CLOSE COLLABORATION TO BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF REGIONAL HUB

Housing shortage is a major problem facing Hong Kong now. Opening up New Development Areas (NDAs) is an important measure to meet the needs for housing and other development. The Planning Department (PlanD) and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) jointly commissioned the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area Planning and Engineering Study (the Study) in 2011. PlanD is responsible for urban planning and design, while CEDD assesses the engineering and technical feasibility. The collaboration of the two departments ensures that the planning concepts dovetail with the project implementation.

The aim of the Study is to build a new town of the next generation which is sustainable and people-oriented to provide land for housing, commercial and industrial uses as well as community facilities. The NDA will provide more than 60,000 housing units for over 170,000 residents, and create about 150,000 new jobs. It will become the economic and civic hub of Northwest New Territories. Residents are expected to move in starting 2024.

A PEOPLE-ORIENTED APPROACH AND EFFICIENT LAND USE

The NDA is planned with the needs of the people in mind to minimise the impact on the existing residents. After consulting the public, PlanD and CEDD enlarged the area for local rehousing in order to help the residents maintain their social networks.

With the transformation of the existing 190-hectare brownfield sites*, the NDA will become a sustainable green city. As some of the brownfield operations still have economic contributions, PlanD and CEDD actively explored innovative integrated solutions, such as accommodating suitable brownfield operations in multi-storey buildings.

ENGAGING AND RESPONDING TO COMMUNITIES

The Study involved three stages of community engagement. PlanD and CEDD communicated extensively with different community groups, carefully considered their views in revising the development plan, and released the Community Engagement Reports. The two departments also took up a coordinating role to reflect the views of the public to the relevant bureaux. In addition, Community Liaison Teams comprising professional social workers were set up to understand the needs of the affected residents and provide them with accurate information and assistance.

During the Study, a number of public forums, briefings, focus group meetings and road shows were held, and over 4,700 public submissions were collected. The NDA project is widely supported by the public. A series of technical evaluations were completed and the feasibility of the development plan was confirmed.

Leveraging their strengths and expertise, PlanD and CEDD worked closely with each other and the community to create the future of the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area, providing a sustainable living and working environment for the residents.

* There is currently no official or standard definition of what constitutes a brownfield site in Hong Kong. The term generally refers to abandoned agricultural land in the rural New Territories which is uninhabited and used for open storage, container yards, warehouses, rural industrial depots or recycling yards, etc. The use of these sites is often incompatible with the surrounding environment.