Lantau Island Concept Plan

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This is the government's vision on Lantau Island in the future.




Click for larger version

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thxxxxx

[aznichiro115]

why wouldn't the tuen mun link go from where the current airport station is now?

[hkskyline]

SOS alert over Lantau reclamation
A green group claims the government is downplaying its proposed concept plan for the island. There are fears projects will damage the environment and residents' quality of life
Caryn Yap
8 May 2005
South China Morning Post

A green group claims the government is playing down the extent of reclamation it is planning as part of its development of Lantau Island.

Save Our Shorelines (SOS) says an additional reclamation site was revealed two weeks ago in a meeting with the Highways Department.

It says the three-month consultation period on the Lantau Concept Plan, which finished at the end of February, made no mention of the extra site between Tai Ho and Tung Chung Bay, which would be used to build flats. The concept plan also does not include the reclamation site for the proposed Container Terminal 10.

The government's concept plan, issued by a taskforce led by Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, includes proposals for a logistics park, golf course, theme park and racecourse on the northern coast, and a spa resort on the south.

Opponents fear the projects will damage the island's ecology and lead to a deterioration in the quality of life for residents.

SOS has put together a plan of how the northern shoreline of Lantau will be affected by what it says will now be four reclamation sites. It has also put forward its preferred route for a bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai.

It unveiled details on the anniversary of the 35th Earth Day, in which 16 community action groups are combining to display their concern for Hong Kong's environment.

John Bowden of SOS said: "Everything is from government documents; the port study, the Highways Department plan and the Lantau Development Taskforce plan. We've just joined them all."

Christian Masset, of Clear the Air, said: "Diagrams similar to these have not been released by the government as they don't want to show the impact {hellip} on Lantau.

"According to the Lands Department, the new plot of land will be for real estate as the government wants to triple the population of Lantau."

Legislator Kwok Ka-ki, a member of the Legislative Council's environmental affairs panel, said the new reclamation site was a surprise. "The Lantau master plan is only at a preliminary stage and many of the construction projects have never been endorsed by Legco, consultation committees or even the Town Planning Board. I think the government should explain to the people at length about why they've decided to reclaim this additional land.

"The additional reclamation site is unacceptable. It makes the consultation ridiculous. On the one hand, you're consulting the public, but on the other hand, you've already planned reclamation."

Some of the planned reclamation is to support the bridge, something that Mr Bowden says is vision-led, rather than demand-led.

Although both bridge routes will cause environmental damage, SOS' preferred route would be less damaging because the bridge would not actually touch Lantau.

Reclamation for Container Terminal 10 would also be severely detrimental to the environment, Mr Bowden said. "CT10 will cause a lot of environmental damage. It will produce pollution from ships, affect fish, water currents and new roads linking Tai O will increase traffic. It will also split the dolphin habitat," he said.

Janet Walker from Hong Kong Dolphinwatch added: "We only have about 150 to 200 pink dolphins in Hong Kong waters and 80 per cent of them live in North Lantau. Any land reclamation will lead to a loss of habitat, and feeding grounds.

"Hong Kong is one of the busiest waterways in the world, and the CT10 will mean an increase in water traffic and pollution. Already, plenty of dolphins have got slashes to their dorsal fins and although some survive their injuries, others don't."

Choy So-yuk, chairwoman of Legco's environmental affairs panel said: "Every aspect of Lantau is being threatened. We need to have a study based on sustainability, not based on just development."

[hkth]

From News.gov.hk,
Sustainable development for Lantau backed

The public backs the planning vision for Lantau Island, which promotes sustainable development, the Housing, Planning & Lands Bureau says. The vision balances development and conservation needs.

Releasing the public consultation report on the island's concept plan today, the bureau said the role Lantau could play in providing new impetus to Hong Kong's economic development has been generally agreed upon.

The bureau said there were also views calling for more infrastructure and development while others suggested Lantau be conserved.

Apart from the comments and suggestions received at the consultative sessions and public forums, more than 540 written submissions, including comments and new proposals, were received. The Lantau Development Task Force will review and revise the concept plan in light of the feedback.

The full report and other information is available here.


RTHK news:
Critics say Lantau concept plan unsustainable 2005-11-22 HKT 21:30

Concern groups have voiced strong opposition to the government's development plan for Lantau Island. They've condemned the proposal as unsustainable, and say it lacks vision.

Listen to the news here.


Strong opposition voiced over Lantau development plans 2005-11-22 HKT 22:05

Concern groups have voiced strong opposition to the government's development plan for Lantau Island - even though the adminstration has dropped some of the more controversial proposals, such as a casino and a cruise terminal. The chairman of Clear The Air, Christian Masset, told legislators that the plan was unsustainable and lacking in vision.

