At its meeting today (April 16), the Land and Development Advisory Committee (LDAC) was briefed by the Development Bureau on the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, the major recommendations of the Planning and Engineering Feasibility Study on Kwun Tong Action Area (KTAA) undertaken by the Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO), and the progress of the Buildings Department (BD) in reviewing the current arrangement of requiring private development projects to be registered for certification under the BEAM Plus (Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus).
Members noted that one of the key initiatives of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision is to commence studies on the formation of artificial islands of about 1 000 hectares in the Central Waters near Kau Yi Chau to alleviate the acute shortage of land in Hong Kong in the medium-to-long term. The Kau Yi Chau artificial islands are capable of providing 150 000 to 260 000 housing units, 70 per cent of which will be for public housing. In taking forward the development projects, the Government is also committed to conserving the rural Lantau. Members generally supported the commencement of studies, and would like to see them proceed in a way and speed that reflect the importance of the initiative that seek to build a new community to address the housing and economic development needs of Hong Kong.
As an initiative to release the development potential of government land, the KTAA was proposed for mixed uses including commercial, government, institution or community, open space and public transport facilities. Members were briefed on the Recommended Outline Development Plan (RODP) for the KTAA and the water body co-use proposals for Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter (KTTS) and the adjoining part of Kai Tak Approach Channel for water sports/recreation activities formulated under the Study. Members provided comments on various technical aspects, such as encouraging the use of interesting building height profile, placing of due emphasis on connectivity, ensuring adequate parking provision, and seeking opportunities to revitalize the piers within the study area.
Members were also briefed by the BD and its consultant on their progress in reviewing the current arrangement of requiring private development projects to be registered for certification under the BEAM Plus as a prerequisite for application for Gross Floor Area concession for its green, amenity features and non-essential/non-mandatory plant rooms and services. The review explores possible options of requiring a private development project to attain specific standards of performance in environmental protection, or adopt performance-based and site-specific approaches to determine the maximum GFA concession. Members agreed with the need to promote green building and encourage a quality and sustainable built environment, and gave views on the operation of the BEAM Plus mechanism and relevant incentives to achieve the said objectives. These views will be taken into account by the consultant of the BD when finalising the recommendations for the Government's consideration.
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