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SECTION
3 NATURAL RESOURCES CAPITAL STOCK
| 3.2 |
Land
Use and Land Supply |
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| Reclamations |
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| 3.2.1.3 |
Since
the late 1980s, the Hong Kong SAR Government
has pursued a policy of large-scale reclamations
to provide land for port, business, residential
and infrastructure uses under Hong Kong's
Port and Airport Development Strategy. Indicative
figures for the total area of reclaimed
land in Hong Kong are presented in Table
3.2a.
| Table
3.2a Cumulative Area of Reclaimed Land
in Hong Kong in Hectares |
| Year
|
Cumulative
Area of Reclaimed Land (ha) |
Rate
of Increase* (ha yr-1) |
|
1887
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200
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N/A
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1924
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450
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6.7
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1945
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700
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11.9
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1967
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1050
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15.9
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1976
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1900
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94.4
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1996
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5950
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202.5
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*
Calculated as (D hectares/D time)
Source:
' Reclamation & Development in Hong
Kong', Survey & Mapping Office, Lands
Department, Series AR/9/RD, Edition 4, 1996
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| 3.2.1.4 |
These
indicated figures provide a striking illustration
of the dramatic increase in coastal development
in recent years. Reclamation has been broadly
focused in the areas around Chek Lap Kok
and the North Lantau coast, West Kowloon,
Victoria Harbour, Tseung Kwan O and Tolo
Harbour. While several reclamation projects
are proceeding as planned (eg Container
Terminal 9 on Tsing Yi), recent public opposition
to further reclamation in Victoria Harbour,
spearheaded by the Protection of the Harbour
Ordinance (Cap 531), enacted in 1997 has
caused projects in this area to undergo
greater scrutiny. Projects such as the Southeast
Kowloon reclamation and the Green Island
reclamation are expected to be considerably
scaled down. Figure
3.2a illustrates the major past, present
and proposed reclamations in Victoria Harbour.
As additional development within the New
Territories has been advocated as an alternative
to further harbour reclamation, there could
thus be a reciprocal relationship between
the area of harbour reclamation and the
area of land developed in the New Territories.
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Urban
Renewal
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| 3.2.1.5 |
A
further option to secure additional land for
development is to accelerate the pace of urban
renewal and remediation of former industrial
sites, such as Kai Tak Airport. These areas
(sometimes called 'brownfield' sites) will
become increasingly prominent as a means of
increasing the land supply in urban areas
and alleviating pressures for development
of natural areas and further reclamation.
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| 3.2.1.6 |
The
1999 Policy Address announced the intention
to set up an Urban Renewal Authority which
will be entrusted with powers to assemble
land for development. In parallel, Government
plans to launch an urban renewal programme
targeted toward nine areas comprised of Ma
Tau Kok, Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Yau Ma
Tei, Yau Tong, Kwun Tong, Sai Ying Pun, Wan
Chai and Tsuen Wan. Other policy developments
such as the recently completed Urban Renewal
Strategy (PlanD), and Housing Authority's
restructuring studies for older commercial
and residential areas further reinforce that
urban renewal will play an increasingly larger
role in land use planning in Hong Kong. |
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