Minutes of the 7th Meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council
Date: 1 November 2016 (Tuesday) Time: 9:32 a.m. Venue: Tuen Mun District Council (TMDC) Conference Room
Present : Time of Arrival Time of Departure Mr LEUNG Kin-man, BBS, MH, JP (Chairman) 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr LEE Hung-sham, Lothar, MH (Vice-chairman) 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr SO Shiu-shing 9:34 a.m. End of meeting Mr TO Sheck-yuen, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr CHU Yiu-wah 9:32 a.m. 2:03 p.m. Ms KONG Fung-yi 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr NG Koon-hung 9:30 a.m. 11:50 a.m. Ms WONG Lai-sheung, Catherine 9:34 a.m. 3:40 p.m. Mr AU Chi-yuen 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Ms HO Hang-mui 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr LAM Chung-hoi 9:41 a.m. End of meeting Mr TSUI Fan, MH 12:39 p.m. 2:38 p.m. Ms CHING Chi-hung 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Ms LUNG Shui-hing, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr CHAN Man-wah, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting The Hon LAU Ip-keung, Kenneth, MH, JP 9:30 a.m. 2:03 p.m. Mr CHAN Manwell, Leo 10:37 a.m. 2:03 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Hang-fai 9:30 a.m. End of meeting The Hon HO Kwan-yiu, JP 9:41 a.m. 12:14 p.m. Ms CHU Shun-nga, Beatrice 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr TSANG Hin-hong 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Ms SO Ka-man 9:30 a.m. 11:31 a.m. Mr KAM Man-fung 9:30 a.m. 2:03 p.m. Mr MO Shing-fung 9:42 a.m. End of meeting Mr YEUNG Chi-hang 9:31 a.m. End of meeting Mr YAN Siu-nam 9:31 a.m. End of meeting Mr TAM Chun-yin 9:30 a.m. End of meeting Mr LAU Chun-fai, Lawrence Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Tuen Mun District (Secretary) Office, Home Affairs Department
Absent with Apologies : Mr KWU Hon-keung Mr CHAN Yau-hoi, BBS,MH, JP Mr YIP Man-pan
By Invitation : Ms KUN Ka-yin, April Chief Town Planner/Studies and Research, Planning Department Ms LAI Pik-hung, Stephanie Senior Town Planner/Studies and Research 4, Planning Department Mr LO Man-kin, Dennis Senior Engineer 3 (New Territories West), Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms LEE Hang-yi, Wilda Senior Engineer 5 (New Territories West), Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms Teresa FONG Chief Planning Officer 1, Housing Department Ms Evelyn LEE Senior Planning Officer 4 (Acting), Housing Department Mr Matthew IP Senior Civil Engineer 7, Housing Department Mr Peter CHOW Senior Architect 33, Housing Department Mr Henry LUK Senior Architect 23, Housing Department Mr John LO Senior Architect 29 (Acting), Housing Department Ms LI Fung-yuk Housing Manager/Lettings 1, Housing Department Mr CHUN Ka-hung Chief Building Surveyor/E, Buildings Department Mr TAI Yuk-sum, Sam Senior Building Surveyor/E5, Buildings Department Mr PANG Chi-chiu Senior Engineer 9/Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Highways Department Mr KWAN Wing-hong Senior Engineer 10/Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Highways Department Mr Julian LAM Director of Corporate and Community Relations, CLP Holdings Limited Mr Paul CHAN Senior Property Manager, CLP Holdings Limited Mr CHAU Wai-ming Senior Maintenance Manager (North Region), CLP Holdings Limited Mr Igor HO Project Manager, AECOM Asia Company Limited
In Attendance : Mr LO Chun-hang, Simpson District Officer (Tuen Mun) (Acting), Home Affairs Department Ms CHAN Hoi-ting, Gillian Assistant District Officer (Tuen Mun)2, Home Affairs Department Ms KOO Kit-yee, Angie Senior Liaison Officer (1), Tuen Mun District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr CHAU Ka-nin, Eric Senior Liaison Officer (2), Tuen Mun District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr CHEUNG Ka-leung, Tony Chief Engineer/New Territories West 3 (New Territories West), Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr TSE Lai-chi District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Tuen Mun), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr LEUNG Cheuk-fai Senior School Development Officer(Tuen Mun), Education Bureau Mr Rupert Timothy Alan DOVER District Commander (Tuen Mun), Hong Kong Police Force Ms CHOI Sau-kuen Police Community Relations Officer (Tuen Mun District), Hong Kong Police Force Mr WONG Wing-hung, Stephen Chief Manager/Management (Tuen Mun and Yuen Long), Housing Department Mr LAI Kai-tai, John District Lands Officer/Tuen Mun, Lands Department Mr MOK Hing-cheung Administrative Assistant/Lands (District Lands Office, Tuen Mun), Lands Department Mr WONG Shu-yan, Francis Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories North), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr WONG Ying-ming District Leisure Manager (Tuen Mun), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr LAM Chi-man, David District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West, Planning Department Mrs Quinnie NG District Social Welfare Officer (Tuen Mun) (Acting), Social Welfare Department Mr HUE Ka-yiu, Daniel Chief Transport Officer/New Territories North West, Transport Department Mr HO Ming-yin, Jim Senior Transport Officer/New Territories/Housing, Transport Department Ms YU Tsz-yan, Blanche Executive Officer I (District Council)1, Tuen Mun District Office, (Assistant Secretary) Home Affairs Department
Action I. Opening Remarks The Chairman welcomed all present to the 7th meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council (“TMDC”). He extended welcome to the representatives of government departments, especially Mr Daniel HUE, Chief Transport Officer/New Territories North West of the Transport Department (“TD”), who attended a meeting of the current-term TMDC for the first time. Besides, he thanked Ms LEUNG Pui-yin, Wendy, the former Chief Transport Officer/New Territories North West of the TD, for the contribution she had made to Tuen Mun.
2. The Chairman said any Member who was aware of a personal interest in a discussion item should declare the interest before the discussion. He would, in accordance with Order 39(11) of the TMDC Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”), decide whether the Member who had declared an interest might speak or vote on the matter, might remain in the meeting as an observer, or should withdraw from the meeting. All cases of declaration of interests would be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
II. Absence from Meeting 3. The Secretary said the Secretariat had received the notifications of absence of Mr KWU Hon-keung and Mr YIP Man-pan, and they had respectively authorised Mr
LEUNG Kin-man, the Chairman, and Mr MO Shing-fung to vote on their behalf at this meeting.
III. Confirmation of Minutes of the 6th Meeting Held on 6 September 2016 4. The Chairman said that on 24 October 2016, the Secretariat had sent the draft of the above minutes to all participants of the meeting. As no proposed amendments had been received thereafter and no amendments were proposed by Members at this meeting, the above minutes were confirmed.
5. At this point, a Member indicated that the TMDC had discussed at its meeting in July an issue about Tuen Mun Western Bypass (“TMWB”), but no arrangements had been made to bring up this issue for further discussion at any subsequent meetings. She reckoned that the relevant policy bureau should report to the TMDC about the latest progress even if it had not yet made final decisions.
6. A Member added that at the TMDC meeting in July, Under Secretary for Transport and Housing had said he would report to the TMDC about the latest progress of TMWB after consulting the Yuen Long District Council (“YLDC”). Therefore, he
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Action hoped the Chairman would further discuss this issue at the next meeting and invited Under Secretary for Transport and Housing to attend it.
7. The Chairman said the TMDC would express Members’ concerns about the latest progress of TMWB to the Transport and Housing Bureau (“THB”) and invite the bureau to report to the TMDC about the latest progress in due course.
[Post-meeting note: The letter was issued on 13 December.]
IV. Matters Arising (A) Proposal to Replace 400kV High Voltage Pylons with Cable Tunnels (TMDC Paper No. 27/2016 (Discussed on 6 September 2016), Written Response of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, Paragraphs 52 to 61 of Minutes of the 6th TMDC Meeting on 6 September 2016, and Written Response of Environment Bureau) 8. The Chairman indicated that the TMDC had discussed this issue at its meeting in September. Yet, as no representatives from the Environment Bureau (“ENB”), the Development Bureau (“DEVB”) and CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (“CLP”) had been present at that meeting, the TMDC had decided that this issue be carried over for further discussion. After that meeting, the Secretariat had written again to the ENB, the DEVB and CLP inviting them to send representatives to a TMDC meeting, and a consolidated written response on this issue had been received from the ENB and the DEVB. The Secretariat had emailed the relevant papers to Members for perusal before the current meeting.
9. The Chairman welcomed Mr Julian LAM, Director of Corporate and Community Relations, Mr Paul CHAN, Senior Property Manager, and Mr CHAU Wai-ming, Senior Maintenance Manager (North Region), of CLP to the meeting.
10. The first proposer of the paper said that at present pylons were erected in Fu Tei Tsuen, the area between Tsing Lun Road and Villa Pinada, Yuen Long Highway, Yuen Tau Shan, and the area between Yick Yuen Tsuen and Sun Fung Wai. He added that despite the TMDC’s objection, CLP had successfully persuaded the affected villagers to accept its compensation proposals and built pylons in the above places years before. He reckoned that the relevant authority was developing a new town in HSK, and the conventional approach of pylon erection would have impacts on the scenery of the region and the health of people there. Therefore, he suggested building underground power supply systems on a trial basis along the areas from Yuen Long Highway, Yick
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Action Yuen Tsuen, Sun Fung Wai to Shun Tat Street, and using the land resources so released for housing development.
11. Mr Julian Lam of CLP indicated that while CLP had no plan to build such a tunneled power supply system at the moment, it would explore with the relevant policy bureaux feasible proposals if the policy bureaux had such a development plan.
12. Mr Paul Chan of CLP gave a PowerPoint presentation on conceptual proposals on replacing high-voltage overhead lines with underground facilities. He explained that many factors other than technical ones had to be considered in building cable tunnels, including the impacts on stakeholders and the compatibility with the Government’s development projects. He added that it also took time to consult the wider public.
13. The first proposer of the paper said that if CLP had no plan to build a tunneled power supply system, he would request the relevant departments to consider his proposal during the discussion on issues relating to Hung Shui Kiu (“HSK”) New
Development Area (“NDA”). He hoped to take this opportunity to make Tuen Mun a trial district for underground pylon erection and extend this to other districts in New Territories in the future.
14. A Member supported the proposal, considering that it was indeed necessary to make early planning for the overall cable system in view of the upcoming large-scale construction works in Tuen Mun, including the HSK project, the TMWB construction and so forth. In her view, the Government should take the initiatives concerned forward, and CLP could hardly entertain the proposal without the support of the relevant bureaux. Therefore, she requested the Government to make planning for the overall cable system as soon as possible.
15. A Member supported the proposal of the paper, remarking that it was very unfair on residents in New Territories because the pylons were built in rural areas only. She opined that the relevant departments evaded the pylon issue despite the upcoming development of HSK, Area 54 and so forth. While CLP had stated that the proposal was technically feasible and it was willing to support the Government’s development plan, there were no representatives from the ENB and the DEVB present at this meeting. She opined that the bureaux seemed to shirk their responsibility. She suggested to the Chairman that this issue be carried over and the two policy bureaux be invited again to send representatives to the next meeting.
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16. A Member said many residents were worried about being surrounded by overhead cables, which also affected the landscape of the district. As many housing estates would be completed in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long in the future, she opined that it was reasonable to take this opportunity to build tunnels for cables. She hoped representatives from the relevant bureaux could attend the next meeting to state their position, as this proposal could hardly be carried out by CLP alone.
17. The Vice-chairman hoped CLP could provide information about the feasibility of and difficulties in introducing tunneled transmission of power to HSK NDA, in order for the TMDC to put questions to the Planning Department (“PlanD”) on the issue to be discussed later.
18. A Member supported the proposal and asked CLP the following questions: (i) how much it would cost if a tunneled power supply system was built in the areas proposed in the paper; (ii) how tunneled transmission of power could be arranged for a land section at the southern tip of HSK NDA, which overlapped with the above areas, and how much it would cost; (iii) when the TMDC should make a proposal and how the Government could cooperate with CLP in launching the works for the above proposal; and (iv) whether the cost of works would be passed on to consumers.
19. A Member supported the proposal, remarking that the development of land under overhead cables was hindered despite the Government’s need to find land for long-term development. He reckoned that besides the DEVB, the ENB should also discuss this proposal with CLP and help forward the proposal by including relevant terms and conditions in its agreement with CLP. He suggested passing this issue to the Working Group on Development and Planning of Tuen Mun District for long-term follow-ups.
20. A Member held the view that while it might be difficult to request a tunneled power transmission system to be built for a small area, it was reasonable to request it to be built in a new development town, such as HSK NDA, to help put environmental concepts into practice. He believed it was technically feasible to build a tunneled power transmission system in HSK NDA, but the key issue lay in whether the cost was high or low. He would like CLP to provide information about the cost of and the time required for the above works, adding that the TMDC could further discuss the related arrangements with the relevant policy bureaux if the cost was reasonable.
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Action 21. A Member pointed out that other advanced countries also used tunnels to accommodate cables. He opined that this proposal was a new approach and should thus be trialled in a new development project. Therefore, he agreed that the proposal should be implemented on a pilot basis in HSK NDA and extended to other districts in the longer future, while the PlanD, the Lands Department (“LandsD”) and other relevant departments should follow it up. In his view, CLP alone could hardly get the work done and government support was thus necessary, so he hoped the relevant policy bureaux would work with CLP in making long-term plans.
22. The first proposer of the paper said there were several development sites in HSK NDA falling within the coverage of pylons. He reckoned there would be no chance to build tunnels for cables in future if the present opportunity arising from the HSK development was missed. Besides, he suggested studying the proposal in the context of quarries in the district.
23. Mr Julian Lam of CLP said it was difficult to make financial estimates as the relevant information, such as cable alignment, the areas of land involved and the number of cables, was not available at this stage. He hoped there would be chance to understand the Government’s plan in this regard, so that CLP could provide support.
24. District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West of the PlanD indicated that the department’s research team would respond to Members’ comments on HSK NDA later under the relevant agenda item. As stated in the ENB’s written response, the proposal to adopt cable tunnels was a matter concerning the policy portfolio of the ENB and required its approval. If the proposal could secure policy support and was confirmed feasible, the PlanD would provide support and study the use of the land so released.
25. A Member considered CLP’s and the PlanD’s responses very positive. As HSK NDA was a major development project, he hoped a standing working group be set up to follow up on the related matters.
