facilities in Tseung Kwan O can cope with the transport demand of the population to be brought about upon the intake of the public housing proposed to be built; if it has not, whether it has plans to build additional roads and strengthen public transport services;
(6) regarding the roads in Tseung Kwan O listed in the table below, of their (i) designed hourly vehicular flow, (ii) current hourly vehicular flow, and (iii) expected hourly vehicular flow upon the intake of the aforesaid public housing; and
Main roads (i) (ii) (iii)
---------- --- ---- -----
Tseung Kwan O Tunnel
Po Lam Road North
Clear Water Bay Road
Tseung Kwan O - Lam Tin Tunnel
Total
(7) regarding the MTR Tseung Kwan O Line, of its (i) designed hourly capacity during peak hours, (ii) current hourly passenger throughput during peak hours, and (iii) expected hourly passenger throughput during peak hours upon the intake of the aforesaid public housing?
Reply:
President,
To meet the total housing supply target of 480 000 units in the coming 10 years (i.e. from 2015-16 to 2024-25), the Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to increase the housing land supply, including optimising the use of built-up land in the existing urban areas and new towns and land in the vicinity, as well as pursuing large scale land use planning and development projects. In terms of short-to-medium term housing land supply, the Government has been carrying out various land use reviews, including reviews on the "Government, Institution or Community" ("G/IC") sites and other government uses land, government land currently vacant, under Short Term Tenancies or other temporary uses, as well as reviews on "Green Belt" sites. As mentioned in the Policy Address, via the land use reviews, the Government has identified about 150 potential housing sites that could be made available for residential development in the coming five years (i.e. from 2014-15 to 2018-19) with a capacity of providing over 210 000 public and private units, subject to timely amendments to their respective statutory plans for change of land use and/or increase in development intensity. Among the 150 sites, 12 are located at the Sai Kung district, including nine sites located at Tseung Kwan O which are currently zoned "Green Belt" ("GB"), of which two sites also cover parts of "G/IC" zoned areas. All nine sites are proposed for public housing development.
When identifying the above potential housing sites, the Government has considered and balanced the societal needs and local impacts, and will continue to reduce the relevant impacts to an acceptable level. Relevant departments are now conducting various technical assessments and studies on the proposed public housing development in accordance with the established mechanisms and standards, including the impacts brought by the proposed developments on the traffic, infrastructure, environment, visual, air ventilation and other areas, as well as the provision of community facilities. The Government will make reference to the relevant information and further determine the proposed development parameters of individual sites, including the plot ratios, site areas and estimated numbers of flats to be built, etc. Upon completion of the related technical assessments and development proposals, the Government will consult relevant stakeholders on the proposed amendments to statutory plans. The Town Planning Board (TPB) will also proceed with the land use rezoning and/or planning applications accordingly, including inviting the public for representations and/or comments.
Regarding each part of the question, our reply in consultation with the relevant bureaux and departments is as follows:
(1) The Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) shows the land uses and major infrastructures (such as road systems) of the specific area covered by the plan, in which the planned population is the projected population capacity arising from the planned land uses. In formulating or revising the OZP, the Government will conduct technical assessments and studies, and adjust the population projection according to the changes in land uses. During the process, the Government will make reference to the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) and the latest demographic data, and will also examine whether there is a need to adjust the land reservation for supporting facilities based on the population changes.
Regarding the Draft Tseung Kwan O OZP, the Government commenced the "Feasibility Study on Further Development of Tseung Kwan O" in 2002 and completed the Study in 2005. Based on the proposed amendments arising from the Study, the planned population of the Draft Tseung Kwan O OZP was revised from 480 000 to 450 000 by TPB in 2008, which mainly reflected the projected population of the planned land uses for the district at the time.
Additional population intake will be brought by the proposed public housing developments at the Tseung Kwan O sites. The Government is carrying out the relevant technical assessments and studies, and the new population figures are yet to be confirmed. In any event, the concerned departments will closely monitor the local needs for various facilities and make reference to the relevant requirements under HKPSG, so as to ensure that the infrastructural and community facilities to be provided could meet the local needs and population growth.
(2) Of the nine proposed housing sites in Tseung Kwan O, two cover parts of "G/IC" zones, in which bus/minibus termini and government land are currently located. When changing the land use of the relevant sites, the Government will consider reprovisioning the affected facilities as appropriate. At the same time, the Government will consider providing community facilities within the proposed housing sites so as to cater for the additional population needs.
(3) All nine "GB" sites proposed to be rezoned for housing developments in Tseung Kwan O are not in the vicinity of country parks. The proposed developments will not affect country parks.
(4) The Government is carrying out the technical assessments and studies for the proposed public housing developments, including their impacts on the surrounding environment and air ventilation. Necessary improvement measures will also be recommended.
(5) For the proposed housing developments in Tseung Kwan O, the Government has conducted preliminary traffic assessments for the major roads in the district. The initial findings reveal that with the current planning of transport infrastructures in Tseung Kwan O, the major roads connecting the Tseung Kwan O district with East Kowloon will be able to meet the traffic demand brought about by the proposed housing developments. Meanwhile, the Government is engaging a consultant to study the local traffic impact of the new housing developments, as well as the associated traffic improvement measures. The study is anticipated to commence early this year.
(6) According to the information of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), the design capacities per hour, present volume/capacity (v/c) ratios and preliminary v/c ratios after the proposed additional public housing developments of the respective roads in Tseung Kwan O, are shown in the Annex.
(7) According to the information provided by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), the design capacity of MTR Tseung Kwan O Line (TKL) per hour per direction (calculated on the basis of accommodating 6 persons (standing) per square metre (ppsm)) is 85 000. However, in actual railway operation, such design capacity is limited by various factors (for example, platform screen doors and automatic platform gates increase the dwell time of trains at each platform by about 10 seconds). The maximum carrying capacity of TKL when train frequency is maximised (under 6 ppsm) can thus only reach 67 500. In December 2014, the patronage of TKL per hour per direction during morning peak hours for the critical link (i.e. from Yau Tong Station to Quarry Bay Station) was about 46 000.
MTRCL will continue to closely monitor the passenger demand of TKL. In the long run, MTRCL has begun to upgrade the signalling system for Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line, Kwun Tong Line and TKL, and this upgrading is expected to be completed from 2018 to 2022. With the completion of the upgrading of signalling system, the carrying capacity can be increased by around 10 per cent.
As to the estimated patronage per hour during peak hours after the proposed public housing developments, CEDD will conduct relevant assessments and studies, and the relevant figures are yet to be confirmed.
Moreover, at a strategic level, the East Kowloon Line proposed under the "Railway Development Strategy 2014" can enhance the overall network robustness by offering an alternative railway route for trips between the Tseung Kwan O area and Kowloon, and by serving as a parallel line to the existing Kwun Tong Line.
Ends/Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:06
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