26. To have a better understanding of the
work and the progress of the Guangdong authority in combating
air pollution, the Chairman suggested that a visit
to the Guangdong side should be arranged in due course. In
response, SEF said that the Administration had been
collaborating with the Mainland on environmental protection
work. The two parties would reach a consensus on practicable
long-term measures to improve regional air quality around
end April this year. She agreed to convey the Council's interest
in a visit to the Guangdong environmental protection authorities
at an appropriate time.
27. The Chairman thanked the presenters
and concluded that the Council supported the proposal. He
hoped that the retrofitting programme for diesel heavy vehicles
would commence shortly and be completed as soon as possible.
Agenda Item 4 : Hong Kong 2030 : Planning
vision and strategy - Stage II public consultation - Key planning
issues and evaluation criteria
(ACE Paper 2/2002)
28. The Chairman welcomed AD(T)/PlanD
to the meeting. AD(T)/PlanD briefed Members on the
exercise.
29. The Chairman pointed out that port
activities formed a major part of Hong Kong's economy. He
would like to know future port development proposals and their
implications. In response, AD(T)/PlanD said that two
key related studies - Port Cargo Forecast and Port Development
Strategy Review were completed last year. He suggested that
the Council ask for the reports from the Port and Maritime
Board and decide whether Members would wish to have more detailed
discussion with the Board. The location for further port development
after CT-9 was not determined yet.
30. A Member considered that population
was the fundamental factor for long-term development in Hong
Kong. He said that the population in 2000 had dropped by about
300,000 after the Census and Statistics Department had revised
the estimation methodology. In addition, the Chief Executive
had recently been considering the possibility of formulating
a population policy which could have significant impact on
future population including the distribution. He therefore
asked whether the Planning Department had adopted scenarios
of different population growth rates in working out the development
plans for the coming decades.
31. In response, AD(T)/PlanD said that
they were aware of recent changes that would affect the population
forecast. The Department would postulate different scenarios
of population growth, taking into account factors like ageing,
decline in birth rate, etc., in the next stage of the Study.
32. A Member said that since a large
share of the manufacturing industry had moved out of the territory,
there were quite a number of obsolete industrial buildings
in old industrial areas. To better utilize land resources
in Hong Kong, he suggested that those areas should be re-developed
before developing any other new areas. He also pointed out
that container exports in Hong Kong had been on a decline
in recent years partly due to keen competition from Shekou
and Yantian ports and partly due to the congestion of the
cross-border road traffic. He cautioned that when the quota
system from which Hong Kong had benefited in the past ended
in 2005, container exports would suffer from a further decline.
He therefore urged the Government to take into account that
major economic change in the Study.
33. A Member concurred with Mr. Lee
that old industrial buildings should be put into better use.
However, he noted that some recent residential developments
were not compatible with the land-use of nearby areas. He
therefore suggested that a redevelopment project should be
designed to cover a larger or the whole industrial area instead
of just a few industrial buildings.
34. A Member commended the Department's
endeavor to plan ahead and asked whether the planning process
had any built-in mechanism to react to the changing economy
and the changing aspirations of the community. He also agreed
with another Member that the Government should ensure the
best use of land resources and quoted the success of Manchester
in turning an old industrial area into a new town. As regards
the proposal of using reservoirs for water sports, he suggested
that trials could first be conducted to assess the environmental
impacts concerned. On a related point, he also suggested the
use of the irrigation reservoirs as ecological compensation/mitigation
banks under the environmental impact assessment mechanism
since agricultural activities had become quite dormant. He
also urged the Planning Department to integrate preservation
of areas of high ecological value into the key planning issues
under the Study.
35. A Member said that the Study failed
to project the future of Hong Kong after 30 years. He could
not see how changes in different sectors of the economy, for
example the change from manufacturing to servicing industry,
had been taken into account in the planning. He also queried
whether it was the long-term policy to position Hong Kong
as a cargo port if the Government intended to develop Hong
Kong into a world-class city.
36. A Member suggested that the Government
should take a more proactive approach in land-use planning.
For instance, the Task Force (Black Spots) had been monitoring
and controlling the illegal use of land in the New Territories.
However in her view, instead of just taking reactive actions
in response to illegal activities, the Government should make
better use of those sites so as to eliminate the opportunity
for abuses. For example, the Government should develop pockets
of land into zones of special characteristics like the Soho
area instead of leaving it to the market force. That Member
also shared another Member's concerns about opening up reservoirs
for water sports and was worried that human activities might
spoil the natural resources.