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Lantau Concept Plan to be unveiled later in the year
2 March 2006
South China Morning Post

The controversial Lantau Concept Plan will be tabled to the Legislative Council in the second half of this year, it was decided last night.

Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung yesterday said the government was revising the plan. The blueprint, which was issued by a taskforce led by Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen in 2004, had been subject to a three-month consultation that ended in February last year.

"The government should seek to develop tourism on Lantau with regard to its ecological values and cultural heritage," Mr Suen said during a motion debate. "We will push ahead with the project as soon as possible, and the concept plan should be ready for Legco discussion in the latter half of this year."

Legco last night passed a motion moved by legislator Cheung Hok-ming, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, urging the government to speed up development. "The government has been dragging its feet on the project," he said. "It should hasten to develop Lantau into a quality tourism area."

[hkia]

Any pictures?

[hkskyline]

Port in a storm
Below the Border
7 August 2007
South China Morning Post

Stroll through the narrow lanes of the quaint old fishing port of Tai O and you'll find stalls displaying homemade products such as shrimp paste and dried fish. Wander over the ghastly, but efficient, bridge that crosses the creek and you'll find restaurants filled with jolly fisherfolk. Eat, drink and enjoy as you look at the houses built on stilts over the muddy stream, and try to imagine which demented wit dubbed Tai O "the Venice of Hong Kong".

Think of the very last thing that this village needs. That's a shopping mall. Yet a suggestion has been made that Tai O should have an air-conditioned mall to attract tourists. This notion is so stunningly stupid that I am surprised it doesn't come from the Legislative Council or the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

There's been a lot of talk recently about preserving our collective heritage; Tai O should be declared a no-go zone for developers and zealots of the Planning Department. It is a precious place; a village that has largely retained the feel of its past.

Now the village is under threat. In addition to lunatics who lust after creating a shopping mall, the evil eye of bureaucracy is also focused on Tai O.

Officials are now doing an ecological study of the environmental suitability of the area as a site for a large container port. Anyone with two eyes who has ever been there could tell these idiots that the area is totally unsuitable.

Significantly, Tai O is not covered by any statutory plan. This means there are no guidelines restricting any proposal, no matter how ludicrous, from being put forward by vested interests, be it a mall, a port or a car race track.

Tai O Rural Committee chairman Lee Chi-fung recalls that former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa proclaimed in 2000 that Lantau would be a tourist hot spot. "We're not sure when this will include Tai O," he adds.

Instead of a conventional shopping mall, Mr Lee would like to have all the village's native produce - shrimp paste, jars of snacks, dried squid and fish - arranged in an attractive place and under shelter to give protection from rain and sun.

Many Tai O residents are not opposed to the container port, if it means jobs for local people. Mr Lee estimates that about 4 per cent of the local population are ardent conservationists; the rest favour anything that would bring jobs to the area so young people do not have to leave the village to seek work.

In the ornate Tin Hau Temple, built 296 years ago, old ladies light incense and pray for jobs which will allow their children to come home. If those jobs come from a major revival in the tourism industry, that would suit the villagers just fine. But if the only alternative is a container port, they will accept that, too.

Kevin Sinclair is a Hong Kong reporter who lives in the New Territories

[bixel]

OMG!! Enough with the malls already. Screw the tourists, nobody from Tai O will profit from this development - it will just be the money grubbing financers who come in saying "how quaint!, since it is so nice and beautiful here I will force everybody out, make a mall tourist trap get promotions and make some money before my crap makes this place a stinking hole. I will sell it off and move on to the next "quaint cute hot spot" thanks poor people for creating character and money in my coffers."

[hkskyline]

Planning contest to be launched for Tai O
26 November 2007
South China Morning Post

A planning-design competition will be held as early as next year to provide inspiration for Tai O's facelift, following much criticism of an official plan.

Raymond Young Lap-moon, permanent secretary for development, said yesterday consortiums taking part should also propose a development plan for the Lantau village and a revitalisation plan for its old police station.

The winner would run the historic station, he said, adding that consortiums were expected to comprise developers, professionals and non-profit-making organisations.

"If eco-tourism is the best direction for Tai O, how should we go for it?" he asked.

Mr Young added that, for example, under-occupied public estates could be turned into tourist hostels to encourage eco-tourism.

He said the government was open to all creative and environmentally friendly proposals.

"If there are strong public views for demolishing the sea dyke, so be it," he said, referring to the typhoon shelter built by the government about five years ago.

The shelter has been criticised for blocking the view of the sunset. Mr Young said few boats had used it.

