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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Tai Tong Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment in the Tai Tong area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (March 23).
The planning scheme area, covering about 960 hectares, is situated in the southern part of the North West New Territories. It is bounded by the ridge of Ho Hok Shan and Kam Tin South in the east, Castle Peak Road (Yuen Long Section) in the north, the Yuen Long Highway in the northwest, Kung Um Road and a nullah in the west and Tai Lam Country Park in the south.
An area of about 3.7 hectares to the immediate east of Yuen Long Town is zoned "Residential (Group A)" to reflect the planning intention for developing the former Au Tau Departmental Quarters site into a public housing development.
An area of about 2.8 hectares located on the southern side of Castle Peak Road (Yuen Long Section) and to the north of Yeung Uk Tsuen is zoned "Residential (Group C)" to reflect the existing residential developments and to facilitate future development of low-rise and low-density residential developments with ancillary facilities.
The "Residential (Group D)" zone, covering an area of about 25 hectares around Tai Kei Leng and another area between Sham Chung Tsuen in the north and Shui Tsiu San Tsuen in the south, is intended for residential upgrading and low-rise and low-density residential development on application to the Board. The recognised villages in the planning scheme area and areas suitable for village expansion with about 194 hectares of land are zoned "Village Type Development".
Two sites totalling about 28.2 hectares to the southeast of Nam Hang Tsuen and south of Tai Tong Tsuen are zoned "Open Storage" to cater for the demand for land for open storage uses and to regularise the existing open storage use within the area.
Two lots of land with a total area of about 9.1 hectares are zoned "Government, Institution or Community" to reflect existing uses including an electricity substation, schools, Pok Oi Hospital Tin Ka Ping Centre and Au Tau Fresh Water Service Reservoir and its extension.
Two sites covering about 7.9 hectares of land to the south of the Yuen Long Highway are zoned "Open Space" to provide land for the development of active and passive recreational uses and to serve as a buffer from the highway. An area of about 18.6 hectares east of Yeung Ka Tsuen and another area of about 3.7 hectares in the former Tai Tong East Borrow Area are zoned "Recreation" and "Recreation (1)" respectively to encourage the development of recreation and tourism.
Two sites to the east of Kung Um Road and an area at the junction of Tai Shu Ha Road East and Tai Shu Ha Road West are zoned "Other Specified Uses" ("OU") annotated "Rural Use", which is intended primarily for preservation of the rural character. Uses or developments compatible with the rural landscape may be allowed on application to the Board. A site to the south of Castle Peak Road (Yuen Long Section) at Au Tau is zoned "OU" annotated "Petrol Filling Station" to reflect its existing use.
About 299 hectares of land is zoned "Agriculture" to safeguard good agricultural land and retain fallow arable land with good potential for rehabilitation. The hilly slopes of Ho Hok Shan and a site near Nam Hang Pai in the close proximity of Tai Lam Country Park are zoned "Green Belt" to define the limits of urban and sub-urban development areas.
The hilly area of about 211 hectares in the eastern part of the planning scheme area is zoned "Conservation Area" to preserve the existing natural character and topographical features. Two sites covering about 50 hectares of land to the southeast of Tai Tong Tsuen and in the southern part of the planning scheme area, both falling within the Tai Lam Country Park, are zoned "Country Park".
The approved Tai Tong OZP No. S/YL-TT/16 is available for public inspection during office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters of Planning Department in North Point and Sha Tin, the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long District Planning Office, the Yuen Long District Office, and the Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee.
Copies of the approved OZP 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 www.info.gov.hk/tpb.
Ends/Friday, March 23, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:46
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