26. A Member said that when discussing this issue at its previous meeting, the TMDC had resolved to invite the ENB, the DEVB and CLP to send representatives to the current meeting, but no representatives from the ENB and the DEVB were present at this meeting. She would like the Chairman to hold this issue over for further discussion at the next meeting and invite again the bureaux to send representatives to attend it to explain their views on the overall development of Tuen Mun.
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27. The Chairman said people aspired for better quality of life and they could certainly enjoy more comfortable life if a nice environment was created in HSK NDA. He concluded by saying that the issue would be passed to the Working Group on Development and Planning of Tuen Mun District for follow-ups and asking the PlanD to convey messages to the DEVB and invite the bureau to send representatives to attend a meeting of the working group. He would also like the Secretariat to invite the ENB to send representatives to the working group’s meeting.
V. Discussion Items (A) Revised Recommended Outline Development Plan for HSK NDA
(TMDC Paper No. 31/2016) (H) Concern over Administration and Management Issues Relating to HSK NDA Planning and Engineering Study (TMDC Paper No. 38/2016) 28. The Chairman said that as Discussion Items (A) and (H), which were respectively titled “Revised Recommended Outline Development Plan (‘ODP’) for HSK NDA” and “Concern over Administration and Management Issues Relating to HSK NDA Planning and Engineering Study”, were interrelated, he proposed the two be discussed together. Members agreed with this arrangement.
29. The Chairman welcomed Mr Tony CHEUNG, Chief Engineer/New Territories West 3 (New Territories West), Mr Dennis LO, Senior Engineer 3 (New Territories West), and Ms Wilda LEE, Senior Engineer 5 (New Territories West), of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”); Ms April KUN, Chief Town Planner/Studies and Research, and Ms Stephanie LAI, Senior Town Planner/Studies and Research 4, of the PlanD; and Mr Igor HO, Project Manager of AECOM Asia Company Limited, to the meeting.
30. The Chairman said he would first invite the CEDD’s representatives to give a brief introduction to Paper No. 31, and then the first proposer of Paper No. 38 to outline her paper. After that, Members might make comments or enquiries on the above two papers.
31. Ms April KUN of the PlanD gave a brief introduction to Paper No. 31. She indicated that the department had conducted three stages of community engagement exercises on the HSK NDA Planning and Engineering Study and it had visited the TMDC to seek Members’ views at each of the stages. Over the past year, the
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Action department had, by reference to the public opinions collected during the Stage 3 Community Engagement, revised the Recommended ODP for HSK NDA and released the Revised Recommended ODP for HSK NDA in September. At present, the study work had substantially been completed, whereas information on policy-related matters such as land resumption, clearance of sites and compensation would be released after review by the relevant policy bureau.
32. After that, Mr Igor HO of AECOM Asia Company Limited gave Members a PowerPoint presentation on the outline plan, which covered: the background of study, the main public views collected in the Stage 3 Community Engagement, the major amendments made after Stage 3 Community Engagement to the recommended ODP, and the major development parameters, highlights, development programme and implementation arrangements for the Revised Recommended ODP.
33. After that, the first proposer of Paper No. 38 elaborated on her paper. She said the third proposer of the paper could not attend this meeting, and she had been delegated to be the first proposer and express the following views on his behalf: HSK NDA was located between Tuen Mun and Yuen Long and covered more than 10 villages, so the department had to separately consult the district councils (“DCs”) and rural councils of the two districts about the plan. But since there had been disagreements between the two DCs, the Member reckoned there was room for improvement in consultation arrangements. From the experience of handling matters on the Tuen Mun to Tsuen Wan Link, one of the solutions was to invite the TMDC and the YLDC to send their respective representatives to meet and deal with the related consultancy studies together, so that both districts could knew the views of each other. In this connection, the Member hoped the Tuen Mun District Office (“TMDO”) could consider arranging meetings for the two DCs to discuss the details of the plan.
34. A Member was glad that a relatively concrete development timetable was finally available after years of discussion on the development plan. He noted that with an all-inclusive positioning, HSK NDA balanced various needs. He suggested calling it the eco-city of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, he expressed concern about the traffic setting of HSK NDA, opining that it the addition of one car to each train of the West
Rail Line (“WRL”) alone would not be enough to serve the new population in the area as well as the existing population in Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai, so the department had to provide actual figures to convince others. In his view, consideration should be given instead to setting up WRL stations at caverns and quarries and building a spur line leading from the area to Tsuen Wan via Sham Tseng, in order to divert traffic in
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Action the area. He hoped the department could take this opportunity to plan the development of caverns and quarries and to enhance the shoreline area. Besides, he put forward an idea on public housing development, saying that the department might make use of the plan to redevelop Tai Hing Estate and Sam Shing Estate, which were comprised of buildings aged over 30.
35. A Member pointed out that after Reunification in 1997, the Government had planned to develop an eco-city and frozen some land in the area; but somehow, the plan had been shelved subsequently. Therefore, he requested release of land in, for example, Sun Fung Wai. In view of the fact that the Government had spent $60 million on studying the current development plan, he did not preclude the possibility of lodging a judicial review against the relevant authority’s profligate spending. Besides, while the PlanD had consulted the TMDC for three times about the development plan, it had not taken the TMDC’s views into consideration. In his view, the department’s failure to make proper arrangements for villagers of Yick Yuen Tsuen was tantamount to bringing the village to collapse. Moreover, as the lead department, the LandsD had never talked about compensation, and it was only the PlanD that said the relevant arrangements would be announced later. He added that similarly, the relevant departments had disregarded his proposals such as replacing 400kV high voltage pylons with cable tunnels, transporting waste through tunnels and elevating LRT tracks at Lam Tei, Nai Wai and Chung Uk Tsuen Stations. He indicated that if there were no proper arrangements, the villagers of Yick Yuen Tsuen would insist on “no removal, no demolition”, and the Tuen Mun Rural Committee (“TMRC”) and the Heung Yee Kuk New Territories would also raise strong objection to the plan.
36. A Member concurred with the views of the above Member, opining that the PlanD should strike a balance between various factors and the relevant departments should also make proper arrangements for villagers to move out. He indicated that as the public’s awareness of conservation had grown in recent years, the department should not only explore how to keep the original appearance of villages in HSK amid the area’s development, but ensure that the living environment of villagers and the quality of their life would not decline, striving for harmony between tradition and modernity. He said he had grown up in a village and experienced the impact of large-scale construction works carried out nearby, so he hoped the department could deal with the related matters properly. Besides, he expressed the following views to the department: (i) the current plan made no mention of urban and rural conservation, and he hoped the department could properly handle matters about land resumption and removal; (ii) the plan also gave no clear account of the arrangements for the Lau Fau
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Action Shan shoreline, and he suggested taking the opportunity of the current development plan to improve the landscape and ecological environment there; (iii) he suggested the building of pylons in tunnel form be adopted in some places zoned for other land uses at the southern tip of HSK NDA; and (iv) he suggested the department use places zoned for other land uses in HSK NDA to support the development of brownfield logistics.
37. A Member indicated that the PlanD and the CEDD had consulted the TMRC about the current development plan on three occasions, during which the TMRC had expressed villagers’ concerns about demolition, compensation, rehousing, transport setting in rural areas, etc. When consulting the TMRC again on 29 October this year, the department had undertaken to give consideration to the related operators’ and villagers’ concerns about such matters as compensation, rehousing and agricultural rehabilitation, and to announce the related arrangements later. The villagers were disappointed with the department’s responses and felt worried, and they had indicated after heated and in-depth discussion that they would insist on “no removal, no demolition” if there were no proper arrangements. And the TMRC supported the villagers’ aspirations and unanimously opposed the plan. Moreover, he considered that what the PlanD had done was actually to demolish villages while using design as a disguise, which was putting the cart before the horse. While agreeing that Hong Kong as a whole should develop towards the goal of urbanisation, he said respect should be given to traditional village cultures (e.g. preserving Yick Yuen Tsuen Village Committee Office) and villages’ development should not be stifled. He added that the Government should be people-oriented, protecting villagers’ rights and interests while making development plans.
38. A Member made the following comments and enquiries on the detailed plans for HSK NDA: (i) the building of the HSK WRL station in HSK NDA and the addition of a WRL train car were not adequate to cope with the population growth in the area; (ii) it was undesirable that there was no linkage system between the HSK WRL station and an existing Light Rail Transit (“LRT”) station, as it would take more than 10 minutes for people to walk between the two places; (iii) the Member asked what arrangements would be made for transport setting in the logistics, enterprise and technology quarter of HSK NDA; (iv) the Member requested details about the Green Transit Corridor (“GTC”) and asked whether there was any connection point between the area and the WRL; (v) the Member worried that the special industries in the area were actually obnoxious facilities; and (vi) the department was asked how it would deal with a number of brownfield sites, which were currently used to keep storehouses or containers.
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39. A Member noted that the HSK development had, for years, been based on the concept of eco-city, but the information digest she received this time (Annex to Paper No. 31) did not specify how environmental concepts would be put into practice. She said she was unclear about whether the transport system of the area would be modelled on that of Tin Shui Wai where LRT was used as a major transport means, and whether the special industries, which would create 61 000 jobs, were industries mainly based on environmental concepts. Moreover, she enquired whether the new WRL station to be built in the area would be connected with any existing LRT station. Besides, she had thought that the split between public and private housing (“public-private housing split”) for HSK NDA was 60:40, but it turned out to be a 50:50 split. Furthermore, worrying that HSK NDA would become another Tin Shui Wai, she hoped the department could work towards the goal of urban-rural integration and make proper planning for HSK NDA with a people-oriented mindset.
40. A Member noted that when the HSK development was launched in 2000, the Government had aimed to build it into an eco-city, but the present development goal was a smart city instead. He wondered if there were any flaws in the previous planning concept or any new breakthroughs in the recent development. He further remarked that the development of a new town should not bring unpleasant memories for the existing residents. He recalled that self-sufficiency had been a goal of the development of Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai in early years, but it turned out that the transport setting of both districts was not satisfactory. He reckoned that in town planning, consideration must be given to employment arrangements and the transport connectivity with other districts must also be factored in accordingly. However, the existing bus network in Tuen Mun was not yet perfect and the railway system had already reached capacity, so HSK NDA would become a dead city if it failed to achieve self-sufficiency. In view of this, he suggested the Tuen Mun to Tsuen Wan Link under discussion be extended to HSK in the form of subway.
41. A Member opined that there was a lack of coordination and foresight among government departments in making the overall planning for ancillary facilities. It was mentioned in the information digest of Paper No. 31 that while TMWB would provide HSK NDA with another external road link, the area would rely mainly on the WRL network for internal transport. Yet, TMWB was still not yet confirmed and traffic volume in Tuen Mun had almost reached saturation point. While HSK NDA would accommodate 218 000 people in the future, the newly-revised transport setting was not a sound one, so she worried very much that traffic problems would in Tuen Mun
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Action deteriorate.
42. A Member supported the plan in view of the fact that there were currently some 300 000 people in Hong Kong awaiting the allocation of public rental housing (“PRH”). He indicated that traffic burden was an issue to be addressed in any development projects in New Territories West, and the key was to enable residents to work locally. Noting that HSK NDA could accommodate 218 000 people in the future but there would be only 150 000 new jobs in the area, he would like the PlanD to explain how it could foresee that the Logistics, Enterprise and Technology Quarter mentioned in the department’s information digest would remain as an employment-boosting industry upon the completion of the HSK NDA. He suggested the department consider setting up public organisations’ offices in the area to provide stable and sustainable employment opportunities. He further remarked that the public-private housing split of 51:49 was not convincing enough, and he raised no objection to the villagers’ demand for “no removal, no demolition”. In addition, he enquired how the goal of urban-rural integration could be achieved through the current development plan.
43. A Member said the public’s aspiration for environmental friendliness was rising and technologies were also advancing; but in the information digest, the department failed to explain in detail how to use technologies to foster innovative environmental concepts in HSK NDA. He suggested expanding the greening areas and reducing the population and building density in HSK NDA. He pointed out that when developing a new town, government departments usually constructed residential buildings first and then developed transport facilities. In his opinion, this was putting the cart before the horse. He also said the conversion of seven-car WRL trains into eight-car ones was intended to meet the current development needs in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, adding that one could hardly imagine how dreadful the scene of residents travelling on the WRL would be if the population increased by 200 000 in the future. He considered that it was necessary to build new roads to save vehicles from crowding on Castle Peak Road or Tuen Mun Road or, alternatively, to develop a new railway system operating from Yuen Long to New Territories East, instead of relying solely on the existing railway system operating to and from Tsuen Wan. Besides, he pointed out that many residents would need to cycle to and from the WRL station, so consideration should be given to building footbridges or subways to provide convenience for cyclists and reduce accidents.
44. A Member indicated that while PRH development was proposed in the current
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Action development plan, it was difficult to predict what would happen several decades later. She hoped HSK NDA would not become another Tin Shui Wai. In view of the fact that HSK NDA spanned five villages and would affect up to 1 500 villagers, she would like to know how the department would rehouse and compensate the affected persons. She also noted that about 80 hectares of land in HSK NDA were zoned for “Residential and Commercial/Residential Uses”. She enquired about the mix between them and wondered if it was necessary to concentrate the 176 000 new population in several dozen hectares of land. Furthermore, she said Tuen Mun had a population of more than 500 000 and up to 55 000 job opportunities (i.e. 11%) at present, while the department estimated that there would be 150 000 new jobs in HSK NDA in the future. She would like to know how this figure was worked out.
45. A Member indicated that while some residents had requested a higher public-private housing split for HSK NDA before, the department explained that the split would be higher if the data for Tin Shui Wai were taken into account. In his view, even the split determined in the long-term housing strategy for Hong Kong (i.e. 60% for public housing and 40% for private housing) could hardly satisfy the current housing need of Hong Kong as a whole, and even if more private buildings were provided, Hong Kong people might hardly afford them as their prices kept rising. Therefore, he considered that the Tin Shui Wai data should be excluded and the public-private housing split for HSK NDA should be raised to 60:40 at least. Moreover, he believed that the conversion of seven-car WRL trains into eight-car ones could just cater for the existing population in Tuen Mun plus the 50 000 new population in Area 54, so it was impossible for the WRL to cope with the future population growth in HSK NDA. Based on the habits of the existing Tuen Mun residents, he predicted that the new population would not prefer travelling to and from urban districts via Tai Lam Tunnel or Yuen Long. Therefore, he was worried about the burden on Tuen Mun Road in the future. He was also concerned with the cargo transport arrangements for the industrial zone and the eco-park. In addition, he indicated that in the case of the Area 54 development, residents had been housed in the area before improvements were made to the transport facilitates there. In view of this, he hoped the department could give due consideration to the transport arrangements.
