Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (June 15):
Question:
Since the relocation of the former Kai Tak Airport in 1998, the Government has not yet made a decision on the South East Kowloon Development (SEKD). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) how it will develop the sites covered by SEKD and the details of the development plan, including its progress and timetable;
(b) of the resources to be put into the development of South East Kowloon; and
(c) whether it will put up the above sites for public auction?
Reply:
President,
The following is my reply to the three parts of the question -
(a) The Comprehensive Feasibility Study for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development (SEKD) was completed in late 2001. The development scheme was widely supported by the community. The Kai Tak (North) and Kai Tak (South) Outline Zoning Plans (OZPs) covering the SEKD were approved by the Chief Executive in Council in June 2002. These two OZPs incorporate reclamation proposals of about 133 hectares covering about 30% of the total development area of SEKD.
On 9 January 2004, the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) handed down its judgment on the Town Planning Board's appeal with regard to the draft Wan Chai North OZP. The CFA judgment states that the presumption against reclamation as set out in the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance (PHO) can only be rebutted when a reclamation scheme passes the test of "over-riding public need".
In light of the CFA's judgment, the Government decided to carry out a comprehensive review on the Kai Tak development plan to ensure full compliance with the PHO and the CFA's requirements. The review is divided into two major parts, i.e. the Planning Review and the Engineering Review. The Planning Department has commissioned the Kai Tak Planning Review in July 2004. The Planning Review adopts a public engagement approach with "no reclamation" as the basis for formulating a preliminary outline development plan for the future of Kai Tak.
The public engagement programme will be carried out in three stages along with the progress of the Planning Review, each with its own objective as follows:
Stage 1: Discussion on the community's vision for Kai Tak setting against the background of its development opportunities/ constraints and proposed key development components.
Stage 2: Gauge public views on the various Outline Concept Plan options.
Stage 3: Engage the public on the formulation of the preliminary outline development plan.
Taking the advice of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee, a Kai Tak Forum was convened in March 2005 to discuss further with the community on the public comments and proposals received and the Consultants' analysis. The options for the Outline Concept Plan are under preparation in consultation with the collaborators of Kai Tak Planning Review. It is anticipated that these Outline Concept Plans will be promulgated for discussion with the community under the Stage 2 Public Engagement by September 2005.
According to the current programme, the Planning Review is expected to be completed by mid-2006, after which details of the land use will be outlined in the recommended development plan. The statutory process to revise the approved OZP will commence as soon as the recommended development plan has been confirmed to be feasible from the engineering and environmental angles under the Engineering Review. The revision to the OZP is expected to be completed by mid 2008. The concerned departments are now considering ways to advance the engineering investigations in order to expedite this process.
(b) The Kai Tak Development is currently under Planning Review undertaken by the Planning Department. As the land use proposals and associated infrastructure provisions have yet to be finalized, it is not possible to provide details of the resources required for development.
(c) Upon finalization of the Planning Review and compliance with the necessary procedures as required under the Town Planning Ordinance including amendments of the Outline Zoning Plan, where necessary, the Lands Department will be responsible for the disposal of the government land under the prevailing land policy and established mechanism.
Under the existing land policy, land for private uses such as commercial, residential or industrial uses will be disposed of by way of public auction or public tender as appropriate. Land for public use such as public housing, hospital, schools etc. will normally be disposed of by way of direct grant.
Ends/Wednesday, June 15, 2005
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