37. A Member informed the meeting that
he would directly send his personal written comments on the
consultation document to the Planning Department separately.
He pointed out that the Department should be more proactive
in preserving and protecting the environment rather than adopting
a reactive approach in minimizing adverse environmental impacts
after developments had taken place.
38. A Member said that whilst the living
standards in Hong Kong remained stable in recent years, those
in Mainland cities would surpass Hong Kong soon. The current
exercise would be an opportunity for the Government to adjust
the focus of planning from a quantity-driven approach to a
quality-driven one with emphasis on the quality of the living
environment. It was also high time to give thoughts to the
possibility of looking beyond the border to facilitate planning
for regional integration.
39. In response to Members' comments, AD(T)/PlanD
said that the Government had a clear vision of developing
Hong Kong into Asia's world city. Most of the issues presented
were related strategically to the quality of the living environment,
for example, decentralization of jobs to the New Territories
could reduce the demand for commuting and in turn achieve
improvement in air quality. On regional integration, it was
a new area of research and the Government had been putting
in resources to obtain more information on that front. As
for the utilization of existing resources, it was in fact
a fundamental principle of the HK2030 Study. The Government
had already relaxed the land-use of obsolete industrial areas
to allow flexibility in redevelopment. As regards socio-economic
changes, the report of the Commission on Strategic Development
had dealt with that issue in great detail. Regarding the use
of reservoirs for water sports, there was no intention to
open up all reservoirs at the same time. The Department would
make reference to overseas experience to ensure that disturbances
to the natural environment would be kept to the minimal.
40. In response to the Chairman's enquiry,
AD(T)/PlanD informed Members that there was close liaison
between the Planning Department and other government bureaux/departments.
On policy level, the Secretary for Planning and Lands chaired
a steering group on the 2030 Study while the Director of Planning
chaired a working group to examine the planning issues at
the working level. The Chief Secretary and the Executive Council
were also kept informed of the progress of the Study.
41. In response to a Member's suggestion of
establishing an industrial/commercial zone along the border,
AD(T)/PlanD said that there were various suggestions
on how the existing Frontier Closed Area should be opened
up for development. The Government would like to hear the
views of the public on these suggestions.
42. A Member felt that the vision stated
in the Study was too vague and she doubted whether the study
could help Hong Kong achieve the ultimate vision. She requested
to put on record the World Wide Fund For Nature Hong Kong's
reservation on opening up reservoirs for recreational use
on environmental grounds. She considered that the concept
of sustainable use of old industrial buildings should be extended
to other areas and urged the Government to expedite the review
of small house policy and minimize the waste of land.
43. The Chairman said that land use
played a critical role in the quality of life of a place.
As far as social policies were concerned, land use played
an important role in the well-being of community groups.
44. D of Plan said that it was not
possible for the 2030 Study, nor was it intended, to provide
solutions to all the problems that Hong Kong was facing. The
Study set out the major strategic planning issues and problems
for the next 30 years and tried to involve the community in
the deliberation process so that the whole city would benefit
from collective wisdom. The collective thinking process was
perhaps more important than the study product itself. The
Administration was aware of the difficulties in predicting
so far into the future and therefore the scenario building
approach would be used and extensive consultation was necessary.
Land use was only one of the many factors affecting the quality
of life. The Planning Department would be conducting more
in-depth and detailed discussions with different organizations
on various planning issues and he looked forward to the Council's
participation and support in the future.
45. The Chairman thanked AD(T)/PlanD
for the consultation and reminded Members that a forum on
Stage II public consultation of the Study would be held on
26 January 2002.
Agenda Item 5 : Any Other Business
Schedule of meetings for 2002
46. Members endorsed the meeting schedule
for 2002.
The EIA report on Sheung Shui to Lok Ma
Chau Spur Line
47. The Chairman reminded Members that
the EIA report on the Spur Line would be discussed at the
Subcommittee meeting to be held on 28 January 2002 at 4:45pm.
Non-Subcommittee Members were invited to inform the Secretariat
if they were interested in joining the meeting.
Tentative items for discussion at the next
meeting
48. Members noted that the Planning
Department would consult the Council on the Study on Planning
for Pedestrians - Stage I Consultation at the next meeting.
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