46. A Member believed that the population of HSK NDA would cluster in the area between Tsing Chuen Wai and Hung Uk Tsuen, so it was proposed in the current plan that two new LRT stations be built in the area. Yet, noting that some community facilities would be situated in the areas of Ha Tsuen and Fung Kong Tsuen, he worried that it might be inconvenient for residents’ access if only one LRT main road was built.
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Action In the planning for transport facilities in Area 54, he had previously suggested that LRT branch roads be built to divert traffic in the area. He would like to put forward this suggestion once again as it not only made environmental sense but could satisfy residents’ demand.
47. A Member opined that the ideas of government departments were often inconsistent with those of the public. While supporting PRH development, she also cared about the related transport facilities and community environment. She reckoned that the department had over-estimated the employment opportunities that could be created, and pointed out that many Tuen Mun residents did not prefer working locally. Besides, she held the view that the conversion of seven-car WRL trains into eight-car ones could just serve the existing population of Tuen Mun, so the transport facilities proposed by the department could no way satisfy the 218 000 population of HSK NDA in the future. She suggested a new railway network should be built to link up with New Territories North West, while Tsuen Wan and the transportation network of Hong Kong as a whole should also be enhanced.
48. A Member said he noticed a major problem in the report of the consultancy firm: while churches in HSK NDA were preserved, the more historically significant Yick Yuen Tsuen was not to be kept. He pointed out that many squatters had been demolished in the district over years amid the development of Hong Kong-Shenzhen
Western Corridor, LRT or MTR rails. He further said he had been the convenor of a working group on studying the HSK development, and among the working group’s members had been the representatives of Yick Yuen Tsuen villagers, who had all along been demanding “no removal, no demolition”.
49. Ms April KUN of the PlanD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments: (i) The teams of the PlanD and the CEDD were mainly responsible for planning and engineering studies, while matters relating to demolition, rehousing and compensation arrangements, etc. were to be further studied by the relevant policy bureaux and departments. Yet, the PlanD had kept in close contact with members of the local communities through the
three stages of community engagement exercises, and it had also conveyed their opinions and demands to the relevant policy bureaux and departments. As the affected persons had different backgrounds, the PlanD had reminded the relevant policy bureaux and departments to provide multiple options. In response to the opinions collected in the
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Action Stage 3 Community Engagement, the PlanD had already expanded the areas for in-situ rehousing when working out the Revised Recommended ODP, but it understood that villagers did not accept the rehousing conditions proposed under the existing mechanism. The arrangements for demolition, rehousing and compensation were relatively complicated, so the relevant policy bureaux and departments needed more time to review and study them. She said the Government would not take any demolition or land resumption action without proper arrangements; (ii) The PlanD had high expectations of and was very firm about the current development project, striving to develop HSK NDA into a regional economic and civic hub. It would also earmark more land for economic uses to provide more jobs requiring different occupational skills, so that local residents could find their right jobs. At present, job opportunities
in Hong Kong were mainly provided in urban districts, and this imposed burdens on transport networks. The 150 000 job opportunities created by the current development project could balance the employment distribution in the territory and ease the shortage of jobs in Tin Shui Wai and Yuen Long; (iii) She agreed that it was desirable for the Government to drive the creation of employment opportunities. While this study was driven by the PlanD and the CEDD, the steering committee formed by different policy bureaux and departments also, in light of their respective portfolios, actively considered earmarking land in the area for economic uses during the study process, in a bid to drive the creation of employment opportunities. In addition, the PlanD had earmarked land for building major government facilities such as government offices and cultural and recreational facilities; (iv) As exemplified by the case of Sha Tin, other community facilities including hospitals and tertiary institutions could also create employment opportunities. The department had earmarked land in the area for
building a hospital and tertiary institutions. These facilities would provide employment opportunities for people from different sectors and with different education backgrounds and skills; (v) During the community engagement exercises, the department had received different views on the public-private housing split. As the current public-private housing split for Tin Shui Wai New Town was about 80:20, the department set a public-private housing split of about 50:50 for HSK NDA, striving to build a community with more balanced
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Action overall planning; (vi) There were 19 recognised villages in HSK NDA, which were respectively located in Tuen Mun Heung, Ping Shan Heung and Ha Tsuen Heung. All these traditional villages would be preserved. The department had given careful consideration to the planning and design of HSK NDA to avoid a dichotomy between urban and rural areas. The department was aware of most villagers’ concern that their villages would be surrounded by high-rise buildings or would not be in harmony with the new developments. In view of this, the department had added more amenity zones and open space in the Revised Recommended ODP, which would serve as a buffer between the existing and new developments. It would also put up visual and ventilation corridors to keep the “fung shui” lanes of villages unobstructed, and set up a heritage trial in Ha Tsuen Heung to promote cultural exchange between existing and new residents. Moreover, junctions of “fung shui” lanes would be earmarked as open spaces to provide venues for celebrations featuring traditional cultures. In designing the overall layout, the department had strived to ensure that the old residents could use the new facilities. It had always maintained direct communication with villagers to address their demands in the planning and design of HSK NDA as far as possible. Due to the limited space of the leaflet, the information digest could hardly include all the relevant information in detail; (vii) The PlanD also paid attention to the connection arrangements for pedestrian walkway and transport networks. It had designed sound pedestrian walkway and traffic road networks; (viii) The department had conducted a series of technical assessments for HSK NDA, including environmental, cultural heritage and visual assessments.
The related environmental impact assessment report had been submitted to the Advisory Council on the Environment for consideration; (ix) The special industries were not obnoxious industries, and they referred to the logistic facilities (covering 37 hectares of land) and the enterprise and technology park (covering 9 hectares of land) mentioned in page 29 of the information digest. For the logistic facilities, the department had kept in close contact with the related industries and secured their support for using land in the area to help position Hong Kong as a regional logistics and distribution centre. The department had discussed with the relevant policy bureaux the enterprise and technology park to provide high-end technology enterprise facilities in HSK NDA, so that the area would have
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Action a more comprehensive and diversified employment mix; (x) In planning community facilities, the department had not only addressed the needs of the new population in HSK NDA, but taken into account the needs of residents in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. These facilities included performance venues, government offices, a magistracy, community halls and so forth; (xi) On the development density of HSK NDA, the department proposed a population distribution featured by people clustering around transport hubs (e.g. railway stations) with a view to making good use of transport facilities in the area, and the development density would descend towards Lau Fau Shan and Deep Bay; and (xii) In the area, there were two churches located at the corners of two design roads. As they had no impacts on the integrity of HSK NDA, so there was no need to demolish the two churches.
50. Mr Tony CHEUNG of the CEDD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments: (i) HSK NDA would be a smart and green living city with sound cycle track and pedestrian walkway networks (see page 19 of the information digest). As the cycle track would link up with the major cycle tracks in Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai, a completed cycle track network would be formed. Other related facilities such as bicycle parking spaces and bicycle rental systems would be provided in HSK NDA, and a sound pedestrian walkway network, including a riverside promenade, a WRL station and a north-south running pedestrian precinct, would also be built in the area to link up the whole HSK NDA. To tie in with the theme of green living, the overall design was aimed at creating a cozy and safe environment that encouraged residents to walk or cycle more; (ii) In early 2017, the CEDD would explore the most suitable transportation mode for the GTC and explore how the system could be connected with
the existing systems for transport to and from Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. The related fare arrangements would also be explored; (iii) A sewage treatment works would be built in HSK NDA, and there would be a study on using reclaimed water for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation to reduce sewage discharge. (iv) A regional park would be built in HSK NDA to provide more green space
and an environment with eco-diversity for residents; (v) On treatment of solid waste, the department would consider setting up an
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Action automatic refuse collection system, organic waste treatment facilities and community green stations in order to raise the publics’ awareness of environmental protection and mitigate nuisance from waste collection; (vi) To save energy, the department would encourage the construction of energy efficient buildings and explore the use of the district cooling system in non-residential development projects; (vii) Communication technology platforms would be built in HSK NDA to
develop the area into a smart-tech city; (viii) There were 190 hectares of brownfield sites in HSK NDA, and 24 hectares of land at the northern tip of the area had been earmarked for port back-up, storage and workshop uses, where multi-storey buildings . would be constructed to accommodate brownfield operations to put land resources to more effective uses. Measures would be taken to mitigate problems arising from the existing brownfield operations; (ix) The department had explored with CLP and other relevant departments the feasibility of the proposal to replace the existing high-voltage pylons with cable tunnels. As stated in the ENB’s response on the issue, the
proposal involved cost and land resumption. From the planning perspective, there was no need to use tunnels as an alternative for power transmission in HSK NDA; (x) The THB and the TD were reviewing the LRT system. They would take into account Members’ proposal to build an elevated LRT system in order to release land for other uses; (xi) The department understood the importance of TMWB to Tuen Mun. After its consultation with the TMDC earlier, the Highways Department (“HyD”) had actively forged ahead with the related study to ensure the project could be implemented as soon as possible. An item represented
by “Road Projects under Planning” in the legend shown in page 20 of the information digest was Route 11 connecting North Lantau and Yuen Long. The external connectivity of HSK NDA would be established after the completion of the above two projects; (xii) For internal transport arrangements, the department not only proposed cancelling Tin Ying Road for better integration between to HSK NDA and
Tin Shui Wai, but would also retain or widen roads in the area and build new ones; and (xiii) The department had reviewed the carrying capacity of the WRL. Not only would seven-car trains be converted into eight-car ones, but train frequency would increase from 20 to 28 trains per hour after the
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Action signalling system of the WRL was upgraded. The former measure could raise the carrying capacity by 14% and the two measures combined could boost the carrying capacity by 60%, which would be adequate to meet the transport needs in HSK NDA. The above carrying capacity was calculated on the basis of four persons per square metre, and the WRL could have an even higher carrying capacity when it was calculated on the basis of six persons per square metre, as trains might be more crowded during peak hours.
51. A Member enquired whether the department designed community facilities in the area in accordance with the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (“HKPSG”). He noted that the plan covered an Environmentally Friendly Transport
Services (“EFTS”) for connection with Yuen Long South. He asked whether the new population of HSK NDA included this part only and whether the traffic road network of the area could cope with the new population.
52. A Member disapproved of the department taking into account the data for Tin Shui Wai in calculating the public-private housing split for HSK NDA, opining that the quantities of public and private housing in HSK NDA should be determined on the basis of a 60:40 split. Moreover, he indicated that cyclists would be inconvenienced by a shortage of bicycle parking spaces, so he reckoned that bicycle parking spaces should be provided not only in the vicinity of residential areas but at the WRL station. In this regard, he asked the department how many bicycle parking spaces were planned to be provided in HSK NDA. For the parking arrangements for other types of vehicles, he described a hypothetical scenario in which the department planned to provide 30 000 private housing units in the area with each household having a car, and trucks in the logistics park were also counted. He asked the department how it could satisfy parking needs in the area in the above scenario. He also enquired the department about the definition of urban-rural integration and how to achieve it.
53. A Member said the population of the area would keep rising as there would be a number of housing developments along the WRL and 10 pieces of land were to be developed in Tuen Mun, so the WRL could hardly meet the demand in the long run even if its carrying capacity was enhanced. Therefore, he reckoned that the department should carefully deliberate on the related transport arrangements. Besides, he asked whether LRT trains could operate along the GTC and how it could be connected with the existing LRT system. He pointed out that in the planning for the development of Area 54, the MTR had kept an open mind to the introduction of a LRT
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Action network to the area, but at the end, the department had failed to accede to the TMDC’s request for introducing the LRT network to Area 54. In his view, the department should consider introducing a LRT network to the HSK NDA before the design of the development plan was finalised.
54. A Member asked, given that the department expected 150 000 employment opportunities to be created in the area, whether it was confident that there would be investors willing to develop logistics and industrial zones on the earmarked land by then.
55. A Member reckoned that the problem of PRH shortage in Tin Shui Wai should have been solvable as the department claimed that the public-private housing split for Tin Shui Wai was too high, but this was not the case in reality and that was why a 60:40 split had been determined in the long-term housing strategy for Hong Kong. Therefore, he considered it unfair for the department to take the Tin Shui Wai data into account without regard to the PRH demand in Hong Kong as a whole. While understanding that the PRH demand and issues such as the disparity between the rich and the poor could hardly be addressed by the PlanD alone, he held the view that the department should consider the above key factors in planning the current development. Besides, while Route 11 would be constructed as mentioned by the department, efforts to secure suitable transport facilities for Tuen Mun were often unsuccessful. He hoped the department could carefully consider how to arrange the external transport system for HSK NDA.
56. A Member made the following comments and enquiries: (i) the Tin Shui Wai data should not be taken into account in calculating the public-private housing split for HSK NDA and instead, the department should determine the public-private housing split for HSK NDA in light of the plot ratio for Area 54 just announced by the relevant department; (ii) the Member would like to know on what grounds the department took the Tin Shui Wai data into account; (iii) the Member wondered why, given that some existing pylons were covered in the planning area, no consideration was given to building them in tunnel form; and (iv) an LRT spur line should be built in the GTC to make good use of the existing LRT system.
57. A Member opined that the quality of life of the public should be enhanced gradually. He indicated that besides HSK NDA, the population of Tuen Mun and
Yuen Long would also rise gradually, so he did not accept the point about calculating the WRL carrying capacity on the basis of six persons per metre. He also opined that
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Action the department had paid no regard to residents’ demand. In addition, he requested provision of adequate public car parks in HSK NDA and construction of bridges or subways exclusively for cycles.
58. A Member worried that HSK NDA would become another Tin Shui Wai if the target of providing 150 000 employment opportunities in the area was not met. In his view, the operation of public organisations was immune to economic factors, so he suggested promoting public organisations’ development in HSK NDA by, for example, moving some government department headquarters to the area or operating government-subvented services in the area.
59. A Member noted that there were only three markets in HSK NDA, which were not enough to meet the demand of the 200 000 population in the area. She also noted that there was a government vehicle depot at the southern tip of HSK NDA, which was presumably used to park government vehicles, and a public car park at the northern tip, which was nevertheless smaller in size. It was expected that there would be many large vehicles going in and out of HSK NDA when the logistics industry developed there. Therefore, she hoped the department could build public car parks for these vehicles in the area to avoid illegal parking, which was commonly seen in Tuen Mun.
