Time to review our land use strategy (SCMP A15)

 

 

Time to review our land use strategy

Land supply has been a much discussed topic over the past two years. The notion that only 6.9 per cent of Hong Kong’s land is utilized for residential purposes has given many people the wrong impression that there is still much that can be developed for housing. This, however, is not true. The 6.9 per cent represents only the portion of land on which residential housing is built. Including land for commercial and industrial use; roads; government, institution or community facilities; open space; and other built-on or vacant land, the total developed land is about 24 per cent.

This does not mean that the other 76 per cent could all be used for development. Hong Kong’s total area of 1,100 square kilometers is dominated by hills and mountains (about 60 per cent) and includes over 200 islands, most of which are also hilly and without infrastructure. Sixty per cent of natural hillsides have slopes of 20 to 45 degrees. Thus, there’s not quite as much land suitable for development as one might think.

In the discussion of land supply, some people have queried why we do not make use of the 2,300 hectares of vacant government sites to solve the imminent housing problem.

We need to consider two factors. First, most of the vacant sites are small in size and not suitable for developing into housing complexes that can accommodate a considerable number of residents and provide the necessary community facilities and open space conforming to proper planning standards.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, we must always have some land reserved to cater for unforeseeable community or development needs, which change over time as the public’s aspiration change. For example, we should not overlook expansion of local clinics and community facilities to meet the needs of the growing population and to satisfy the aspiration for better-quality.

There are other options that we should explore. Intensified land utilization is certainly one of them. The case of Ming Wah Dai Ha, a rental estate in Shau Kei Wan currently under redevelopment, is a good example. Originally built in the early 1960s, the buildings are aging, and so are their residents. The Housing Society is now redeveloping the estate, optimizing the available plot ratio. When the redevelopment is complete, not only will it provide a third more housing units, it will also become an integrated community offering homes for the elderly and related services, as well as commercial and community facilities. In recycling developed land, we can optimize land use, either by fully utilizing the approved plot ratio or possibly increasing it.

Are country parks also an option? They are more than just places for hiking, barbecue or other

Dr. Peter K.S. Pun Honorary Chairman SD Advocates

leisure activities at the weekend. They are our most valuable conservation assets and perfect locations for outdoor education. Most importantly, they are a vital part of our water supply system.

There are 24 country parks in Hong Kong, 11 of which are home to our 17 reservoirs. These 11 parks, totaling 69 per cent of the total area of all our 24 country parks, form a network of catchments for collecting rainwater into the reservoirs. These parks were designated with an important purpose of protecting the catchments from contamination. Although we now rely mainly on the Dongjiang for our water supply, rainwater collected from the catchments still provides a significant percentage – between 11 per cent and 27 per cent in the past three years – of Hong Kong’s consumption. The reservoirs have another important function – they store the imported Dongjiang water that is surplus to immediate needs. Any development in these parks would contaminate the catchment areas and therefore water in the reservoirs.

We should also be aware of the increasing demand for water in Guangdong due to the rapid economic development and population increase in the province. In the long run, we must increase our water self-reliance. The Water Supplies Department is working on a feasibility study into seawater desalination with the aim of, by the 2020s, initially providing for 5 per cent of our water consumption needs. In the meantime, it would be most inadvisable to even think of encroaching on our catchment areas.

One may ask, “What about the other 31 per cent of our country park area?” It is true that this is not part of our water supply system. When there is no alternative to meet our development needs, as our population grows and people aspire to a better living environment, there may be a time when we will need to consider using some of the fringe areas of those parks, for example, the northern and southern strips of Lantau.

It is always a matter of balance between meeting the human needs and protecting the natural environment for sustainable development – “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” as defined by the Brundtland Commission.

The government is pushing ahead with the northeast New Territories and Hung Shui Kiu new development areas and has proposed several other ways to create more land. We should concentrate on these projects, which deal with our medium- and long-term needs for land.. Meanwhile, instead of spending time in seeking isolated solutions, we should review our land-use strategy to seek co-ordinated ways to optimize land use in conjunction with our population and housing strategy, and people’s aspiration.

 

 

Published on SCMP A15 dated 25 Sep 2013