The Town Planning Board (TPB) on July 19 agreed to the draft San Tin Technopole Outline Zoning Plan (OZP), the draft Mai Po and Fairview Park OZP and the draft Ngau Tam Mei OZP, and agreed to submit these draft OZPs to the Chief Executive in Council for approval. The three draft OZPs provide a statutory planning framework and planning control for the development of San Tin Technopole (the Technopole) (except the Loop) and the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park (SPS WCP).
      
     TPB heard the oral submissions of about 160 representers or their representatives and the responses from the Government team in the four-day hearing held in end-June and early-July, and conducted several hours of deliberation in the afternoon on July 19. TPB finally decided to agree to the draft OZPs, and agreed to adopt some suggestions from the representers and incorporate them into the Planning and Design Brief (PDB), which will subsequently be submitted to the TPB for approval. To enhance the planning and design of the Technopole, the project proponents of the information and technology (I&T) development will be required to comply with the relevant requirements under the PDB.
      
     TPB acknowledged that most representers support the I&T development at the Technopole while some have differing views on the need to fill the ponds for some I&T land. Majority of members concurred that from the perspective of Northern Metropolis development, the Technopole is strategically located near the Loop and the Shenzhen I&T Zone, which can create synergy effect. Owing to geographical constraints (surrounded by mountains) and the need for the Technopole to be of considerable scale to achieve a cluster effect, pond filling in a reasonable manner is necessary for the provision of I&T land.
      
     Members noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment Report was approved by the Director of Environmental Protection in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, and relevant government departments have to comply with the approval conditions in accordance with the law to achieve a balance between development and conservation. In order to compensate for the ecological loss due to pond filling and to take forward active conservation policy, the Government will construct the 338-hectare SPS WCP to ensure no-net-loss of the ecological function of the wetlands. In addition, the Government has committed to resume private land for the development of the WCP and start the pond filling only after the commencement of the works for the SPS WCP in 2026/2027. The Government will also implement various measures, including formulation of a Habitat Creation and Management Plan and setting up of an Environmental Committee.
      
     Members agreed that while flexibility should be allowed for the I&T sites, the detailed planning and appropriate control should be achieved through the PDB. The Government will prepare the PDB and submit it to the TPB for approval after consultation with relevant stakeholders. Apart from stipulating the planning, engineering and urban design requirements for individual I&T sites, the PDB will also cover the following aspects in response to the representations:
 

• while flexibility has been allowed for a number of always permitted uses, the I&T land must be used for purposes in line with its planning intention;
• improve the connectivity of wetland habitats;
• enhance the design of birds' flight paths;
• formulate design requirements for wildlife corridors and bird-friendly buildings;
• preserve historical monuments and respect traditional village culture, promoting urban-rural integration;
• lower building heights and provide setbacks for non-building areas, and the sites adjacent to the SPS WCP and "Village Type Development" zone;
• incorporate nature-based solutions and 'sponge city' concept to enhance flood resilience;
• adopt smart, green and resilient measures to address extreme weather conditions and climate change;
• integrate blue-green elements into the I&T land; and
• encourage urban agriculture and diverse landscape.

 
     The PDB will be incorporated in the land leases or land grant documents for the I&T sites, requiring the project proponents to prepare Master Plans based on the PDB, which will be subject to approval by a committee under the Development Bureau.
      
     Members agreed to revise the Explanatory Statement of the San Tin Technology OZP to incorporate the requirements of the PDB mentioned above and to ensure that the Government will maintain communication with local villagers on those village facilities to be affected by the project, with a view to working out the appropriate arrangements.
      
     The TPB will convey other views or suggestions related to I&T, environmental and ecological planning, financial arrangement, road alignment (e.g. Road L6), etc. to the Development Bureau for follow-up.

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is highly concerned about the massive technical outage of Microsoft system today (July 19) and has assigned the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (DCS) to monitor the situation. The DCS has asked government departments to closely keep in view developments under their purview and be prepared to make prompt response as well as immediate reports where necessary. The DCS will also give instructions as necessary.

     The operation of government systems has remained normal and no incident report is received from departments in relation to their systems (including critical infrastructures under their purview). As regards individual airlines whose systems are affected by the Microsoft system outage, the Hong Kong International Airport has immediately activated the emergency response system to minimise the impact of the incident on travellers.

     The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has communicated with Microsoft and urged the company to release solution to the public and provide support to affected users as soon as possible.