60. A Member asked the PlanD whether the approach it took in rehousing Yick Yuen Tsuen villagers would be the same as that taken in the case of Choi Yuen Tsuen, i.e. building a unit to rehouse each village household. As the department had yet not resolved the land resumption issue, he wondered how it could implement the future plans. Moreover, noting that Ling Liang Church was located at corner of the road leading to Yick Yuen Tsuen, he called into question the department’s claim that the church had no impacts on HSK NDA and suspected there was any transfer of benefits involved. On the CEDD’s claim that building pylons in tunnel form would give rise to land resumption and compensation issues, he believed that the department had to resolve the issue about resuming the land section concerned in any case unless it did not develop the land at the southern tip of HSK NDA.
61. Ms April KUN of the PlanD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments: (i) She reiterated that the current public-private housing split for Tin Shui Wai New Town was about 80:20 whereas the proposed public-private
housing split for HSK NDA was about 50:50, so a some 70:30 split could be achieved when the splits for both places were taken into account. As
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Action HSK NDA was adjacent to Tin Shui Wai, the department had taken into account the public-private housing splits for both places in order to mitigate the imbalance between public and private housing in Tin Shui Wai New Town. The Government had commissioned a university to analyse why Tin Shui Wai New Town was dubbed “the town of sadness”. The study report indicated that public housing development should not be over-emphasised in a new town, and the department had referred to this study report when considering the public-private housing split for HSK NDA; (ii) In planning community facilities in HSK NDA, the department had taken into account the comments made by the relevant government departments and the HKPSG. It had also consulted the Food and Health Bureau
(“FHB”) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department about the distribution of markets in the area, and the number of markets could be adjusted if the population of the area grew in the future; (iii) As it took a longer time to develop economic land, the department would keep in touch and discuss the details with the relevant policy bureaux and departments. Adjustments would be made as necessary. Earmarking of land was the first step in the process, without which further development would be impossible; and (iv) Besides providing necessary parking spaces for different development purposes as required by the HKPSG, the PlanD also proposed building public car parks on four development sites in the area.
62. Mr Tony CHEUNG of the CEDD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments: (i) The claimed 60% increase in carrying capacity achievable by converting seven-car WRL trains into eight-car ones and upgrading the signalling
system of the WRL was calculated on the basis of four persons per square metre; (ii) The department would proceed to design the cycle track network in detail and during the course, consideration would be given to the connection arrangements for the related transport systems and facilities for bicycle parking. The department would consider building underground facilities to provide more bicycle parking spaces; (iii) The department had yet to confirm the mode of the EFTS at the moment,
and the LRT would not be ruled out as an option; (iv) The department would deliberate on the mode of the EFTS and the siting
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Action of its stops, and it would consult the TMDC again on its arrangements in the future; and (v) Building pylons in tunnel form involved not only a land section at the southern tip of HSK NDA because, as explained by CLP earlier at the meeting, CLP would need to build the relevant ancillary facilities from the area of Shun Tat Street. This would involve private land and thus entail the relevant department’s arrangements for land resumption.
63. The Chairman said the TMDC was unanimously in the proposal for tunneled transmission of power. He would like the department to take the existing pylons into consideration in any new development projects in the future and build new pylons in tunnel form. He requested the department to seek different stakeholders’ opinions on the plan.
64. A Member disagreed with the approach of taking Tin Shui Wai into account in calculating the public-private housing split for HSK NDA. She insisted that the quantities of public and private housing in HSK NDA should be determined based on the 60:40 split so that the current situation of 300 000 people awaiting PRH allocation could be alleviated. In her view, problems in Tin Shui Wai stemmed not only from the public-private housing split, and the department should examine such factors as the unfavourable economic condition at previous time.
65. A Member expressed understanding for the department’s explanation on the public-private housing split. However, he disagreed with the approach of taking into account the Tin Shui Wai data in calculating the public-private housing split for HSK NDA, because the current situation of Tin Shui Wai had already been factored in when the 60:40 split was determined in the long-term housing strategy for Hong Kong, and the relevant department had just decided to raise the plot ratio for Area 54. He asked the department again about the number of bicycle parking spaces and how the planning could achieve urban-rural integration. Furthermore, he said CLP had indicated earlier at the meeting that consideration could be given to tunneled transmission of power, but the relevant department shifted the responsibility onto CLP. In this connection, he reckoned that the ENB should conduct an environmental assessment of the proposal.
66. The first proposer of Paper No. 38 disapproved of the approach of taking the Tin Shui Wai data in determining the public-private housing split for HSK NDA, because HSK was a new development area whereas Tin Shui Wai was a developed area. She reckoned that as CLP did not refuse the proposal for tunneled transmission
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Action of power, the department should actively consider it. Moreover, she supported building bicycle parking facilities in HSK NDA since she had suggested building underground parking facilities to reduce illegal parking in Tuen Mun before. Furthermore, she suggested that if the TMDC agreed that the DCs of both Tuen Mun and Yuen Long should assign their respective representatives to meet for exchange of views, a representative from Tuen Mun should be selected and the TMDO should contact the YLDC for arrangements.
67. Ms April KUN of the PlanD indicated that the department had made use of planning and urban design to integrate the new development project and the existing villages, and community activities could be held to promote interaction between the two sides in the future, so as to achieve urban-rural integration. Besides, as Ling Liang Church was situated at the corner of Castle Peak Road and a new road, it had no impacts on the development plan and was thus saved from demolition.
68. A Member opined that what the department did was tantamount to demolishing villages. The Member did not preclude the possibility of lodging a judicial review on the department’s arrangements for preserving Ling Liang Church.
69. Mr Tony CHEUNG of the CEDD said the ENB had given a response to the proposal for tunneled transmission of power, adding that according to the current plan was concerned, no new pylons would be built though the existing pylons in the area would be kept.
70. In respect of the land zoned for “Residential and Commercial/Residential Uses” in HSK NDA, a Member asked how the department would determine the split between commercial and residential sites. Despite other Members’ worry about the shortage of PRH, she opined that what should be considered first and foremost was whether there were too many commercial sites in the area.
71. Ms April KUN of the PlanD responded that the “Residential Sites” in the land zoned for “Residential” and “Commercial/Residential Uses” were sites purely for residential purposes, where limited uses for retailing and service industries were allowed; whereas the land zoned for “Commercial/Residential Uses” represented commercial sites that were mainly for residential use but included commercial sites for such facilities as retailing and service industries. Overall, there were 63 hectares of land purely for residential purposes.
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Action 72. District Officer (Tuen Mun) (“DO(TM)”) (Acting) said there were many viable means for two DCs to cooperate: the lead department for a project might call working group meetings where representatives from the two DCs were invited to attend, or alternatively, the two DCs might initiate such meetings. The TMDO would discuss the proposals with the lead departments for the current plan (i.e. the PlanD and the CEDD) and would report on the matters to the Chairman in due course.
73. The Chairman said the current development plan would have impacts on the indigenous inhabitants in the area. He hoped the department would communicate with the relevant stakeholders to make proper arrangements for them, so that HSK’s development would not be impeded. Besides, he would like the departments concerned to consider Members’ views.
(B) Public Housing Development in Tuen Mun
(TMDC Paper No. 32/2016) (C) Provision of More PRH and Release of Data on PRH Flats Waiting Time
(TMDC Paper No. 33/2016 and Written Response of Housing Department) (D) Urge Government to Explain San Hing Road PRH Development Project
(TMDC Paper No. 34/2016) (E) Request Housing Department to Explain San Hing Road PRH Development Project to TMDC (TMDC Paper No. 35/2016) 74. The Chairman said Discussion Items (B), (C), (D) and (E), which were respectively titled “Public Housing Development in Tuen Mun”, “Provision of More PRH and Release of Data on PRH Flats Waiting Time”, “Urge Government to Explain San Hing Road PRH Development Project”, and “Request Housing Department to Explain San Hing Road PRH Development Project to TMDC”, were interrelated. He proposed Paper Nos. 32, 33, 34 and 35 be discussed together. Members agreed with this arrangement.
75. The Chairman welcomed Ms Teresa FONG, Chief Planning Officer 1, Ms Evelyn LEE, Senior Planning Officer 4 (Acting), Mr Matthew IP, Senior Civil Engineer 7, Mr Peter CHOW, Senior Architect 33, Mr Henry LUK, Senior Architect
23, and Mr John LO, Senior Architect 29 (Acting), of the Housing Department (“HD”) to the meeting, who would report on the latest progress and consult Members on the item “Public Housing Development in Tuen Mun” (TMDC Paper No. 32/2016).
76. The Chairman extended welcome to Ms LI Fung-yuk, Housing
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Action Manager/Lettings 1 of the HD, to the meeting, who would discuss with Members the item “Provision of More PRH and Release of Data on PRH Flats Waiting Time” (TMDC Paper No. 33/2016). He indicated that the Commerce, Industry and Housing Committee (“CIHC”) had discussed this issue at its meetings in August and October this year and the HD had been invited to send representatives from its Applications Section to attend the meetings. The HD had merely provided written responses, which were not effective in answering CIHC Members’ questions. The CIHC had therefore proposed the issue be submitted to the TMDC for follow-ups, and the Chairman had given consent to this. For this issue, the HD had not only assigned Ms LI to attend the meeting but given a written response beforehand. On 28 October, the Secretariat had forwarded the written response to Members for perusal.
77. The Chairman said he would first invite the HD’s representatives to give a brief introduction to Paper No. 32 and elaborate on the department’s written response, i.e. Paper No. 33, and then he would invite the first proposers of Paper Nos. 34 and 35 to outline their papers. After that, Members might make comments or enquiries on the four papers.
78. Ms Teresa FONG of the HD indicated that on 23 November 2012, the department had given the Environment, Hygiene and District Development Committee (“EHDDC”) an introduction to the overall plan for public housing development in Tuen Mun. Later on 6 January 2015, the DEVB and the PlanD had given the TMDC a brief introduction to sites in Tuen Mun with potential for rezoning for housing development, including the development projects in respect of which rezoning had been in progress at that time or completed at present, such as the site in Tuen Mun Area 29 West, Sites 4A (South) and 5 in Tuen Mun Area 54, and 10 sites pending rezoning (i.e. the sites set out in Annex 4 to Paper No. 32, among which the first seven sites were under study by government departments while the sites numbered 8 to 10 were to be studied by government departments). She indicated that an account of the sites numbered 1 to 3, which Members were concerned with, would be given later.
79. Ms Teresa FONG of the HD went on to say that public housing construction works in Tuen Mun Area 54 Site 2 were underway to provide about 4 600 units. To answer the public’s demand for PRH, the department had proposed raising the plot ratio for the remaining sites (i.e. Sites 1 and 1A and Sites 3 and 4 (East)) to six. Having conducted a technical assessment of the above proposal, the department believed it was feasible. After this meeting, the department would submit the proposal to the Town Planning Board (“TPB”) for examination and approval. She
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Action indicated that after the plot ratio for the sites was raised to six, the number of units to be provided on Sites 1 and 1A in Tuen Mun Area 54 would increase from about 3 000 to about 4 300, and those to be provided on Sites 3 and 4 (East) in Tuen Mun Area 54 would increase from about 4 000 to about 5 200. The HD would also proceed to review the plot ratio for Sites 4A (South) and 5, and would consult the TMDC again on the proposal in this connection. Regarding the site in Tuen Mun Area 29 West, she expected that the number of PRH units to be provided would increase to about 990 and these units would be completed in 2023-24. Such facilities as a five-storey community health centre and a one-storey residential care home for the elderly would be set up in the development project.
80. In view of the TMDC’s and the press’s concern about the public housing development at San Hing Road, Ms Teresa FONG of the HD explained that the Government had given an account of the latest progress of the plan in a press release on 29 September. She also said the HD, the PlanD and the relevant departments had consulted the TMDC about the public housing development at San Hing Road, Tuen Mun, and the proposed amendments to the related outline zoning plans (“OZPs”) at a meeting on 2 September 2014. At the meeting, Members had expressed their concern about traffic, transport and other matters. According to the plan at that time, 8 000 PRH units would be provided. Later on 17 October 2014 and 13 March 2015, the TPB had approved the applications for two private residential development projects on the site of the originally proposed San Hing Road project. In view of this, the
Government had been actively exploring ways to modify the public housing development on the San Hing Road site and its vicinity, in a bid to minimise the impacts of the two approved applications on the San Hing Road PRH development project. The department’s proposal at the present stage was to raise the plot ratio for the site and expand its size (i.e. another piece of land to the west of the site of the 2014 original plan for the San Hing Road public housing development project). After the modifications, it was proposed that the project be carried out in two parts. A total of some 7 300 units would be produced according to the latest estimates, with about 1 700 and 5 600 units to be built respectively in the first and second parts. The details of the housing development plan, including the number of residential units, were yet to be confirmed as the study was still underway.
81. Moreover, Ms Teresa FONG of the HD gave responses to Paper Nos. 34 and 35 and a petition letter she had received before the meeting. She said Members’ concern about the number of PRH units to be provided was noted, and explained that actually the 1 500 PRH units to be provided in the project as announced by the department in
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Action 2015 just represented the then-estimated number of PRH units to be provided in the first phase of the project. While there were still many variables in the project, the department would ensure that the number of PRH units to be provided in the project would not be fewer than that in the original plan. She further said dotted lines were used to demarcate potential sites for public housing development at San Hing Road and Hong Po Road in Annex 1 to Paper No. 32 to denote that the details of the projects concerned were not yet confirmed. The department would consult the TMDC about the related proposals in due course.
82. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD elaborated on Paper No. 33, saying that as at the end of June 2016, the average waiting time (“AWT”) for general PRH applicants had been 4.1 years and among them, the AWT for elderly one-person applicants had been 2.4 years. On the day before the meeting, the Subsidised Housing Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (“HA”) had announced that as at the end of September this year, the AWT for general applications had increased from 4.1 years to 4.5 years and the AWT for elderly one-person applicants had remained at 2.4 years. She explained that the waiting time referred to the time taken between the registration for an PRH application and the first flat offer, excluding any frozen period during the application period (e.g. when the applicant had not yet fulfilled the residence requirement, the application was put on hold as requested by the applicant pending the arrival of family members for reunion, the applicant was imprisoned, etc.). The AWT for general applicants referred to the average of the waiting time of those general applicants who had been housed in PRH units in the previous 12 months. The department allocated
PRH units to general applicants according to the order of their registrations, their family size and their choices of PRH districts. For non-elderly one-person applicants, PRH units were allocated to them according to the Quota and Points System (“QPS”), under which the points received by the applicants were determined by a series of factors including their ages, whether they were PRH residents and their waiting time. The applicants receiving higher total points received would be offered PRH units earlier. She said the department understood applicants’ eagerness for early allocation of PRH units, but the progress of PRH allocation depended on various factors including the progress of the completion of new housing estates, the recovery of refurbished PRH units, and the number of applications with same family size in each selected district. The department would explore measures to step up the recovery of refurbished PRH units, including combat against public housing abuses, so that more refurbished PRH units could be supplied and the waiting time for PRH applicants could thus be shortened.
