Leung’s sensible approach to urban development

The administration has adopted a sensible two-pronged approach in tackling the problem of housing supply by maximizing the land use potential of existing building sites in the short/medium terms and forming new land for development outside the urban districts in the long term.迷你倉The Chief Executive hopes that, with the community's full support, we will be able to provide sufficient land to achieve the housing target. However, his hopes for the community's full support may just be wishful thinking because often re-zoning applications in urban areas for housing development are faced with objections from adjoining owners.Owners of buildings whose view will be blocked by the proposed development object, because they will suffer from a less attractive living environment and a reduction in property value. As for the proposed new towns, history tells us that objections from various parties could be raised on different grounds as in the case of the North East New Territories New Development Areas.The CE's initiative for streamlining the processing of lease modification is a good step forward in speeding up the development process and this should be welcomed by the building industry. To further enhance this development process, the administration could study if there are provisions in planning law that are causing unreasonable delays in the planning process and if so whether they, too, can be streamlined.With the construction of the MTR's West Island Line and South Island Line (East) projects, the administration has decided to lift the development moratorium on the area around Wah Fu Estate. Consideration should also be given to similar treatment being given to the Mid-Level Moratorium Area, upon completion of the West Island Line and additional hillside escalator(s) serving the area. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Mid-Level Moratorium Area, a unique provision in Hong Kong, was originally introduced for geographical reasons but the concept was later retained on the grounds of traffic usage.The government has commenced a study to identify districts with potential for developing urban underground space, with a view to increasing useful space and enhancing connectivity across the urban areas. A pilot study is also being prepared covering T文件倉im Sha Tsui West, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Admiralty/Wan Chai. To make the scheme financially viable, the underground space would likely include commercial elements and involve floor areas in addition to the existing building floor areas.With the buildings in existence, the likely solution would be to create the space underneath existing roads unless the space is located underneath open space or sports ground. The implications concerning other private developments will need to be assessed before firming up a policy on the subject. These considerations include whether such areas can generally be permitted underneath roads and disregarded from floor area calculations.Care should also be taken to ensure that the additional space created would not draw additional population to the area thus creating extra burdens on the infrastructure environmental problems.For green construction, the Policy Address commendably advises that measures to promote low-carbon construction, carbon reduction and the use of recycled materials will be introduced in public works projects. The government should also consider persuading the private sector, in particular the MTR, Urban Renewal Authority and Housing Society, to adopt similar initiative on green specifications and procurement.The government is also implementing the district-cooling system at Kai Tak Development Area which is now in its initial phase of operation, to meet the demand for air-conditioning of public and private non-domestic developments.I understand this system is also intended to be incorporated into the new development areas in the North East New Territories, subject to feasibility studies. If this system is found to be feasible and successful, it should become a standard provision for the development of future new towns for the sake of conservation.The author is a fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. He was an assistant director of theBuildings Department when he retired from the HKSAR Government in 2010.The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail toopinion@chinadailyhk.com. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters.存倉