The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, June 7, 2024 is 106 (down 0.2 against yesterday's index).

     The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Sha Tin Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment in the Sha Tin area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (June 7).

     The planning scheme area covers about 2 777 hectares. Its inner core lies at the bottom of Sha Tin Valley, which is separated from Kowloon by a range of hills dominated by Lion Rock and Sugar Loaf Peak. Ma On Shan, the extension to Sha Tin New Town, lies to the north-east of the area.
      
     The approved OZP has incorporated amendments shown on the draft Sha Tin OZP No. S/ST/37, which mainly involve (i) rezoning a site at the junction of Wong Chuk Yeung Street and Kwei Tei San Chuen Road from "Green Belt" ("GB") to "Residential (Group A)8" for public housing development; (ii) rezoning a site to the northeast of Shan Mei Street from "Industrial" to "Government, Institution or Community" ("G/IC") to facilitate the development of a Joint-user Complex; (iii) rezoning two sites to the north and south of On Sum Street from "G/IC" and "Open Space" ("O") respectively to "Commercial (1)" ("C(1)") for commercial developments; (iv) rezoning a site at the junction on Yuen Hong Street and Yuen Shun Circuit from "G/IC" to "C(1)" for commercial development; (v) rezoning a site at Sha Tin Wai Road from "O" to "Residential (Group A) 9" for private residential development; (vi) rezoning a site at Chap Wai Kon Street from "G/IC" to "Residential (Group A) 10" for private residential development; (vii) rezoning a site on Yuen Hong Street from "Industrial (1)" to "Commercial (2)" to reflect a completed hotel development; (viii) rezoning a site on Tung Lo Wan Hill Road from "GB" and "G/IC" to "Residential (Group B)3" for private residential development; (ix) rezoning a site to the north of Mei Tin Road from "Residential (Group B)" and "GB" to "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Religious Institution with Columbarium" to take forward an agreed section 12A application for religious institution and columbarium use; and (x) rezoning a site to the south of Chek Nai Ping on Tai Po Road (Ma Liu Shui) from "GB" to "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Columbarium (2)" to take forward an agreed section 12A application for columbarium development.

     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP have been amended taking into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning circumstances, where appropriate.

     The approved Sha Tin OZP No. S/ST/38 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Sha Tin, Tai Po and North District Planning Office, (iv) the Sha Tin District Office and the Ma On Shan Sub-office of the Sha Tin District Office, and (v) the Sha Tin Rural Committee.

     Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Ming Lun Street/Ma Tau Kok Road Development Scheme Plan (DSP).

     "The approved DSP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the implementation of the URA Ming Lun Street/Ma Tau Kok Road Development Scheme", a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (June 7).

     The development scheme area covering about 1.1 hectares is designated as "Residential (Group A)" and area shown as 'Road'. The DSP intends to achieve a holistic replanning of land uses together with the adjoining urban fabric at the To Kwa Wan Road/Ma Tau Kok Road Development Scheme to expedite redevelopment for a comprehensively designed waterfront development fitting in with the redevelopment intention of the "5 Streets" area in Ma Tau Kok. Waterfront promenade, retail belt and non-building area as designated on the DSP as well as government, institution or community facilities will be provided within the scheme area to meet community needs.

     The approved DSP No. S/K22/URA1/2 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Kowloon District Planning Office and (iv) the Kowloon City District Office.

     Copies of the approved DSP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the DSP can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on June 6 to noon today (June 7), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 186 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 52 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 57 392 samples of food imported from Japan (including 37 055 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 14 290 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     The public concert of the Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music-training programme during the 2023/24 academic year will be held at 7.30pm on July 7 (Sunday) at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall. The programme is organised by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, in collaboration with the Education University of Hong Kong. 

     Four digital music orchestras (e-Orchs) formed by about 80 students participating in the training programme from the St. Antonius Primary School, Yuen Long Merchants Association Secondary School, Buddhist Ho Nam Kam College and Hennessy Road Government Primary School (Causeway Bay), will showcase their original collaborative multimedia works at the concert. They will also collaborate with the wind and choral ensembles of the Music Office to perform original and arranged works. Musicians from the e-Orch@EdUHK Music Innovation and Design Lab will also be invited to present their original works at the concert in a performance combining music and technology. Various awards and certificates of attendance will also be presented to participating students at the concert as encouragement.

     Highlights include world premieres of local composers Wat Nga-man ("The Night Traveler") and Lau Hiu-lam ("The Midnight Serenade"), which are commissioned by the Music Office with sponsorship from the CASH (Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong) Music Fund. Other highlights include rearrangements of Brahms's "Hungarian Dance No. 5" and Gershwin's "Swanee" by Lau and Wat respectively.

     To promote the integration of music and technology on school campuses, the Music Office launched the first Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music training programme in 2022 for students of participating primary and secondary schools to form e-Orchs and learn musical knowledge and music creation with the use of tablets.

     Tickets priced at $60 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2158 6467 or 3842 7776 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/schoolprogrammes/arttech/24art/2024imm.html.