Draft Ngau Tam Mei Outline Zoning Plan approved
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    The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Ngau Tam Mei Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Ngau Tam Mei area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (December 15).

     The Planning Scheme Area covers about 920.7 hectares of land.  It is bounded by Ki Lun Shan Au (Saddle Pass) in the east, San Tin Highway in the north and the west and Lam Tsuen Country Park in the south.

     Three areas of about 53.3 hectares are zoned "Comprehensive Development Area" (CDA). The CDA zone to the south of Tam Mei Barracks is intended to be developed as a local centre for the Ngau Tam Mei area whereas the CDA zones to the east of Sheung Chuk Yuen and to the south of the former military site at Shek Wu Wai are intended for comprehensive residential development with any other supporting facilities.  

     The existing Maple Gardens, Casa Paradizo, Rolling Hills, and areas along and near the San Tin Highway, totaling about 54.1 hectares, are zoned "Residential (Group C)" for low-rise, low-density residential developments. Provision is also made for "Residential (Group D)" zone, about 27.3 hectares, to encourage residential upgrading of the existing temporary domestic structures to permanent buildings.  

     About 37.7 hectares of land is zoned "Village Type Development" to designate both existing recognized villages and areas of land suitable for village expansion.

     About 16.3 hectares of land is zoned "Government, Institution or Community" to reflect the existing livestock waste composting plant, Ngau Tam Mei Water Treatment Works and Ngau Tam Mei Fresh Water Primary Service Reservoir.  

     Another 43.1 hectares of land is zoned "Recreation" to provide for recreational developments for the use of the general public.

     The "Industrial (Group D)" zone located to the south of Ngau Tam Mei valley, about 7.9 hectares, is intended primarily for industrial uses that cannot be accommodated in conventional flatted factories and for the redevelopment of existing informal industrial uses to properly designed permanent industrial buildings.  

     In addition, about 91.8 hectares of land is zoned "Open Storage" to provide land for appropriate open storage uses and to regularise the existing open storage uses.

     A small area of about 0.5 hectare between San Tin Highway and San Tam Road is zoned "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Electricity Sub-station" for the provision of an electric sub-station to meet the local area demand.

     About 316.7 hectares of land in Shek Wu Wai, around the San Tin Barracks and south of Ngau Tam Mei valley is zoned "Green Belt" which is intended to define the limits of urban and suburban development areas by natural features and to contain urban sprawl as well as to provide passive recreational outlets.  

     The "Conservation Area" zone, covering about 255.8 hectares, serves to protect and retain the existing natural landscape, ecological or topographical features of the area for conservation, educational and research purposes and to give added protection to the Lam Tsuen Country Park.

     The approved Ngau Tam Mei OZP No. S/YL-NTM/12 is now available for public inspection during normal office hours at the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, the Planning Enquiry Counters of Planning Department, the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long District Planning Office, the Yuen Long District Office and the San Tin 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, December 15, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:30

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