Harbour-front Enhancement Committee
First Meeting
Paper No. 3/2004
For discussion
on 6 May 2004
South East Kowloon Development (SEKD)
Comprehensive Planning and Engineering Review
Stage 1 – Planning Review
PURPOSE
This paper seeks Members' comments on the proposed Comprehensive Planning and Engineering Review of South East Kowloon Development (the Comprehensive Review of SEKD), in particular the Stage 1 Planning Review.
2. As Members may recall, apart from the Central Reclamation Phase III underway, Wan Chai North and SEKD are the only two remaining reclamation proposals within the Harbour. These two proposals are subject to review to ensure compliance with the law. One of the key tasks of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee is to provide timely feedback on these reviews. We expect to consult the Committee at every stage of the review. This paper seeks Members' views and comments on a Study Brief for the review based on which consultants will be engaged to undertake the work.
3. Planning Department (PlanD) has published the Outline Study Brief for the Stage 1 Planning Review and has subsequently received four submissions. PlanD has now prepared the draft Study Brief (Annex A) for the Planning Review and we invite Members to comment on this document. Members' comments and inputs will be considered by PlanD in finalizing the Study Brief before issuing it to shortlisted Consultants for submission of technical and fee proposals.
BACKGROUND
4. The Comprehensive Feasibility Study for the Revised Scheme of South East Kowloon Development (SEKD CFS), completed in mid-2001, has prepared the Outline Master Development Plan (OMDP) for the former Kai Tak Airport site. On the basis of the OMDP, the Kai Tak (North) and (South) Outline Zoning Plans (OZP) were prepared to provide the statutory planning framework to proceed with the implementation of SEKD. On 25 June 2002, the Chief Executive in Council approved the OZPs.
5. The OZPs incorporate a number of reclamation proposals, namely Kowloon Bay Reclamation, Kai Tak Approach Channel Reclamation, Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter and Cha Kwo Ling Reclamation and reclamation for a cruise terminal with a total reclamation area of about 133 hectares or 30% of the total development scheme area.
6. In view of the "overriding public need test" on reclamation in Victoria Harbour formulated by the Court of Final Appeal on 9 January 2004 and the extent of reclamation proposed in the current development scheme, we need to undertake the Comprehensive Review to ensure SEKD's compliance with the legal requirements and meeting public aspiration on this prominent waterfront site.
APPROACH OF THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
7. While the proposed Comprehensive Review provides an opportunity to revisit the future development of SEKD, the previous planning and engineering studies contain useful information and provide the groundwork for the present review. It is, in fact, a continuation of an on-going planning process, taking into account the aspiration of the community, the latest legal interpretation of the Protection of Harbour Ordinance (PHO) and the recent strategic planning concepts proposed under the Hong Kong 2030. Development and infrastructure projects committed by the Government as well as major policy initiatives made known since approval of the Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plans (OZP), e.g. the development of a cruise terminal and the Shatin to Central Link, would also be incorporated into the study process.
Stages of the Comprehensive Review
8. The Comprehensive Review, as illustrated in Annex B, is broadly divided into three stages –
- Stage 1: A Planning Review to start with public consultation to gauge the community's aspiration on the development parameters for the Kai Tak site. It would take "no reclamation" as the planning basis to formulate conceptual development options (i.e. Outline Concept Plan (OCP)) for further public consultation before preparation of a detailed Preliminary Outline Development Plan (PODP).
The community and stakeholder groups will be consulted again in finalizing the PODP, which would be subject to preliminary technical assessments to ascertain feasibility in broad term. The finalized PODP will serve as basis for the Stage 2 Engineering Review.
- Stage 2: An Engineering Review to undertake detailed engineering feasibility studies and Schedule 3 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study, including Schedule 2 EIA studies, where appropriate, to confirm the feasibility of the PODP, as well as to produce a Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP) to form the basis for revision to the approved statutory plans to be referred back for amendment by the Chief Executive in Council.
- Stage 3: Commence statutory planning procedures under the Town Planning Ordinance, including amendments to OZPs and processing of objections, if any. The revised OZPs will provide an updated statutory planning framework to proceed with the implementation of SEKD.
