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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Lam Tsuen Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Lam Tsuen area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (November 10).
The Planning Scheme Area, covering about 424 hectares, is located to the west of Tai Po New Town. The general planning intention of the area is to retain the rural character by controlling development and promoting agricultural activities, and to allow village expansion in areas where development is considered appropriate.
Some 85 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development" to meet the indigenous villagers' demand for small houses. To serve the needs of the local as well as district population, a total of 12.6 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community".
In order to encourage the development of active/passive recreation and tourism/eco-tourism, some 8.7 hectares of land is zoned "Recreation". To conserve and sustain the natural habitat of the She Shan Tsuen Fung Shui Woodland, 5.5 hectares of land is zoned "Site of Special Scientific Interest" ("SSSI"). Some 25.2 hectares of land is zoned "Conservation Area" to retain the existing natural and rural character of the upland valleys at Tai Om Shan Village and Siu Om Shan Village and provide a buffer between the sensitive area zoned "SSSI" and the built development.
The remaining part of the area, which consists of both actively cultivated and fallow agricultural land, and well-vegetated foothills and knolls, is zoned "Agriculture" (209.4 hectares) and "Green Belt" (61.8 hectares).
The approved Lam Tsuen OZP No. S/NE-LT/11 is now available for public inspection during normal office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department, the Sha Tin, Tai Po and North District Planning Office, the Tai Po District Office and the Tai Po Rural Committee.
Copies of the approved plan are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the plan can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website at http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb.
Ends/Friday, November 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:50
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