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Submission on territorial Development Strategy Review

31 December, 1996

"Territorial Development Strategy Review".
General Registry
Planning Department
Murray Building
Garden Road
Hong Kong

Dear Sirs,

We are pleased to submit the Hong Kong Democratic Foundation's response to the 1996 Territorial Development Strategy Review (TDSR). We believe in both the importance of evolving such a strategy and renewing it on a regular basis through public consultation.

In our opinion, possibly the major contribution of the TDSR '96 is to highlight some of the key deficiencies and needs that must be addressed if a really useful, relevant and effective territorial development strategy is to be evolved.

Yours faithfully,

Patrick Shiu Kin-ying
Chairman

enclosure

HONG KONG DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATION
RESPONSE TO
TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY REVIEW

Basic Shortcomings

An inescapable conclusion from the Territorial Development Strategy Review '96 (TDSR) is that many of the problems we face are due to the inadequacies of past development planning and that it is now vitally important that this be acknowledged so that we can learn from these mistakes. Topical evidence of this is the recent resurgence in property prices, which clearly demonstrates the continued inadequacy in the supply of land.

Perhaps the principal failure of past planning has been the inability to achieve balanced development in the New Territories with the provision of jobs as well as homes and a proper mass transport infrastructure.

The TDSR fails to adequately take account of Hong Kong's development in relation to its surrounding hinterland. During the last ten to fifteen years Hong Kong's economic growth has been increasingly linked to activity in the Pearl River Delta in particular, Guangdong Province as a whole and South China in general. The re-absorption of Hong Kong into the Chinese nation as a Special Administrative Region offers the opportunity for Hong Kong to participate in the development of China's economy in a properly structured and formal way and this should be a key element in any development strategy for Hong Kong itself.

Nor is the question as to whether and what role Hong Kong has to play in the wider Asian and even international context and the impact any such role would have on development needs.

No analysis appears to have been undertaken of the value added or net cost to the economy of the "industrial estates" programme.

The Fundamental Issues

Firstly, there would seem to be an urgent requirement for some fundamental policy decisions to be taken, without which no territorial development strategy can be soundly based. Key among these decisions is the need to arrive at a consensus as to the environmental standard the community is prepared to accept, as it is quite clear from the TDSR that there are limits to the size of population the territory can sustain. This in turn will enable decisions to be taken in respect of long term population control objectives and sustainable economic activity choices.

Next in importance, a view needs to be taken on the most appropriate economic role for the Hong Kong SAR in its new context as an administrative region of China.

A flexible development model is needed, as technological and other changes are so rapid that strategies developed today can be obsolete within less than ten years.

Discussion should take place with the Chinese Government for the formal implementation of a policy to provide overspill living accommodation for Hong Kong residents on present Chinese territory. This is already a reality in an informal and embryonic form.

Key Principles

A development strategy based on Hong Kong as the "metropolis" of the Pearl River Delta/Guangdong/South China Region, a proposition espoused by a recent Harvard report.

Future new developments should be mainly New Territories biased and maximize existing NT infrastructure.

Mass transit should be the cornerstone of transport strategy.

Intensified urban renewal, both of commercial and residential areas, must be a prime objective.

Any decentralization programme has to be lead by the Government's own initiatives in relocating its major departments.

Some Urgently Required Initiatives

A proper system of park and ride facilities should be implemented throughout the new territories to encourage car owners to use public transport for the major part of their journeys from home to work.

Detailed studies should be undertaken as to how better use, for mass transport purposes, can be made of water transport.

Better solutions need to be sought for the provision of storage for containers, with the particular objective of cutting down the need for these to be transported by road.

A much stronger attitude needs to be taken towards the very urgent task of ameliorating the rapid deterioration of our environment, which is already leading to increasing environment-related health problems and particular areas that need addressing are:

The reduction in air pollution, particularly due to vehicle emissions through such solutions as the enforced switching from diesel to petrol engines for taxis, minibuses, small private vans and all private cars

More acceptable methods must be found to deal with our waste, such as major recycling initiatives and the end to livestock farming within our territorial boundaries

Ensuring the preservation of our ecological areas and country parks and the environmental friendliness of any developments adjacent to them.

TDSR Proposals Questioned

There appears to be an underlying bias in the review towards viewing territorial development from the perspective of the return it would give to the treasury, perpetuating what appears to be a Government policy of using its land development programme as primarily a fiscal instrument. This has undoubtedly contibuted to imbalanced development.

The plot ratios for future development needs appear to be rather too generous when compared to the existing situation and when taking into consideration the population growth projections used.

The emphasis on developing "high technology" industry and "science parks" within Hong Kong's territorial boundaries seems misplaced, as both require a much larger pool of intellectual resources than Hong Kong has the capacity to provide. A more realistic scenario, though not in the immediate future, would be for Hong Kong, in its customary role of facilitator, to lead investment in a programme of "high technology" industrial development within Guangdong Province.

Is the continued intensification of Hong Kong's port facilities in the community's best interests? Could not such development be carried out in areas such as Yantian and Zhuhai, yet still be of benefit to the grown of Hong Kong's economy, with the land, i.e. CT10 and CT11, being used for future residential development?