9. PlanD will manage the consultancy for the Stage 1 Planning Review scheduled to start in mid-2004, with Outline Concept Plans promulgated for public consultation by late 2004, and to complete by late-2005.
10. The actual programme depends on the feedbacks from this Committee and the public. The Engineering Review, to be managed by Territory Development Department (TDD), would dovetail and is expected to be completed by mid-2007. The statutory planning procedure could commence ahead of completion of Stage 2 study, by early 2007, once the RODP is confirmed to be technically feasible and environmentally acceptable. A Broad Study Programme is at Annex C.
Public Consultations throughout the Comprehensive Review
11. Public involvement would be an essential component of the Review to address public concerns on reclamation in Victoria Harbour and high aspiration for a quality development in SEKD, which is a major harbour-front site in the urban area. The Review would include extensive public engagement activities to help building public consensus on the study proposals as well as to gauge alternative development concepts from the community. The consultation with this Committee throughout the Comprehensive Review is shown in Annex D. Specifically, public consultations will proceed in the following manner –
- Three stages of public consultation regarding the study objectives, coverage, methodology and programme (at the beginning of the study); the options for Outline Concept Plan; and the draft Preliminary Outline Development Plan.
- A comprehensive Public Consultation Strategy and Programme would be established as part of the Study Inception Report to map out detailed public consultation activities, which would include public forums, presentation to statutory and advisory bodies, including this Committee, and focused meetings with stakeholder and local groups. Public Consultation Digests would be prepared to facilitate discussion.
- A study website would be prepared to mount onto PlanD's website. This would facilitate public access to study reports, public consultation activities as well as providing a window for public feedback and enquiry through out the study process.
- Public Consultation Reports would be prepared to summarize the results of each stage of public consultation. They would be submitted to this Committee for consideration and advice on the responses of the study team. These reports would be distributed to the consultees to enable them to keep track of the progress of the Study as well as response to the views collected at that stage of public consultation.
APPROACH OF THE PLANNING REVIEW (the Study)
Study Area
12. The Study Area, which basically follows the coverage of the Kai Tak OZPs and includes the surrounding water bodies, is delineated at Plan X. It includes the peripheral area of the existing districts, e.g. Hung Hom, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Kok, Kowloon City, San Po Kong, Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong and Cha Kwo Ling, as Area of Interface to examine connectivity issues between existing and future new developments and to revisit of the planning scheme along existing waterfront areas. It also covers the Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter areas to explore suitable water-based activities at appropriate timeframe.
Study Objectives and Tasks
13. The main objectives of the Study are to formulate a new development concept for SEKD in the light of the latest legal interpretation of the PHO and to re-establish the planning framework to facilitate redevelopment of the former Kai Tak Airport site. In accordance with the principle of presumption against reclamation in the PHO, the Study would start on the basis of a "no reclamation" development scenario.
14. The key tasks of the Study are highlighted below –
- Review the current proposals for SEKD, strategic planning proposals, e.g. Hong Kong 2030, and other development concepts initiated by the community, with a view to establish a list of main development components and essential infrastructure projects as input to the study.
- Formulate alternative OCPs for the Study Area that incorporate the identified development and infrastructure projects. A finalized OCP is to be prepared on the basis of the public comments received and the beneficial components of the different options.
- Prepare a draft PODP, supported by an Urban Design and Landscape Master Plan, for the Study Area. Relevant proposals for the Area of Interface and adjacent water bodies will also be included.
- Undertake preliminary technical assessments, covering the traffic/ transport, environmental, marine, drainage and sewerage, highway structure, water and utility, and implementation aspects, as inputs to different stages of the Study, in particular to confirm the preliminary technical feasibility of the draft PODP. The PODP is to be finalized taking into account public comments received and the preliminary technical assessments.
15. The proposals developed at different stages of the Study would need to demonstrate that the requirements of the PHO are fully complied with.
ADVICE SOUGHT
16. Members are invited to comment on –
- The approach of the Comprehensive Review (paragraphs 7-11 above);
- The approach of the Planning Review (paragraphs 12-15 above); and
- The draft Study Brief for the Planning Review (Annex A).
Secretariat, Harbour-front Enhancement Committee
April 2004