Authorities further raised Kai Tak residential density, criticized for enhancing walled effect and misusing land

Increased housing units turns to high-end flats – Property speculation as root of problem

Green Sense suggests to increase HOS flat supply – Private housing should be reserved for ‘Hong Kong first-timers’

The Hong Kong government has recently proposed amendments of the draft Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan No. S/K22/5 (‘the OZP’) to the Town Planning Board, an act which would further raise residential density of the area, and would change the land use of two open space areas into residential use. The amendments involve a total of 16 sites, 5 of them close to the Kai Tak Airport apron area and the remaining 11 situated in the middle of the runway. Multiple mid-runway sites would have their Plot Ratios increased from 3.4 – 5.9 to 5.5 -7, while their height restrictions would be extended from 45-80 m to 95-120 m.

Green Sense expressed concern that the increase in residential density would lead to a “resurrection” of walled effect buildings, blocking ventilation in the Kowloon Bay Area, and re-enacting the faulty town planning of old.

Earlier in 2013, with the same reason to “increase housing supply”, the government has already increased the plot ratio of 4 sites (1 for HOS housing and 3 for private housing) in the apron area (the future Kai Tak City Centre) from 4.5-5 to 5.5-6. The three private housing lots were put up for sale, and their off-plan apartment prices ended up reaching HKD17000-24000 per square foot, far too high to be affordable by the middle class. The total of 12 land lots in the apron area were meant to provide 9000 housing units, but after 4 of them were sold to the Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co. Ltd. at a sky-high HKD13000 per square foot, it was expected that apartments there would be sold as luxury homes at astronomical prices. On the other hand, One Kai Tak, occupying two land lots under the ‘Hong Kong Property for Hong Kong People’ policy, has also been recently put up for tendering with prices starting at HKD16000-25000 per square foot. Under such a laissez-faire private housing policy, the lots, despite a total area of 12 hectares, have failed to provide even one single affordable flat, and are thus a waste of land and housing units.

Now the government has failed to learn from previous mistakes and applied for further amendments of the OZP, boosting density of the remaining 16 sites. Authorises ignore the root of the problem is, in fact, property speculation. Increasing planned units would benefit no one but developers and speculators.

‘The government has increased the supply of residential units by raising development density and encouraging “blind land usurping”, but real estate prices remained high, showing that these are not effective measures,’ commented Roy Tam Hoi-pong, Chief Executive (Voluntary) of Green Sense. ‘We believe that instead of providing units which would end up being speculated as luxury homes, continuously sacrificing the environment in the process, the government should tighten its housing policies.

Green Sense suggested applying certain conditions to the increase of residential density, including transforming the 16 lots for private housing to HOS use, or setting limitations in land leases stating developers should only provide ‘Hong Kong first-timer’ units – flats sold exclusively to locals as starter homes – those units are not to be transferred within a short period of time. Should a transfer be made, only those who are also local first-time home buyers would be eligible. Thus the chance of property and land speculation would be greatly reduced. If the government fails to implement the above measures, there is no reason to allow the denser development.

Caption: Another Proposed Change of Land Use to Residential (Group B) at Kai Tak, plus changes in Floor Area Ratio and Height Limits – Restrictions to private projects and increase in HOS supply the only way to help locals

Green Sense emphasized the suggestions are rational and voice of the society. Compared with freely allowing speculation, the suggested measures could better respond to housing problems while preventing the reviving of walled buildings and subsequent deterioration of air quality and landscapes in the Kowloon Bay and Ngau Tau Kok areas. We strongly urge the public to speak up during the second consultation period of the OZP, expected in mid-May.

“Blind land development” sacrifices the quality of life in the existing community
North Point ventilation corridor WAS preserved
but high-rise buildings will be built soon!

The shortage of Public Open Space in Hong Kong is a planning concern for a long time. However,  open space areas are continuously rezoned for housing purpose by the government in recent years. Instead of maintaining the quality of life in response to the citizens’ demand, the construction of dense residential buildings worsens the problem of urban heat island effect.

From the government’s land-rezoning applications approved by the Town Planning Board in 2015, Green Sense found out that in a total of 58.53 hectares of land were converted to residential land use in 24 projects, including “Green Belt” (32.96 ha), “Open Space” (4.25ha), “Government, Institution or Community facilities sites (GIC)” (21.3 ha). Due to the long developed urban growth in Hong Kong, most of the “Open Space” and “GIC” are located at the essential ventilation corridor of the inner city area. If high-rise buildings are constructed at the corridors, the urban density will increase and the micro-climate will be cramped further.

From the current draft of North Point Outline Zoning Plan (S/H8/25) consulted by the Town Planning Board, the Tin Chiu Playground in North Point is to be rezoned to “Residential (A)” use, in order to provide 240 units, in at most 110 metres high public housing. Nevertheless, the rezoning site, the playground, is the main entrance of the North-easterly wind to the North Point inner city area. Once the high- rise buildings are built, the sea breeze will be blocked and weakened the ventilation of the urban area of North Point. The most ironic is that, in order to keep the ventilation corridor during the former North Point Estate development, the mentioned site was preserved from development by the government of the last term. This obviously shows that the blind land development has made the urban planning a chaos.

In order to beautify the land supply ability of the government, our society has already sacrificed too much public space and natural environment. Disputes over land continue, the defence for land raises in all districts in Hong Kong. Green Sense suggests, there is an urgent need of population control, the pressure for land supply can be relieved. The community has to treat population policy as a tool of alleviating housing problem, managing the number of immigration (including the One-way Permits for mainland people and other immigration applications), in order to slow down the population growth, and more importantly, to prevent such blind land development from bothering Hong Kong continuously.