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The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Cheung Chau Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).
"The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Cheung Chau area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (February 17).
The Planning Scheme Area covers a total area of about 307 hectares, comprising the island of Cheung Chau with a land area of about 244 hectares and the 63-hectare Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter.
Cheung Chau is the most densely populated outlying island. The central lowland contains the development core where most of the existing village areas, commercial uses and major community facilities are concentrated. Apart from these and some scattered low-rise low-density residential and institutional developments and a rural public housing estate in the southern upland, the island is hilly and largely undeveloped.
The planning intention of the Area is to preserve the rural character, car-free environment and the natural landscape of the island. In the designation of various zones in the Area, consideration has been given to the natural environment, physical landform, existing land use pattern, land status, availability of infrastructure and local development requirements.
Some 8.2, 12.5 and 2.2 hectares of land are zoned "Residential (Group A)", "Residential (Group C)" and "Residential (Group D)" respectively for private residential and public housing developments at various development densities.
About 0.3 hectare of land is zoned "Commercial" for commercial developments to serve the neighbourhood and visitors. In addition, 29.9 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development" for the provision of land for the retention of the existing village areas.
To meet the needs of residents in the Area, a total of 17.8 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community" (G/IC) for the provision of a wide range of G/IC facilities.
Some 11.7 hectares of land is designated as "Open Space" for the provision of outdoor open-air public space for active and passive recreational activities and about 8.4 hectares of land is zoned "Recreation" for the development of recreation and tourism/eco-tourism.
About 13 hectares of land is zoned "Other Specified Uses". These include beach-related leisure uses, cemetery, sewage treatment works, refuse transfer station, shipyard and ship repairing workshop and piers.
In order to define the limits of development areas by natural features, to protect the natural landscape, as well as to provide passive recreational outlets for local population and visitors, a total of 111.5 hectares of land is zoned "Green Belt". Moreover, some 22.7 hectares of land is zoned "Coastal Protection Area" so as to conserve, protect and retain the natural coastlines and the sensitive natural coastal environment.
The approved Cheung Chau OZP No. S/I-CC/3 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 in North Point and Sha Tin, the Lantau and Islands District Planning Office, the Islands District Office and the Cheung Chau 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, February 17, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:00
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