LCQ22: Infrastructure projects in new development areas in New Territories

Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (July 13):

Question:

The report of the Task Force on Land Supply, the "Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030", as well as the election manifesto of the Chief Executive have all put forward the planning principles of infrastructure-led and capacity-creating. However, many members of the public consider that, among the infrastructure projects being taken forward by the Government in various new development areas (NDAs) in the New Territories at present, the majority focus on the traffic, road and transport aspects, while little efforts are devoted to other infrastructure facilities which are needed for supporting a large population. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the sewerage and water supply projects under planning and construction for the purpose of creating capacity in various NDAs in the New Territories, and set out, by project name in a table, the following information: their latest progress, the projected population that they can serve (and whether they are sufficient to serve the population of the relevant NDAs), and the capacity reserved for expanding the development of the NDAs; 

(2) whether it has reviewed if the scale of the infrastructure capacity expansion projects under planning and construction can tie in with the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and 

(3) in the light of the principle of infrastructure-led, what measures the Government has put in place to expedite the development of public and private infrastructure projects (including expediting the implementation of infrastructure capacity expansion projects which are not related to traffic, road and transport) in the Northern Metropolis, so as to achieve the goal of increasing the speed and quantity of, as well as improving the efficiency in, housing construction? 

Reply:

President,

The Government is proactively taking forward various New Development Area (NDA) projects and will adopt the infrastructure-led and capacity-creating planning approaches to create conditions for early supply of land for housing and economic uses.

The reply to the questions raised by the Hon Tony Tse is as follows:

(1) The information of the sewerage and water supply projects in various NDAs is set out below:
 
 
(2) Last year, the Government announced the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, which proposes to provide some additional 600 hectares of development land on top of the projects commenced in the area. The studies on the additional land at San Tin/Lok Ma Chau and the Lo Wu/Man Kam To Comprehensive Development Nodes had commenced in October 2021. Studies on the development of Lau Fau Shan, Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai (as the extension part of the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA) and the development of Ma Tso Lung (as the extension part of the Kwu Tung North NDA) will also commence later this year. By these studies, the Government will review the infrastructure requirements of these new development sites and properly adjust, including expansion or addition of, infrastructure to cater for the developments.

On the other hand, the Government is conducting a review on the intensification of the development scales of Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA, Kwu Tung North/Fanling North NDA and Yuen Long South Development, including further review of the capacities of relevant sewerage and water supply facilities.

The relevant government departments will take into consideration the required supporting infrastructure as a whole and work out suitable planning and engineering options. 

(3) In taking forward the NDAs, the Government will carry out infrastructure works at an earlier stage as far as possible. For instance, the design capacity of the fresh water service reservoir constructed during the advance works of the Kwu Tung North NDA can already meet the water supply requirement of the remaining phase of the area. As for Yuen Long South Development, the Government also made arrangements so that the roads serving the later development phases will be constructed during the first phase development. In this way, the capacity of the transport infrastructure can be enhanced as early as possible, thus allowing the early completion of the subsequent development phases.

Upon assuming office, the new-term Government has immediately set up the Steering Committee on Land and Housing Supply chaired by the Financial Secretary. The Steering Committee is dedicated to expediting land and housing supply on all fronts in a bid to streamline procedures and enhance the co-ordination of inter-departmental work to further enhance the speed, efficiency and quantity of land creation and housing construction, and foster more diversified development. To further unleash the development potential of land in Hong Kong, the Government will fully implement the infrastructure-led and capacity-creating approaches of development. The Steering Committee will co-ordinate the construction of various facilities amongst which include transportation and Government, Institution or Community facilities, so as to ensure the timely delivery of necessary infrastructure, thus making life more convenient for the public.

Note: Sufficient to serve the planned population of the areas concerned with buffer allowed as appropriate to cope with possible fluctuation in demand.
 
Ends/Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Issued at HKT 15:45
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