Following is a question by the Hon Tam Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (January 7):
Question:
Regarding the property development projects at the TW5, TW6 and TW7 sites at the West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station which are under planning by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the updated details of the above development projects, including the numbers of blocks to be built, their height, orientation and disposition, the numbers of floors, level of podiums and numbers of residential flats of the proposed buildings, the numbers and width of breezeways, the respective residential and non-residential gross floor areas, together with the permitted site-coverage percentages and the plot ratios of these development projects;
(b) whether it knows if MTRCL has carried out air ventilation assessments for the above development projects; if so, of the assessment results; if not, the reasons for that;
(c) as the Government announced in November last year the lowering of the development densities of the above-station property development projects at the Nam Cheong Station and the Yuen Long Station of the West Rail, whether the primary considerations in reaching such a decision are also applicable to the above-station development projects at the Tsuen Wan West Station; if not, the reasons for that; and
(d) among the above development projects, whether it has plans to lower the development densities of those which have not yet been put to tender, so as to improve the air ventilation and the living environment in the district; if so, of the details of such plans; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the four-part question is as follows:
(a) The three property development projects located at the TW5, TW6 and TW7 sites of the West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station fall within the "Comprehensive Development Area". The Master Layout Plans (MLPs) for these developments were submitted by the applicant (the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation) to the Town Planning Board for approval and were granted planning permissions between 2000 and 2001. The major development parameters for the approved MLPs are shown in Annex.
The orientation and disposition of the buildings can be found in the approved MLPs. As for the layout of buildings, breezeways are retained and indicated in the MLPs. The site-coverage percentages are not shown in the MLPs. The developer is required to comply with the Buildings Ordinance when drawing up the detailed building design. The public can view the relevant MLPs at the Land Registry.
(b) As the three development projects to be carried out at the TW5, TW6 and TW7 sites had already been approved before the promulgation of the "Technical Circular on Air Ventilation Assessment" and the incorporation of the Qualitative Guidelines on Air Ventilation in the "Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines" in 2006, the applicant does not need to submit air ventilation assessment reports for the projects.
(c) & (d) After detailed consideration, apart from reviewing and revising the above-station property development projects at the Nam Cheong Station and the Yuen Long Station as pledged by the Chief Executive in the 2007-08 Policy Address, the Government has no plan to lower the development densities of other above-station property development projects along the West Rail which have not yet been put to tender. The development projects will continue to proceed under the existing mechanism. For projects with approved planning scheme, the detailed design stage will endeavour to enhance the design as far as possible. For those without approved planning scheme, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) will carry out the planning and design work following the latest planning standards and design guidelines, including the undertaking of air ventilation assessments where required. The projects to be carried out at the TW5, TW6 and TW7 sites are amongst those with approved planning scheme, and the MTRCL has already awarded the development contract of the TW7 site to a developer.
Ends/Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:01
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