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Action 83. The first proposer of Paper No. 34 said the press had reported on 29 September that the proposed number of units in the San Hing Road PRH development project had dropped from 8 000 to 1 500, describing it as a repeat of the Wang Chau incident. The press had also unanimously reported that the TMDC was against the PRH project. Having checked the minutes of the TMDC meeting on 2 September 2014, he found that there was no record about the TMDC’s resolution against the project, though some Members had expressed concerns about transport issues and rehousing arrangements for villagers. He asked the department why the TMDC was said to be against the PRH project. Besides, he would like the department to provide the development programme of the PRH project. Furthermore, he noted that the proposed number of units in the PRH development project had dropped from 8 000 in 2014 to 1 500 in 2015, risen to 5 400 on the day following the press report, and it turned out to be 7 300 in Paper No. 32 tabled by the department at this meeting. He would like the department to explain why such drastic changes had taken place within a short period of time.
84. The first proposer of Paper No. 35 pointed out that at its meeting in September 2014, the TMDC had raised no objection to the PRH project and Members had merely expressed their own views, including the concern about the arrangements for transport facilities. They had also requested the HD to provide further information and consult the public, but the department had not followed up on the requests at the end. She said that while the department had announced the plan to build 1 500 PRH units in 2015, it was stated in Paper No. 32 of this meeting that 7 300 units could be provided. She worried that the San Hing Road PRH development project would be a repeat of the Wang Chau incident. She further indicated that currently there were over 300 000 applications on the PRH waiting list, but the Government failed to keep the promise to build 15 000 units per year. She wondered how the department came up with the conclusion that PRH applicants could be allocated PRH units after 4.5 years. She said all Hong Kong people expected the Government to increase PRH production, so she hoped the department could expedite the production of PRH and Home Ownership Scheme (“HOS”) units to address the public’s housing need.
85. A Member noted that it was stated in Paper No. 32 that the number of units to be provided in Tuen Mun Area 54 Sites 3 and 4 (East) would increase from about 4 000 to about 5 200, which was inconsistent with the projected population growth from about 12 000 to about 13 000. He hoped the department would explain the reason for this. Besides, the Member had no objection to raising the plot ratio for Sites 1 and 1A and Sites 3 and 4 (East) in Area 54 for production of 2 500 additional PRH units. Yet,
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Action he would like to know whether the department had considered relieving traffic congestion in Tuen Mun by providing related transport facilities for residents in or near the area concerned, limiting traffic volume in the area in the future, and introducing an LRT spur line to Area 54. In his view, the HD had the responsibility to arrange all related facilities for the PRH projects it led. Moreover, he pointed out that some people had been awaiting the allocation of four-person units for six to eight years. In view of this, he asked whether four-person units took up a relative small proportion of all units. He hoped the department could raise its proportion.
86. A Member said the pilot project at San Hing Tsuen had started in 1986 with an aim to improve roads in villages. Back then, the Government had not only intended to convert industrial land in San Hing Tsuen into sites for permanent plants, but wished to turn the areas of Tuen Tsz Wai and Tsing Chuen Wai into permanent residential sites. Later, the Government had just finished the improvement works to the related roads (i.e. the current Ng Lau Road, San Hing Road and Tsing Chuen Wai Road), but it had no intention to go further by resuming land for San Hing Tsuen’s development. As the plan to convert industrial land in San Hing Tsuen into sites for permanent plants had been unsatisfactory, the Government had rezoned the area of San Hing Road for
“Residential (Group E)” use after 2000. At that time, some residents of San Hing Tsuen had applied for private housing development on three sites, but the TPB had rejected their applications. In 2014, with no paper provided for the TMDC, the Government had posted a notice at the entrance to San Hing Tsuen, informing villagers about its plan to resume land and develop public housing at San Hing Road, Tuen Mun. The Government had later consulted San Hing Tsuen villagers on its plan as requested by the TMDC, yet the villagers had opposed the plan. He said the PRH development project at the San Hing Road involved no business-village collusion and was not a repeat of the Wang Chau incident.
87. A Member said there were currently an alarming number of more than 300 000 applications on the PRH waiting list. While the Government indicated that it was necessary to develop public housing without delay to solve this problem, the progress of PRH development was slow. She gave an example, saying that a single-block PRH building in Tuen Mun Area 29 West was expected to be completed in 2023-24 - that meant it took as long as 17 years to complete the building. She believed that the number of PRH applications would have significantly increased by then. As mentioned in Paper No. 33 submitted by the CIHC, she requested the department to provide details on all public housing and subsidised housing that were soon to be completed and under planning in Hong Kong, including the expected time of
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Action population intake and the number of units, to facilitate the estimation as to whether applicants could be allocated PRH units in 4.5 years on average. Besides, she hoped the department could provide the EHDDC with further information on the site in Area 29 as soon as possible.
88. A Member was dissatisfied with the way that the Government used to present the San Hing Road PRH development project, opining that the whole expression seemed to mean that the TMDC was against solving housing problems by PRH development, and what the Government did was undoubtedly putting the TMDC in an unrighteous position. He indicated that the TMDC supported developing PRH at San Hing Road, but in 2014, the department had consulted the TMDC with no detailed plan, no proper arrangements for transport facilities and no adequate consultation with residents in the district, so the TMDC had requested the department to do more research and collect more public opinions. Yet, the department had not consulted the TMDC again afterwards though being requested to do so. He said there were still different variable factors requiring consideration in the present housing development plan put forward by the department, so he could hardly consider whether or not to support the department’s plan. In addition, he opined that the department was willing to send representatives to attend TMDC meetings only when it had urgent problems to solve.
89. A Member indicated that the TMDC had written to the TPB after its meeting in September 2014. She would like the Secretariat to forward the letter concerned to Members for reference after this meeting. She suspected that the Government had carried out “soft-lobbying” and reached a consensus with the persons concerned, which was to help developers to construct private buildings; therefore, the department could not develop PRH. In her opinion, the problem of PRH shortage was of the Government’s own making, but the public accused the local communities of thwarting
PRH development. She indicated that every day there were new immigrants coming from the Mainland to Hong Kong and their housing problems also needed to be addressed. Therefore, she hoped the Government could promptly decide to build more PRH units. Furthermore, she noted that while there would be a new population of more than 40 000 in Area 54 in the future, the department made no mention of transport and medical facilities there. She hoped the department would deal with these livelihood issues without delay, lest the public’s life would be even harder.
90. DO(TM) (Acting) said that after the TMDC meeting in September 2014, the
Secretariat had forwarded to the then Members a letter from the Chairman to the TPB.
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Action After this meeting, the Secretariat would forward again the letter to Members for reference.
[Post-meeting note: The Secretariat sent the letter to Members for reference on 1
November 2016.]
91. A Member was dissatisfied with the department explaining the housing plan in a perfunctory manner by simply listing 10 locations in Paper No. 32 it provided. He hoped the Chairman could write to the HD requesting detailed information about the plan, including the development programme, the number of units and so forth. Moreover, when elaborating on in its written response, i.e. Paper No. 33, the department indicated that the AWT for general PRH applicants had increased from 4.1 years to 4.5 years. Foreseeing an even longer waiting time, he hoped the department could actively produce PRH units and resume HOS development to maintain the target of providing the first PRH flat offers to applicants at about three years on average.
92. A Member concurred with the view that the department was putting the TMDC in an unrighteous position. She said the TMDC supported PRH development and hoped the department would clarify this to return justice to the TMDC. She was surprised that it took as long as 17 years to complete a one-block PRH building and felt pity for the applicants who kept waiting for PRH allocation. She therefore hoped the department could produce PRH units as soon as possible to accommodate those who had been waiting for a long time. To her knowledge, moreover, there were many cases in which the applicants had been waiting for six to eight years, so she believed it was impossible to allocate PRH units to general applicants within 4.5 years. As for the other potential sites for public housing development mentioned by the department, she recalled that at a TMDC meeting in the previous term, she had requested the relevant authority to amend “Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road, Tuen Mun” to “the vicinity of Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road, Tuen Mun” to describe the exact location of the place. Yet, the department had not made this amendment accordingly in the paper it provided this time. In her view, sound facilities were a major factor in considering PRH development. Besides, she hoped the department would explain whether it planned to develop PRH on the site of the playground, which had a very high usage rate.
93. A Member noted that approvals had been granted in the same period for development of buildings on private land and these buildings had already been sold; however, by contrast, the single-block PRH building in Area 29 could only be
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Action completed in 2023-24. In view of this, she would like the department to explain why it took such a long time to complete the project. Moreover, she said she had presented a petition letter to the department requesting it to expedite the production of PRH units at San Hing Road and provide comprehensive transport and community facilities in the area. She therefore expected that after this meeting, the public would not allege that some Members were thwarting PRH development. She said she was unclear about the grounds on which the department’s estimate for the proposed number of PRH units had been changed from the original 8 000 to 1 700, and then to the current 7 300. She would also like the department to explain when the department could complete the 5 600 units, which were still under study.
94. The first proposer of Paper No. 35 indicated that a paper had been submitted to the CIHC requesting the department to provide information about the PRH waiting list. The department had failed to give effective responses to Members’ questions, and that was why the CIHC had taken the issue to the TMDC for follow-ups. At this meeting, however, the department merely talked about public housing development in Tuen Mun without providing other information, including the current average time required for applicants from different groups and different districts to go through the process from the completion of the detailed eligibility vetting to the offer of a PRH unit, and details on public housing and subsidised housing that were soon to be completed and under planning in various districts in Hong Kong. Furthermore, she reckoned that with a pace of building 15 000 units per year, it was impossible for the AWT for general applicants to remain at within 4.5 years. She believed that only with a pace of building 30 000 units per year could the AWT be shortened.
95. A Member indicated that in 2014 when the department had designated So Kwun Wat as a potential site for development, he had requested the relevant department to specify the lot numbers of the locations in the relevant papers, so as to let Members and the public know clearly about where the locations were and hence, to facilitate the handling of the related compensation matters. Yet, the lot numbers were not yet specified in the papers the department provided this time. Moreover, he opined that there was nothing wrong with the so-called “soft-lobbying” as long as it did not involve any collusion between the government and the business sector and, by contrast, it was fine to use “soft-lobbying” to handle the related matters positively.
96. A Member believed that the acute demand for PRH was obviously caused by the inadequate supply of PRH. He noted that the relevant department had put in place improvement measures, which included the adoption of a one-tier system for income
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Action and asset tests and the imposition of a one-year frozen period on applications for PRH household splitting, but there was public opinion that the latter measure might cause some residents to move to subdivided units in order to dodge the one-year frozen period. Commenting on the San Hing Road PRH development project, he wondered how, with the issues raised by the TMDC in 2014 not yet resolved, the department could persuade the affected persons to support the plan. He also made comments on the department’s plan to develop PRH in phases on the west of San Hing Road and at Hong Po Road. Having checked the layout provided by the department in 2014, he noted that lines were clearly marked along the area of San Tat Lane to show two concave parts on the periphery of the site on the west of San Hing Road. He would like the department to explain the criteria it used to plan the development of the periphery of land.
97. A Member said that according to the press report on 29 September, the TMDC was unanimously against the San Hing Road PRH development project, whereas a document which the department provided for the LegCo in November 2015 showed that when the TMDC was consulted in 2014, the proposed number of PRH units to be built was 1 500. Considering the above as a calumny against the TMDC, she asked whether the department would clarify this to clear the name of the TMDC. Moreover, she noted a TPB consultation paper on San Hing Road with the deadline falling on the date of the meeting, and she knew that some developers would lodge applications for private housing development. As the department indicated that 5 600 units would be built in the second phase of the San Hing Road PRH development project, she would like to know whether the department would follow up on the above information.
98. A Member said that as Members were concerned with the San Hing Road PRH development project, he would like to request the PlanD to clearly explain what the intended uses of the “Residential (Group E)” sites in the area of San Hing Road were, and whether the planning involved any foul start by developing PRH in the area before amending its land use, which was not in line with the procedures.
99. A Member objected to the Government discussing the plan in the form of “soft-lobbying”, opining that all the related discussions should be transparent. In her view, the Government did not practise what it preached but held the TMDC responsible instead. She remarked that the Government should live up to its words instead of delaying the plan.
100. A Member pointed out that as functional bodies, both the Heung Yee Kuk and
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Action the Rural Committee should be consulted on any related development plans, so there were no such “soft-lobbying” incidents as reported by the press.
101. Ms Teresa FONG of the HD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments on the San Hing Road PRH development project as follows: (i) It was the department’s hope that the PRH development could be implemented as soon as possible. Before consulting the TMDC in September 2014, the department had carried out informal consultation from May to August of the same year. And after the meeting, the
department had joined the Member of the constituency concerned, representatives of the village and villagers for a site visit and attended a district consultation forum on 11 and 13 September respectively to hear the concerns and views of members of the local communities; (ii) The department was not of the view that the TMDC did not support the plan, but it had no control over how the press interpreted its statement that the TMDC’s support for the plan concerned had not yet been secured.
And from this meeting, the department was clearly about the TMDC’s support for the PRH development, and was thus confident that the plan could be taken forward smoothly; (iii) When the department proposed the plan in 2014, it planned to provide 8 000 PRH units on the assumption that it could secure the entire piece of land there. But subsequently, with the two applications for private development standing in the way, the department not only endeavoured to explore how the site and its nearly areas could be adjusted for public housing development, but discussed traffic, transport and other issues with the relevant departments. As the study on the plan was still underway, the department could hardly provide its development programme at the moment; (iv) In view of the TMDC’s concern about the developments of the project, the HD’s representatives attended this meeting to give the TMDC an account of the above developments, despite the fact that no detailed information on the project was available. The department would consult the TMDC again if there was any further information; (v) The department provided information on the plan in response to certain issues discussed at the meetings of the Legislative Council (“LegCo”) in 2015 and, according to the 2014 original proposal for the plan, 1 500 PRH units would be provided in the first phase at the western tip of the area and on a site adjacent to it. She guessed the information might have
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Action led to the public’s speculation that the proposed number of PRH units to be built in the plan was reduced to 1 500; (vi) The two applications for private development would inevitably affect the original PRH development plan, but the department would continue to explore producing more PRH units by increasing the plot ratio and site areas. The latest estimate was that some 7 300 public housing units could be built; and (vii) To avoid misunderstanding, the department was not inclined to disclose the information on the plan in a piecemeal manner and therefore, the information provided in the Annex to Paper No. 32 was not complete. Yet, when detailed information was available, the department would report it to the TMDC.