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will lead a delegation of the Housing Department on July 21 (Sunday), together with 16 Legislative Council (LegCo) members, including members of the LegCo Panel on Housing, to Zhuhai and Shenzhen for a two-day visit.

     The itinerary includes getting an understanding of the latest situation regarding the research and development of innovative construction technologies as well as their applications in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities. They will also tour a Modular Integrated Construction module manufacturing plant, visit local public rental housing projects, community facilities, learn about smart property management and meet with relevant local officials. 

     Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong on the evening of July 22. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, will be the Acting Secretary for Housing.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Members met with the new term Tuen Mun District Council (DC) and Wong Tai Sin DC members at the LegCo Complex today (July 19). This was the second meeting held between LegCo and the DCs after the improvement of the district governance system. They discussed and exchanged views on issues closely related to people's livelihood.
 
     During the meeting with the Tuen Mun DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on various issues, including the developments and planning for ancillary facilities of transport infrastructure in the district, and utilising smart technologies and big data to improve traffic diversion so as to alleviate frequent congestion on major roads; and facilitating the transformation of industrial buildings and capitalising the geographical advantages of Tuen Mun for the development of various purposes to drive local employment for Tuen Mun residents. They also discussed the strengthening of waste and food waste recycling services in the district as well as stepping up publicity and education, and the support on waste recycling in rural areas, with a view to assisting the public to reduce waste at source.
 
     The meeting was convened by Mr Holden Chow Ho-ding. A total of 21 Members attended the meeting including Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Chan Chun-ying, Mr Luk Chung-hung, Mr Lau Kwok-fan, Dr Hoey Simon Lee, Mr Lee Chun-keung, Mr Chau Siu-chung, Dr Chow Man-kong, Mr Andrew Lam, Ms Chan Yuet-ming, Mr Chan Yung, Mr Chan Siu-hung, Ms Lillian Kwok, Mr Benson Luk, Mr Yang Wing-kit, Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon, Mr Tang Fei, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, Mr Louis Loong and Dr Tang Yueheng.
 
     As for the meeting with the Wong Tai Sin DC, LegCo Members discussed and exchanged views with DC members on various issues, including measures to prevent large-scale flooding in the Wong Tai Sin district so as to scale-up its capability in coping with extreme weather; the promotion of long-term development of the local economy, capitalising the strong religious overtones of the district so as to develop Wong Tai Sin into a religious-themed area and implement the concept of "tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong", at the same time highlighting local characteristics when organising activities in the district to attract the participation of more residents and tourists. They also discussed the redevelopment study for Choi Hung Estate and exchanged views on the overall estate design, facilities, etc, in an effort to improve the living environment of the estate.
 
     The meeting was convened by Dr Starry Lee. A total of 18 Members attended the meeting including Mr Paul Tse, Mr Ma Fung-kwok, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Jimmy Ng, Mr Lee Chun-keung, Mr Yiu Pak-leung, Dr Wendy Hong, Mr Kenneth Leung, Ms Chan Hoi-yan, Ms Lillian Kwok, Mr Benson Luk, Mr Kingsley Wong, Mr Yang Wing-kit, Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon, Mr Tang Ka-piu, Dr Ngan Man-yu and Mr Yim Kong.

            

     A spokesman for the Home Affairs Department (HAD) today (July 19) alerted members of the public to a fraudulent Facebook page purported to be the "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree" Facebook page. Bloomy The Tree is the social enterprise mascot of the HAD.
 
     The HAD found that the fraudulent Facebook page purported to be the "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree" Facebook page left comments for followers of the genuine Facebook page "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree". The comments provided a hyperlink to a fake "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree" website, which seeks to obtain credit card information of members of the public.
 
     After discovering the fraudulent Facebook page, the HAD immediately removed comments left on its Facebook page of "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree", and prevented the leaving of any further comments. The HAD has also reported the case to the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Police. Facebook has also blocked and disabled the relevant fraudulent accounts after receiving the HAD's notification.
 
     The spokesman clarified that the department has no connection with the fraudulent website, and will never ask for credit card information from members of the public through the Facebook page and website of "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree". The genuine hyperlink of the Facebook page of "社ä¼�å�‹å»ºæ¨¹ Bloomy The Tree" is www.facebook.com/sehk.gov.hk.
 
     The spokesman alerted members of the public to remain vigilant and not to visit suspicious websites or disclose any personal information. Anyone who has provided personal information of their credit card to the website concerned should report the case to the Police as soon as possible.
 
     The HAD condemns all form of cybercrime and will fully co-operate with investigations by law enforcement agencies.