Tung Chung New Town is the most recently developed New Town in Hong Kong and 20 years have now passed since its development commenced. Recently, we launched the Stage 3 Public Engagement (PE) for the Tung Chung New Town Extension Study to let the community know more about the further development of Tung Chung. We are determined to enhance the existing new town by improving the local living environment and facilities, as well as capitalising on the benefits offered by its strategic location to promote economic development and increase job opportunities, with a view to creating a lively and liveable new town while at the same time preserving the local natural resources for the community.

During the Stage 2 PE completed in the middle of last year, over 3 000 submissions were received. The public generally agreed that the extension for Tung Chung New Town should be implemented as soon as possible and supported the promotion of economic development. In light of the public’s views on planning, employment and local economy, transport and community facilities, and taking into account the planning and engineering considerations and the findings of the technical assessments, we have drawn up the Draft Recommended Outline Development Plan for Tung Chung New Town Extension.

Let me briefly focus on some of the major recommendations.

No reclamation in Tung Chung West and setting up a Conservation Area
During the past two stages of PE, some views held that no reclamation should be carried out in Tung Chung West, and that the impacts on the ecology and environment of Tung Chung Bay and Tung Chung River should be kept to a minimum. Consequently, we have decided to drop the proposal to reclaim 14 hectares in Tung Chung West from the Draft Recommended Outline Development Plan. Meanwhile, a 30-metre-wide buffer area along both sides of the Tung Chung River will be used for conservation purposes to protect the Tung Chung River and its high ecological value. The area inside the Tung Chung Valley will be zoned as Green Belt to preserve the habitats of natural species.

Reclamation in Tung Chung East to support development
The public generally supported the recommendation for reclamation in Tung Chung East for development purposes. However, some expressed concerns over the possible impact of such reclamation on the environment and ecology. In response to the latter, according to past research records as well as the findings of our ecological investigation and preliminary assessments, the proposed extent of reclamation in the Tung Chung East Extension Area and its vicinity will not affect areas of important marine ecology. Neither is it the habitat of the Chinese White Dolphins. As revealed in preliminary assessment results, the cumulative effects on hydrology and water quality brought about by reclamation will be acceptable. Therefore, we will carry out the reclamation of 120 hectares in the extension area, and 9 hectares in the Tung Chung–Tai Ho Section of Road P1. These proposed reclamation works will not block the Tai Ho Inlet, and dredging will be avoided as far as possible during the course of construction to prevent stirring up particulates which may affect the water quality of the surrounding areas. During construction, we will implement a series of mitigation measures to avoid nuisance to the surrounding environment.

Increasing commercial, retail and hotel facilities to promote employment
Many Tung Chung residents have expressed their views on employment, transport and community facilities in the district. In order to grasp the development opportunities brought about by the “bridgehead economy” upon completion of nearby infrastructure in the coming future, and in order to capitalise on Tung Chung’s potential of becoming an attractive commercial and tourist hub for the region, we will substantially increase the supply of commercial sites in Tung Chung East. These include 500 000 sq m of floor area for offices, 300 000 sq m for retail and 50 000 sq m for hotel business. It is estimated that more than 40 000 jobs of various kinds can be created.

Improving internal and external connectivity
With the increase of commercial and retail activities and the estimated growth of population, transport infrastructure is of vital importance. We suggest developing two new railway stations – in Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West – as it is estimated that the designed capacity of the existing Tung Chung Line will be able to cope with the increase of population. In addition, we will build a highly efficient internal road system in the extension area and construct the Road P1 Tung Chung-Tai Ho section and Tai Ho Interchange to strengthen external transport connectivity. In future, we will further explore other public transport services for the extension area, including connections with the urban areas, the western New Territories, and the airport.

Increasing development intensity moderately to provide 48 000 housing units
As the Tung Chung West reclamation proposal has been dropped, we propose to moderately increase the development intensity of some of the Tung Chung East extension area to a plot ratio of 6.5, having taken into account the technical feasibility with respect to the environment, transport and air ventilation, to ensure that the overall housing supply target within Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West set in the Stage 2 PE can still be met. We will adopt the design of a stepped height profile, with the height and density of the buildings descending from the hill slope towards the waterfront, to maintain good air-ventilation and preserve the landscape of the district. The first population intake is expected to start in 2023 the earliest. The overall public-private housing ratio will be about 60:40, and the population is forecast to increase by about 140 000.

A new town with robust support facilities
The planning of Tung Chung New Town has been carried out in accordance with the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines. In view of the projected population growth, more and more community facilities will be built in Tung Chung to turn it into a new town with better support facilities and a pleasant environment. These include a standard sports ground of about 3 hectares, tertiary institutes, schools, clinics, parks, police stations and more. The future Tung Chung East waterfront will become a recreational hub at the district or even regional level, so that people living inside and outside Tung Chung will benefit.

The Stage 3 PE will last for two and a half months until October 31. We hope that many of you will come to the roving exhibitions and take an active part in the public forum. You can also share with us your views through the online platform to help us develop a Tung Chung Extension that will positively respond to public aspirations and the needs of the community.