102. Ms Teresa FONG of the HD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments on other development sites as follows: (i) The department expected the population growth of 1 000 people based on the more accurate and latest estimate on the population in Tuen Mun Area 54 Sites 3 and 4 (East); and (ii) The development on the site of “Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road, Tuen Mun” was still under study. The department would convey Members’ views to the relevant department.
103. In response to Members’ enquiries, District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West elaborated on the background of the planning for the area of San Hing Road. He said that in the 1980s, the area was merely covered by a layout plan and there was no statutory plan for its use. As there were some rural industries situated in the area of San Hing Road back then, the area was zoned mainly for industrial enhancement in the layout plan. According to the first statutory OZP for the area released in 1996, part of the land in the area was zoned for “Industrial (Group D)” use, whereas the uses of the other parts could not be determined due to the WRL alignment, and were thus subject to review. After the WRL alignment was confirmed, the Government conducted an overall land review in 1999. Since there had already been residential households in the area of San Hing Road, the industries had gradually relocated northwards, and the Government had rarely received applications for development of the industrial land in the area, the land concerned was rezoned as a “Residential (Group E)” site for residential development with a maximum plot ratio of one and a height limit of four levels plus a one-storey car park. Later, believing that the area of San Hing Road had the potential for PRH development, the Government
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Action started to explore the feasibility of such use. In September 2014, the HD and the PlanD consulted the TMDC on the PRH development plan and the proposed amendments to the statutory plan concerned. Thus, there was no foul start in the land rezoning.
104. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments on the waiting list system for PRH applications as follows: (i) The progress of PRH allocation could be affected by the progress of the completion of new housing estates and the recovery of refurbished PRH
units, as well as the number of applications with same family size in each PRH district; (ii) The progress of PRH allocation depended on various factors including the number of applicants, the districts selected by applicants, the difference between the numbers of applicants and the PRH supply in each district, and so forth. Therefore, it was difficult for the department to estimate
accurately when an applicant could be allocated a PRH unit. Despite this, the department would work with the relevant departments and members of the community, striving to maintain the target of providing the first flat offer to a general applicant at around three years on average; (iii) At present, the department classified applicants into “family and elderly one-person applicants” or “non-elderly one-person applicants”, so there were no data on the AWT for families of different size. Yet, the department announced the monthly progress of allocation to applicants of different family size on its website for applicants’ reference; (iv) The average time required for the process from the completion of the detailed eligibility vetting to the offer of a PRH unit depended on various factors including the progress of the completion of new housing estates and the recovery of refurbished PRH units. The department arranged the detailed eligibility vetting for applicants in light of the PRH supply in the coming year, and PRH units were allocated to eligible applicants in order of their applications ; and (v) PRH applicants with urgent housing needs might consider making their applications under the Express Flat Allocation Scheme to get a better chance of early admission to PRH units. For PRH applicants who, due to other social or medical reasons, had urgent and long-term housing needs but were unable to resolve their housing problems by themselves through other viable means, they might contact the Social Welfare Department (“SWD”) for enquiries about the relevant welfare services or
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Action support. The SWD would assess each case and recommend the eligible persons to the HD for “compassionate rehousing”.
105. A Member disagreed with the department’s explanation that it had no control over how the press interpreted messages. Regarding the seven sites “under study by the Government” listed in Paper No. 32, he asked the department when the study would be completed and when the consultation would be commenced. Besides, he indicated that what concerned Members was not only the correct name of “Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road, Tuen Mun”, but whether the department was considering PRH development on the site of the playground.
106. In response to the department’s explanation that it had no control over the press, the first proposer of Paper No. 34 said that all media had unanimously reported that the TMDC was against the plan. Therefore, he believed it was not that the press had speculated about the information released by the Government, but only that the press release of the Government did contain such wording. Moreover, in view of the department’s response on its failure to predict when the PRH development at San Hing Road would be implemented, he held the view that every project had its own the development programme, so did the San Hing Road PRH development project. As for the issue about the waiting time for PRH applications, he pointed out that if the applications of elderly persons were taken into account in calculating the AWT released by the department, that meant the waiting time for other general applicants would be more than 4.5 years, because the AWT for elderly applicants was shorter. In view of this, he enquired whether the department took elderly one-person applications into account in calculating the AWT for PRH applicants.
107. A Member said the department had consulted the TMDC about the construction of single-block PRH buildings in Tuen Mun Area 29 West. She had pointed out that the area was a long strip of land facing the challenge of slope works. Yet, in response to her enquiries, the department had claimed that no slope works were involved. She indicated that the project had to face the challenge of slope works indeed and therefore, she believed that it would take more than 17 years for the project to go through the process from consultation to intake of residents. She reiterated her request for the department’s prompt release of further information on the project to the EHDDC. Besides, she requested again the department to provide the latest details on all public housing and subsidised housing that were soon to be completed and under planning in various districts in Hong Kong, including the expected dates of intake and the numbers of units.
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Action
108. A Member requested the department’s response on whether it would provide relevant transport facilities or community facilities in Area 54 or its vicinity after the plot ratio for several sites in the area was raised. In addition, he enquired about the proportions of PRH units allocated to families of different size.
109. A Member reckoned that the Government’s delay in PRH development was evidenced by the department’s response, saying that the Government had the responsibility to develop PRH without delay as land was already available.
110. Ms Teresa FONG of the HD explained that as stated in the Government’s press release on 29 September, the department had consulted the TMDC about the housing development at San Hing Road at the meeting on 2 September 2014 and Members had expressed traffic and other concerns at the meeting, but the proposal had failed to secure support from the TMDC at the end. Therefore, the department did not mean that the TMDC was against the plan, but it had no control over the wording used by the press. She hoped Members could understand this. As for the timeframe of the plan, she said that when further information was available, the department would consult the TMDC again in accordance with the established procedures.
111. Mr Henry LUK of the HD indicated that facilities such as a five-storey community health centre and a one-storey residential care home for the elderly would be set up under the development project on the site in Area 29 West. Surrounded by other housing estates and public facilities, the site was relatively small in size (0.75 hectare) and not highly accessible, so the department came up against different challenges in taking forward the project. In this light, the department had to explore with various relevant departments the arrangements for the implementation of the project. For instance, efforts had to be made to study issues concerning the management of the area and the related rights and obligations. After the study was finalised, the department had also to apply for funding in accordance with the established procedures, so it needed more time to develop the project. He thanked Members for their long support for the development of the project, and said further information on the project would be provided for the EHDDC as soon as possible.
112. Mr Matthew IP of the HD indicated that in respect of the development plan for Area 54, the CEDD had commissioned a consultancy firm to study the transport arrangements and facilities in the area in 2013. The consultancy firm had pointed out in its study report that the related transport arrangements and facilities could meet the
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Action transport demand in the area. Later, as the HD had considered raising the plot ratio for Area 54 to six, another consultancy firm had been commissioned to study the transport arrangements and facilities in the area. The initial study report submitted by the consultancy firm also revealed that the related transport arrangements and facilities could meet the transport demand in the area. He said land had been earmarked in Area 54 for provision of a public transport interchange to facilitate the TD’s planning for public transport services for residents. The relevant department would certainly review the demand for public transport services in the area in due course.
113. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD said the AWT for general PRH applicants referred to the average of the waiting time taken between the applications by general applicants and the first PRH flat offers to them in the past 12 months, and general applicants comprised family and elderly one-person applicants. It followed that the waiting time for elderly one-person applicants was taken into account in the department’s calculation of the AWT.
114. Mr Stephen WONG of the HD said the number of PRH units to be built by the department in the next 10 years was shown in paragraph 5 of its written response. He indicated that according to the estimation in June 2016, the expected total number of public housing units to be produced by the HA and the Hong Kong Housing Society during the five years from 2016-17 to 2020-21 was 95 300, among which about 72 200 were be public housing units and about 23 100 were subsidised sale units. He added that the AWT for general PRH applicants counted the AWT for family and elderly one-person applicants only, but not the data for non-elderly one-person applicants under the QPS. As at June 2016, there were some 153 000 general PRH applications and some 135 300 non-elderly one-person applications under the QPS. For the distribution of the 71 100 HA public housing units, he said about 49% of them were in urban districts, 30% in extended urban districts and 21% in New Territories. In addition, he gave details on the proportions of units for different family size as follows: 17% were one-to-two-person units, 22% were two-to-three-person units, 36% were three-to-four-person units, and 25% were four-to-five-person units.
115. In response of the enquiry on “Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road, Tuen Mun”, District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West said that in 2015, the DEVB and the PlanD had provided the TMDC with information about sites available for rezoning and housing use in Tuen Mun in the coming five years. Since it had still been at an initial stage, the sites had been named preliminarily as “Wu Shan Recreation Playground at Wu Shan Road/Lung Mun Road,
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Action Tuen Mun”. He said the exact location lay in a green belt near Sun Tuen Mun Centre, and the authority concerned would clearly state this information in the future.
116. The Member who submitted Paper No. 35 indicated that the department had not yet given a response on the average time required for an applicant to go through the process from the completion of the detailed eligibility vetting to the acceptance of a PRH flat offer.
117. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD reiterated that the average time taken from the completion of the detailed eligibility vetting to the offer of a PRH unit depended on a number of factors, including the progress of the completion of new housing estates, the recovery of refurbished PRH units and so forth. Therefore, it was difficult for the department to estimate accurately when a PRH unit could be allocated to an eligible applicant.
118. A Member did not accept the above response by the HD, opining that the department should arrange the eligibility vetting for applicants in light of the supply of PRH units, so as to estimate the approximate waiting time. The Member opined that applicants would feel insecure if the department was unable to estimate when eligible applicants could be allocated PRH units.
119. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD responded that the department did arrange the detailed eligibility vetting for applicants in light of the supply of PRH units in the coming year, but the progress of the completion of new housing estates was not something the department could control and it could only make estimates for the recovery of refurbished PRH units. Given these limitations, the department could hardly estimate when a PRH unit could be allocated to an eligible applicant.
120. The Member who submitted Paper No. 35 pointed out that previously, PRH units could be allocated to applicants half a year after the completion of the detailed eligibility vetting, whereas today’s applicants had to wait more than half a year or even one year. As applicants usually negotiated tenancy agreements with their landlords after the completion of the eligibility vetting, they would have to bother to find alternative accommodation after the tenancies were expired if no PRH units were allocated to them. In view of this, the Member hoped the department could allocate PRH units within prescribed time periods to applicants who had completed the eligibility vetting.
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Action 121. A Member concurred with the views of the above Member, opining that it was not reasonable to keep applicants waiting endlessly for the allocation of PRH units.
The Member hoped the department would be empathetic towards applicants, who were eager for houses.
122. A Member hoped the department could provide figures on cases in which the applicants accepted the allocation of PRH units only at the third offers in Hong Kong.
123. Ms LI Fung-yuk of the HD said there were no figures on the cases mentioned above. Moreover, she said the department understood PRH applicants’ concern about when PRH units would be allocated to them, so it would step up communication with the internal sections to make proper time arrangements for the detailed vetting on applicants’ eligibility.
[Post-meeting note: The HD provided a further response after the meeting, indicating that a maximum of three offers could be made to an applicant; but despite this, the applicant still had priority in the applications of the particular category in the particular selected district even after he had rejected the first or second offer. This meant that he would still be the first one being given an offer if there was another suitable unit for allocation. The HD did not have any figures on cases of applications involving three or more offers.]
124. The Chairman hoped the HD could provide the information mentioned above after the meeting. He concluded by saying that the TMDC agreed with raising the plot ratio for Area 54. He also asked the HD to extensively consult stakeholders in the district on public housing matters of interest to Members when further information was available, so that the PRH development in the district could be smoother.
[The meeting was adjourned for a lunch break at 2:00 p.m. and resumed at 2:30 p.m. for discussion on the remaining agenda items.]
(F) Request for Planning of Private Hospital Sites
(TMDC Paper No. 36/2016 and Written Response of PlanD) 125. The Chairman indicated that in respect of the above paper, the Secretariat had written to the PlanD inviting it to send relevant representatives a TMDC meeting.
After that, the Secretariat had received the PlanD’s written response and forwarded it to Members for perusal before the meeting.
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Action 126. District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West elaborated on the written response, saying that generally speaking, it was necessary to secure the support of the relevant policy bureau before land was earmarked for particular purposes. Accordingly, the PlanD had consulted the FHB and the bureau’s response was shown in paragraph 2 of the department’s written response. Without the policy support of the FHB, the department had no plan to earmark land in Tuen Mun for construction of a private hospital at the moment.
127. The first proposer of the paper believed that the New Territories West Cluster (“NTWC”) was the hospital receiving the least amount of resources, saying that specialist clinics and other medical facilities were obviously not enough in Tuen Mun. He further indicated that as there would be changes (such as the completion of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (“HZMB”) and TMWB) in the overall planning of the North West area, it was necessary for the PlanD to review the overall planning in Tuen
Mun. Even if there were investors interested in building a private hospital, it was meaningless without land earmarked by the department. He noted that a report released earlier by Our Hong Kong Foundation had talked about the development of medical services, and wondered why the relevant department had not thought about this. He did not accept the bureau’s response of and hoped the TMDC could prompt the relevant government departments to plan for private hospital sites.
128. A Member supported planning for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun, saying that the department’s written response was talking about public medical services whereas the paper was asking for a private hospital. She said that at present, Tuen Mun residents who sought medical assistance at mid-night had to go to Tsuen Wan for the nearest hospital. She further said that in view of the future development of projects in the district such as HZMB and HSK NDA, the setting up of a private hospital in the district could not only serve users from different quarters but ease the burden on public clinics. Seeing the construction of a private hospital as a long-term plan, she suggested land be earmarked first and tenders be invited afterwards. She hoped the FHB and the PlanD could reconsider the request in the paper.
129. A Member held the view that the resources allocated to the NTWC were relatively less and its public clinics thus faced a tremendous burden. While it was stated in the department’s written response that the bureau would invest more resources in the NTWC’s development, she reckoned this could not address the long-term needs. She indicated that today it was common for Hong Kong people to take out medical insurance and hence, seek medical assistance at private hospitals, but residents in the
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Action district had to go to private hospitals in Tsuen Wan or Kowloon and wait three weeks before being allocated bed places. She believed there was a huge demand for medical services in the district, so the department should make early plans for private hospital sites. Believing that the FHB’s support was necessary to achieve the purpose, she suggested the Chairman write a letter to the FHB.
130. A Member supported the proposal in the paper, opining that the TMDC had the responsibility to plan for the future development of the district. He pointed out that Hong Kong people had a very long life expectancy on average, adding that the existing medical services were unable to meet the demand of the more than one-million population in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. He noted that land had been granted at a low price for setting up an international school in the district to serve the needs of well-off families, but no land was earmarked for building a private hospital to answer the demand of ordinary residents. Such planning was far from ideal in his view. The Member believed that there would be a keen demand for a private hospital in the district as the average life expectancy of Hong Kong people would keep rising and the public had higher expectations about the quality of life. He also believed that the setting up of a private hospital could ease the burden on public clinics. Therefore, he considered it reasonable to demand a private hospital in the district.
131. A Member supported planning for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun and expressed dissatisfaction towards the department’s response. In view of the fact that the population in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai stood at over one million and would keep growing, he believed that a private hospital could certainly ease the burden on Tuen Mun Hospital, and that both hospitals could also complement each other in case of medical emergencies. Furthermore, he pointed out that although Tuen Mun Hospital was not supposed to be the only option for Tuen Mun residents with medical insurance, they had no choice but to go to Tuen Mun Hospital because private hospitals in other districts were too remote. He wondered why government departments had never considered planning for private hospital sites in the district. He agreed that the TMDC should write to the FHB expressing Members’ demand.
132. A Member opined that although the PlanD had never considered planning for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun, it was not too late to start considering the request. There was only one hospital, Tuen Mun Hospital, in Tuen Mun, a district with a large population of several hundred thousand. In view of this, he hoped the Chairman would write to the FHB, requesting it to plan for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun.
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Action 133. A Member indicated that although Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai had a population of more than one million, they were lagging behind Tsuen Wan, a district having several hospitals despite its population of just several hundred thousand. She believed that Tuen Mun Hospital, Pok Oi Hospital and the future Tin Shui Wai hospital would not be able to meet the demand arising from the future population growth in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. In her view, the setting up of a private hospital could play a supporting role so that different residents could get what they needed, and this was similar to what they did in education where they could choose between international schools and public schools. Moreover, she remarked that while there was no immediate need to plan for private hospital sites, this did not necessarily mean such need would not arise in the future. She wondered why the department was not aware of the demand in this regard. She said that at a meeting earlier, the EHDDC had discussed matters about planning for private hospital sites in Area 46, but some EHDDC Members had held a different view on siting a hospital in the area. Therefore, she hoped the department could consider planning for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun so that residents could receive suitable medical services.
134. A Member pointed out that the paper was asking for planning for private hospital sites to support public medical facilities, whereas the department’s response was talking about the development of public medical services. He argued that public medical facilities were funded by taxpayers whereas private hospital services were paid by users, so the two had different natures and should thus not be confused with each other. He said the PlanD should make early preparations since it would take more than 10 years to build a private hospital and there would be different development projects in the district. Therefore, he did not accept the point made in the department’s response that no consideration was given to planning for private hospital sites as a new hospital would be built in HSK NDA. He consider that the waiting time for medical services at public medical facilities was too long, so he hoped the Chairman could write to the FHB urging it to reconsider planning for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun to provide residents with prompt medical services.
135. The first proposer of the paper indicated that setting up public medical facilities and setting up a private hospital were two different things. He remarked that the PlanD should not use the FHB’s response as an excuse because the FHB took care of the development and planning of public medical services and hence, would certainly not handle matters relating to private hospitals. He said he had earlier requested planning for private hospital sites in Area 46, but the department had responded that there was no such need in Area 46; therefore, he requested looking for another place in
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Action Tuen Mun for this purpose. In his view, medical services, the school net and the transport network were major factors influencing the public’s choice of whether to live in the community. Residents would rather find a better community to live in if their safety was not guaranteed because it took a long time for them to reach a hospital for medical services. He indicated that due to the current shortage of medical facilities in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai, residents had to wait 36 months before they could receive specialist medical services. He opined that there was nothing wrong with public medical services but they were still some way behind the services of private hospitals. Therefore, the department should study Tuen Mun residents’ demand for a private hospital and reconsider planning for private hospital sites in the district.
136. A Member opined that it was too early for the bureau to assert that there was no need to plan for private hospital sites in Tuen Mun. The Member suggested the bureau earmark land for tender, whereby it could confirm that there was no need to plan for private hospital sites if nobody submitted a tender.
137. A Member said the CEDD had consulted the TMDC on the “Preliminary Land Use Study for Lam Tei Quarry and the Adjoining Areas - Feasibility Study”. He reckoned that consideration could be given to planning for private hospital sites in the quarry because it was a government site and thus no land resumption would be involved. Besides, he hoped the Chairman could offer views on the study to the department.
138. District Planning Officer/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West hoped Members would understand that it was necessary to secure the policy support of the FHB before any land was earmarked as a private hospital site, because land resources were very precious.
139. The Chairman concluded by saying that the TMDC would write a letter to the FHB expressing Members’ views, and a copy of the letter would be sent to the DEVB for information.
[Post-meeting note: The letter was issued on 13 December.]
(G) Request for Complete Eradication of Unauthorised Subdivided Units
(TMDC Paper No. 37/2016) 140. The Chairman welcomed Mr CHUN Ka-hung, Chief Building Surveyor/E, and
Mr Sam TAI, Senior Building Surveyor/E5, of the Buildings Department (“BD”) to the
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Action meeting.
141. Mr CHUN Ka-hung of the BD explained its enforcement policy, enforcement action and other related information to Members. On enforcement policy, under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) (“Ordinance”), all building works, with the exception of the exempted works as defined under the Ordinance and the designated minor works items under the Minor Works Control System (“MWCS”), required the prior approval and consent of the Building Authority before such works might commence. Otherwise, regardless of the scale of such works, they would be regarded as unauthorised building works (“UBWs”) and subject to enforcement action by the BD. In view of the sheer quantity of UBWs, the BD had to make effective use of its resources by taking a risk-oriented approach to prioritise its enforcement action, with a view to ensuring the safety of buildings and the public. Specifically, removal orders were issued against UBWs under the actionable category, by which the owners concerned were required to remove the UBWs within specified periods of time. Removal orders were also registered at the Land Registry. If an owner failed to remove the UBWs within the specified period of time, the BD might carry out the removal works for the owner and recover the cost from him. Moreover, the BD might instigate prosecution against the owner. For subdivision of flats (commonly known as “subdivided units”), the Government’s general policy was not to eradicate all subdivided flats but to ensure their safety. Under the current enforcement policy, the BD would take priority enforcement action against UBWs that constituted obvious hazards or imminent danger to life and property and against irregularities that caused serious health hazards or environmental nuisance. Examples were: (i) UBWs constituting imminent threat to fire safety (e.g. removal of fire-resisting doors or fire-resistant walls of units, and obstruction to the means of escape thereof); (ii) excessive installation of partition walls and/or thickening of floor screed that put excessive load on floor slabs; and (iii) water seepage causing serious structural damage and/or serious health threats. Besides, industrial buildings were absolutely not suitable for domestic use, as the non-domestic units in these buildings were still or might at any time be used for industrial activities or storage of dangerous and inflammable goods. Therefore, the BD would take strict enforcement action to completely eradicate the illegal domestic use of units in industrial buildings.
142. On enforcement action, Mr CHUN Ka-hung of the BD indicated that the department issued statutory orders to the owners concerned in accordance with the above enforcement policy, ordering them to remove actionable UBWs or to cease the use of units in industrial buildings for domestic use. Any owner who, without
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Action reasonable excuse, failed to comply with the removal order within the specified period of time would be prosecuted by the department and liable on conviction to a maximum fine of HK$200,000 and one-year imprisonment, and to a further maximum fine of HK$20,000 for each subsequent day during which the failure to comply with the order continued. Any person who, without reasonable excuse, failed to comply with a prohibition order on change of use, would be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and one-year imprisonment and to a further maximum fine of HK$5,000 for each subsequent day during which the failure to comply with the order continued. As for inspection, the BD investigated reports by the public and other departments and starting from 2011, it carried out large-scale operations to take enforcement action against illegal subdivision of flats. If the department could not enter a suspected unit for inspection and evidence collection during its enforcement operation, it would apply for a warrant from the court. Where necessary, the BD’s officers could break into the premises in the presence of police officers.
143. Mr CHUN Ka-hung of the BD went on to say that the department did not have any statistics on subdivision of flats in Hong Kong and various districts. For Tuen Mun, the BD carried out large-scale operations to take enforcement action against illegal subdivision of flats starting from 2011, and as at the end of September 2016, the department had inspected a total of 32 target buildings in the district, issued a total of 64 statutory orders, and instigated prosecution against two cases for non-compliance with statutory orders. Besides, starting from 2012, common works for subdivision of flats (including installation of solid partition walls and thickening of floor slabs) were covered by the MWCS under the Ordinance. In other words, owners had to hire trained and qualified contractors or appoint prescribed building professionals to carry out such works through simple and efficient procedures. This arrangement could not only ensure the quality of the works and minimise the safety problems and nuisance (water seepage) associated with the flat subdivision works, but streamline the procedure for applying for the department’s approval.
144. Mr CHUN Ka-hung of the BD added that members of the public might report any cases involving flats partitioned into “subdivided units” through the BD’s hotline on 2626 1616 (operated 24 hours a day by the 1823 Call Centre) or the department’s website.
145. A Member considered “subdivided units” as a serious problem in Hong Kong. Due to the shortage of housing, low-income persons had to live in “subdivided units”, the living environments of which were nonetheless inhumane. As the department’s
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Action prosecution against illegal units could render the occupants of these units homeless, he reckoned that the department should not only take long-term measures against the problem of “subdivided units”, but deliberate on whether to eradicate them in a one-size-fits-all or a gradual manner. He asked whether the department had any plan in this regard.
146. The proposer of the paper said his focus was on illegal “subdivided units”. He further said that this problem was rampant in Tuen Mun Town Centre, where some units were divided into one sitting room and four bedrooms for rent, with numerous water pipes laid beneath the floors and an individual meter installed in each room, which caused power overload. He had joined BD officers to visit these units for follow-ups, but the officers had failed to enter the units for investigation because the occupants had not answered the door, and no follow-up action had been taken at the end. He expressed empathy for the difficulties faced by the department in this regard. While opining that the department had done a pretty good job in tackling “subdivided units”, he suggested it invoke some summary ordinances to cope with the above situation. In view of the department’s explanation that it would instigate prosecution only when the units concerned posed serious imminent threat to fire safety or there was water seepage that caused serious structural damage, he asked how the department determined the seriousness for the purposes of prosecution. In addition, he reckoned that the general public did not know the reporting hotline of the department.
147. While supporting the complete eradication of illegal “subdivided units” for the sake of personal safety and building structural safety, a Member said the relevant departments should give thoughts to why some members of the public were willing to rent “subdivided units”. He indicated that some middle income earners had no choice but to rent “subdivided units” because they were neither eligible to apply for PRH units nor able to purchase properties. He reckoned that the relevant department should not just eradicate illegal “subdivided units” completely, but produce more PRH units and study the tenancy ordinance to help occupants in “subdivided units” to solve problems.
148. A Member expressed understanding for other Members’ concern over the problems arising from “subdivided units”. But he pointed out that there were currently about 200 000 occupants in “subdivided units”, so it was necessary to consider where to accommodate them after the eradication of illegal “subdivided units”. He said that as occupants in “subdivided units” were neither households under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme nor PRH households, they could receive little support except that under the Community Care Fund (“CCF”).
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Action Therefore, he hoped the relevant departments would consider providing rent allowance or assistance for occupants in “subdivided units” to ease their difficulties in housing, in a bid to solve the problem of “subdivided units” in the long run.
149. Mr Sam TAI of the BD responded that when taking enforcement action that involved relocation arrangements, the department would ask other departments, including the HD, the SWD and so forth, to render assistance as far as possible in light of the affected residents’ eligibility. Moreover, social workers from the BD would make home visits to explain the BD’s enforcement action to the occupants. To helping the affected occupants to move out as soon as possible, it would also assist them in applying for allowances offered by other organisations and seeking alternative accommodation, such as the CCF relocation allowance, hostels operated by voluntary organisations or domestic units in private buildings. Due to limited resources, the department would first eradicate illegal premises constituting obvious hazards or imminent danger to life or property and those causing serious health hazards or environmental nuisance. It was difficult to make a generalisation about the seriousness of cases, and it depended on how BD officers accessed the individual cases having regard to the circumstances during their on-site inspections.
150. The Chairman thanked the BD for its responses and would like the department to consider Members’ views.
(I) Enquiry on Works Progress of HZMB and Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link (TMDC Paper No. 39/2016 and Written Response of HyD) 151. The Chairman indicated that in respect of the above paper, the Secretariat had written to the HyD inviting the department to send relevant representatives to attend a
TMDC meeting. After that, the Secretariat had received the HyD’s written response and forwarded it to Members for perusal before the meeting.
152. He welcomed Mr PANG Chi-chiu, Senior Engineer 9/HZMB, and Mr KWAN
Wing-hong, Senior Engineer 10/ HZMB, of the HyD to this meeting.
153. The first proposer of the paper said that during a visit to HZMB in the Mainland in early October, the Mainland authority told her that satisfactory progress had been made in the works for HZMB, which was the world’s seventh largest architecture with one of its bridge sections built over water of 30 metres in depth. Besides, the project was carried out by experts from eight countries and the bridge had been visited by more
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Action than 150 experts from over 80 countries so far. She noted that the decks of the HZMB Hong Kong section had yet to be joined together, but it was stated in the HyD’s written response that the target of completing the above project for commissioning by the end of 2017 remained unchanged. She was confused about this and hoped the department could give a firm response on whether the target could be met on schedule.
154. She further said it was stated in the department’s written response that the works for Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link (“TM-CLKL”) could hardly be completed on schedule in late 2018 and the situation in which Tuen Mun residents had to take a time-consuming detour to the airport would still persist for a long period of time, but the arrangements for connecting the link to TMWB was not mentioned at all in the written response. She added that according to a paper discussed at the LegCo in February 2016, the Government had stated that traffic on the existing road networks in Tuen Mun, including Wong Chu Road and Tuen Mun Road (Town Centre Section) would be kept at a manageable level until 2026. She reckoned that slow traffic and even congestion were often seen on Wong Chu Road, and asked the department to elaborate on the above explanations.
155. Moreover, she indicated that the TD had sent a paper on the local transport arrangements for the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (“HKBCF”) of HZMB to Members of the Traffic and Transport Committee (“TTC”) via the Secretariat in March, inviting them to offer views to the department on or before 15 April. As the department had not discussed the above paper at any TTC meetings, and the issue date of the paper and the deadline for submission fell between two TTC meetings, she would like to know whether the department could assign representatives to attend a TTC meeting to seek its Members’ views on the transport arrangements.
156. Mr KWAN Wing-hong of the HyD responded that given the latest progress, the HyD anticipated that the target of completing the above project for commissioning by the end of 2017 remained unchanged.
157. Mr PANG Chi-chiu of the HyD responded that the TM-CLKL project was in full swing, adding that according to the original plan, the completion time of the Southern Connection would be dovetailed with that of the HZMB Main Bridge while the Northern Connection was scheduled for completion in late 2018. Yet, the works schedule was very tight due to technical difficulties in the works, so it was believed that the TM-CLKL project could hardly be completed as scheduled in the original plan. The HyD had been keeping a close eye on the works progress and striving to overcome
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Action the technical difficulties, trying its best to make up the delay. It had also carried out a comprehensive review on the commissioning date of TM-CLKL. Besides, the department had assigned representatives to attend a TMDC meeting earlier to report on the latest progress of TMWB, and it had nothing to add at the moment. It also maintained the earlier view that “traffic on the existing road networks in Tuen Mun, including Wong Chu Road and Tuen Mun Road (Town Centre Section) would be kept at a manageable level until 2026”. After communication with the relevant departments, the department would report on the public transport service arrangements following the commissioning of the bridge.
158. The first proposer of the paper reiterated that the issue date of the department’s paper on the local transport arrangements for the HKBCF of HZMB and the deadline for submission fell between two TTC meetings. She enquired whether the department would consult the TTC again on the paper.
159. Mr Daniel HUE of the TD responded that the department had sent the above paper to TTC Members via the TMDC Secretariat in March, and the TTC had later discussed the arrangements for road and transport networks from Tuen Mun to places like Tung Chung, the airport, Macau and Zhuhai via TM-CLKL in September. He added that the department had sent again the above paper to TTC Members via the Secretariat after the meeting, and the TTC Chairman had written to the department conveying the views expressed by TTC Members at the meeting. If Members had further comments on the transport arrangements, the TD would continue to follow them up.
[Post-meeting note: On 15 November, the TD gave a written reply to the TTC Chairman’s letter dated 26 October on the arrangements for road and transport networks from Tuen Mun to places like Tung Chung, the airport, Macau and Zhuhai via TM-CLKL. Besides, responsible officers of the TD attended the TTC meeting on 18 November to discuss the matter with its members.]
160. The Chairman said it could be left to the TTC to follow up on the arrangements for transport facilities. He would like the department to keep in contact with the TTC Chairman to follow up on the above paper, if it had not yet been discussed before.
161. A Member reckoned the relevant departments should promptly make arrangements for transport facilities in Tuen Mun, given that the works for TMWB were at a standstill at the moment and the transport facilities of Tuen Mun were far
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Action from perfect, and that the traffic condition in the district would only be worse after the commissioning of TM-CLKL and the HSK development would bring new population to the district. In her view, the relevant departments might not send representatives to attend TTC meetings. Therefore, she hoped that the traffic arrangements could come up for discussion at the TMDC level and the Chairman could spearhead the TMDC’s follow-ups on the issue.
162. A Member who had similar views to those of the above Member remarked that the issue was very important as the commissioning of TM-CLKL could bring convenience to Tuen Mun residents travelling to and from the airport; however, the representatives of government departments often made perfunctory responses on the issue at TTC meetings. He considered that it would be more appropriate for the TMDC to follow up on the issue because government department representatives attending TMDC meetings held more senior positions. As TMWB-related matters had been referred to the TMDC for follow-ups, he suggested this issue also be come up for further discussion at TMDC meetings. In addition, he enquired whether TM-CLKL was a toll road. He believed that if it was not, a large number of vehicles would be attracted to use it to travel between Tuen Mun and the airport.
163. The Chairman responded that it had been decided earlier at a meeting that the THB be invited to report to the TMDC on the latest progress of TMWB in due course, and that the TTC was following up on the arrangements for transport facilities relating to HZMB and TM-CLKL.
164. The TTC Chairman indicated that in respect of the arrangements for transport facilities, the TTC had written to the TD requesting it to make responses and provide the information concerned at a TTC meeting.
165. A Member held the view that the delays in the HZMB and TM-CLKL projects were excusable because these projects, though well planned, were impeded by judicial reviews. Yet, he found it unacceptable that the department prevaricated about the completion dates of the two projects. In his opinion, the department should report candidly to the TMDC about any difficulties it encountered in the works, so that the TMDC could plan other development projects in the district in light of the latest progress of the works or even render assistance to the department. He hoped the department could provide more information in this regard.
166. The first proposer of the paper hoped the department could arrange a visit to
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Action TM-CLKL for Members.
167. The Chairman supported the above suggestion and invited the department to arrange a visit to the relevant TM-CLKL sections for the TMDC in due course.
168. Mr PANG Chi-chiu of the HyD responded that the request would be referred to the department for it to consider the arrangements for the visit.
[Post-meeting note: The HyD responded after the meeting that the TM-CLKL project was in full swing and the works were heavy and complex on the sites, where many different large-scale construction machinery, falseworks, bulky prefabricated components and facilities under construction were kept. For the above reasons and on consideration of construction site safety, it was not an appropriate time for the TMDC to visit TM-CLKL.]
VI. Reports from Government (A) The 4th Report of Tuen Mun District Management Committee 2016
(TMDC Paper No. 40/2016) 169. Members perused the contents of the above report.
(B) Report by Tuen Mun Police District
(TMDC Paper No. 41/2016) 170. Members perused the contents of the above report.
171. Mr Rupert DOVER, District Commander (Tuen Mun) of the HKPF, gave Members a brief on the crime figures for Tuen Mun from August to September 2016 and the related information: (i) The overall number of reported crime cases was 577 in total, an increase
of 100 cases on the same period in the previous year; and (ii) Crimes recording increases mainly involved miscellaneous thefts (+41 cases or 53.2%), deception (+25 cases or 59.5%), technology crimes (+19 cases or 61.3%), domestic violence crimes (+11 cases or 183.3%), missing motor vehicles (+10 cases or 1 000%) and burglary (+6 cases or 40%).
172. He also gave Members a brief on the crime figures for Tuen Mun from January to September 2016 and the related information: (i) The overall number of reported crime cases was 2 425 in total, a decrease
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Action of 155 cases on the same period in the previous year; (ii) Crimes recording decreases mainly involved deception (-27.7%) and theft
from vehicles (-52.5%); and (iii) Crimes recording increases mainly involved triad-related crimes (+38
cases or 47.5%) and pickpocketing (+9 cases or 81.8%).
173. He attributed the increase in triad-related crimes to the recent collaboration between the New Territories North Regional Headquarters and the Tuen Mun Police District in combating these crimes. He thanked the TMDC for its cooperation, which contributed to the decline in the overall number of crimes in January to September 2016.
174. A Member expressed concern about the growth rate of domestic violence crimes, opining that without proper handling, these cases could result in death or injury. She hoped front-line police officers would not treat these cases as general family disputes and could arrange for the victims to seek assistance from social workers.
Moreover, she noticed the growth rate of cases of missing motor vehicles, saying that it was heard that some Mainland syndicates targeted specific types of vehicles for theft. She hoped the Police would step up publicity in this regard to alert owners of specific types of vehicles.
175. Mr Rupert DOVER, District Commander (Tuen Mun) of the HKPF, responded that the Police was also concerned about the situation of domestic violence crimes, and front-line police officers would handle these cases carefully with attention to the safety of the victims (especially women and children). Fortunately, the rise in the number of domestic violence crimes was accompanied by a drop in the number of wounding and serious assault cases. The increase in the number of domestic violence crimes was driven by the rise in the number of cases involving criminal intimidation. But anyway, the Police would refer these cases to the SWD for follow-ups.
176. He further indicated that a significant growth rate was seen because the number of cases of missing motor vehicles surged from one to 11, but anyway, even one case of missing motor vehicles was too many. He said these cases involved different types of vehicles and different locations, adding that the Police would take immediate follow-up action if a specific modus operandi was identified.
177. A Member opined that the number of shop theft had risen significantly in recent years and hoped the Police would provide the number of cases detected.
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Action
178. Mr Rupert DOVER, District Commander (Tuen Mun) of the HKPF, said there were 544 shop theft cases from January to September 2016, an increase of about 50 cases on the same period in the previous year. He explained that it was due mainly to a rise in the number of convenience stores, where most shop theft cases took place. The Police would get in touch with these stores to raise their alertness to theft and take measures accordingly. He added that among the 544 shop theft cases, 374 cases had been detected.
179. Members had no further comment. The Chairman thanked Mr Rupert
DOVER, District Commander (Tuen Mun) of the HKPF, for his report.
(C) Signature Project Scheme in Tuen Mun District 180. DO(TM) (Acting) reported on the latest progress of the project “Revitalisation of Tuen Mun River and Surrounding Areas”, saying that the tender invitation for the works for the open space in Choi Yee Bridge had already closed and the contract consultant was evaluating the tenders submitted. The works were expected to be carried out from December 2016 to January 2017. Separately, the first phase of the project on installation of decorative lighting on roads in Tuen Mun would be given priority for commencement. The HyD would carry out the first phase of the installation works at Yau Oi Estate, Wu Shan Recreation Playground and places next to the riverside in the Citybus depot. The works were expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017. The appearance and design of the decorative lighting were the same as those of the model approved earlier by the TMDC.
181. He also reported on the latest progress of the project “Promotion of Youth Development in Tuen Mun”, saying that Yan Oi Tong was preparing for the decoration works for Youth Space. He added that the tender invitation for the assessment of youth services and social impacts had closed on 30 September 2016 and Yan Oi Tong was evaluating the tenders submitted. The service agreement for the project had been drafted for approval by the Home Affairs Department, and the TMDO would sign the agreement with Yan Oi Tong in November 2016. The TMDO had also drafted a tenancy agreement for the project and would sign it with Yan Oi Tong later, with a view to providing services for the public as early as possible.
182. Members made no comment or enquiry on the above issue. The Chairman thanked DO(TM) (Acting) for his report.
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Action VII. Reports by TMDC Representatives 183. The TMDC representatives had nothing particular to report.
VIII. Members’ Enquiries to Government Departments 184. As Members had nothing particular to ask, the representatives of government departments except the TMDO left the meeting.
IX. In-house Matters (A) Members Joining or Resigning from Committees and Working Groups
under TMDC 185. The Secretary reported that Mr HO Kwan-yiu had resigned from the EHDDC, the Social Services Committee and the TTC on 5 October 2016; Mr TSANG Hin-hong had joined the EHDDC on 7 October 2016; and Mr TO Teng-shu had resigned as a Co-opted Member of the EHDDC on27 October 2016.
(B) Timetable for Meetings of TMDC and its Committees in 2017
(TMDC Paper No. A60/2016) 186. Members perused the contents of the above paper.
187. Members made no comment and the Chairman announced that the above timetable was endorsed.
(C) Arrangements for Closed Meetings of Working Groups/Steering Groups
(TMDC Paper No. A61/2016) 188. Members perused the contents of the above paper.
189. The Chairman said that as stated in paragraph 6 of the paper, the Finance, Administration and Publicity Committee (“FAPC”) had agreed to set guidelines on when working groups or steering groups should call closed meetings, and this matter entailed amendments to the relevant Standing Orders (i.e. the proposed amendments printed in grayscale in the Annex to Paper No. A61), which required endorsement by the TMDC.
190. Members made no comment, and the Chairman announced that the amendments were endorsed.
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Action (D) Position of TMDC Funds as at 20 October 2016
(TMDC Paper No. A62/2016) 191. Members perused the contents of the above paper.
(E) Applications for TMDC Funds
(TMDC Paper No. A63/2016) 192. Members perused the contents of the above paper.
193. The Chairman indicated that the two applications for TMDC Funds set out in Paper No. A63 had been recommended by the FAPC. As the amounts of the funding applied for exceeded $100,000, the applications had to be submitted to the TMDC for endorsement.
194. Members made no comment, and the Chairman announced that the applications for TMDC Funds set out in Paper No. A63 were endorsed.
(F) Reports by Committees
(TMDC Paper Nos. A64/2016 to A69/2016) 195. Members perused the above six reports.
196. The Chairman drew Members’ attention to paragraph 9 of Paper No. A65, the report by the District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”), which was about the DFMC’s endorsement of the arrangements of the Working Group on Tuen Mun
District Organising Committee for the Sixth Hong Kong Games for supporting the display of the TMDC logo on the uniform of the partner organisation’s cheering team. The arrangements were submitted to the TMDC for final endorsement.
197. Members made no comment on this issue, and the Chairman announced the endorsement of the arrangements by which the TMDC logo would be displayed on the uniform of the partner organisation’s cheering team.
198. Members made no comment on the above six reports, and the Chairman announced that the TMDC endorsed the contents of the reports.
(G) Reports by Working Groups
(TMDC Paper No. A70/2016) 199. Members perused the contents of the above report.
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Action 200. Members made no comment, and the Chairman announced that the TMDC endorsed the contents of the above report.
X. Any Other Business 201. The Vice-chairman said Tuen Mun Beach Festival for this year would be held on 6 November 2016 (Sunday) at Golden Beach, Tuen Mun. He encouraged
Members to attend the event and hoped that they would help promote it by distributing its promotional materials, which would be delivered to their offices shortly.
202. A Member informed participants at the meeting that the Steering Group on Community Reading under the DFMC would hold the “Reading in Tuen Mun” Community Bookfair from 24 to 27 November 2016 at Tuen Mun Cultural Square.
203. There being no other business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 4:01 p.m.
The next meeting would be held on 3 January 2017 (Tuesday).
Tuen Mun District Council Secretariat Date: 24 November 2016 File Ref: HAD TMDC/13/25/DC/16
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