Two months ago, the Civil Engineering and Development Department announced a HK$620 million proposal for Tai O. It featured a themed plaza, a cycle park and a renovated promenade, and drew widespread opposition from residents and from overseas.

About 1,000 people signed an online petition against the proposal.

"The plan is not finalised yet," Mr Young said, adding that the competition would be held when the second stage of the public consultation started early next year.

But he said some construction work, such as a river wall to prevent flooding of stilt houses, must go ahead to ensure residents' safety.

Wong Wai-king, of the Tai O Cultural Workshop, is worried the natural landscape of Tai O will be destroyed by development plans proposed by outsiders.

She said the winning proposal should preserve the unique characteristics of Tai O, including its culture, environment and ecology.

Betty Ho Siu-fong, chairwoman of the Conservancy Association, said the competition was a good opportunity to look at how Tai O could be planned and beautified.

[Batagai]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Planning contest to be launched for Tai O
26 November 2007
South China Morning Post

A planning-design competition will be held as early as next year to provide inspiration for Tai O's facelift, following much criticism of an official plan.

Raymond Young Lap-moon, permanent secretary for development, said yesterday consortiums taking part should also propose a development plan for the Lantau village and a revitalisation plan for its old police station.

The winner would run the historic station, he said, adding that consortiums were expected to comprise developers, professionals and non-profit-making organisations.

"If eco-tourism is the best direction for Tai O, how should we go for it?" he asked.

Mr Young added that, for example, under-occupied public estates could be turned into tourist hostels to encourage eco-tourism.

He said the government was open to all creative and environmentally friendly proposals.

"If there are strong public views for demolishing the sea dyke, so be it," he said, referring to the typhoon shelter built by the government about five years ago.

The shelter has been criticised for blocking the view of the sunset. Mr Young said few boats had used it.

Two months ago, the Civil Engineering and Development Department announced a HK$620 million proposal for Tai O. It featured a themed plaza, a cycle park and a renovated promenade, and drew widespread opposition from residents and from overseas.

About 1,000 people signed an online petition against the proposal.

"The plan is not finalised yet," Mr Young said, adding that the competition would be held when the second stage of the public consultation started early next year.

But he said some construction work, such as a river wall to prevent flooding of stilt houses, must go ahead to ensure residents' safety.

Wong Wai-king, of the Tai O Cultural Workshop, is worried the natural landscape of Tai O will be destroyed by development plans proposed by outsiders.

She said the winning proposal should preserve the unique characteristics of Tai O, including its culture, environment and ecology.

Betty Ho Siu-fong, chairwoman of the Conservancy Association, said the competition was a good opportunity to look at how Tai O could be planned and beautified.

Simple...please just leave the folks and the island as it is !

[hkskyline]

LCQ20: Tourism development on Lantau
Government Press Release
Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, to a question by the Hon Paul Tse in the Legislative Council today (November 9):

Question:

Earlier on, some members of the tourism industry complained that there were long stretches of roads which were closed to the public on Lantau Island, making it difficult for the tourist attractions in different parts of Lantau Island to produce a synergy effect. Not long ago, the Panel on Economic Development of this Council, together with the tourism working group formed by the management echelons of various tourist attractions on Lantau Island, as well as the Islands District Council, conducted a site visit to Lantau Island to assess the impact of closed roads on the development of tourism on Lantau Island. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the policies and measures to be adopted by the Government for reducing the coverage of closed sections of these roads after listening to the views of the aforesaid delegation, so as to improve the aforesaid situation;

(b) what specific plans the Government has for developing tourism on Lantau Island; whether it will make reference to Singapore's experience in developing Sentosa into a major tourist attraction when it formulates its strategy for developing tourism on Lantau Island; and

(c) whether it has consulted the management echelons of Hong Kong Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360 and the tourist attractions in Cheung Sha, Mui Wo and Tai O etc., so as to seek ways to enhance the synergy effect produced by these tourist attractions, in order to improve tourism development on Lantau Island?

Reply:

President,

Our replies to the questions raised by the Hon Paul Tse are as follows:

(a) South Lantau is a conservation area. The Transport Department (TD) has implemented traffic management measures in South Lantau to protect this area from being damaged and ensure its long-term sustainable development. Such measures include introducing closed roads and restricting the number of vehicles accessing South Lantau.

Upon the completion of improvement works on Tung Chung Road and opening of the road to traffic in February 2009, TD has suitably relaxed the restrictions on vehicle access to the area by allowing a daily maximum of 30 coaches to access South Lantau via Tung Chung Road. Figures reveal that this measure is sufficient to meet the general demand for group tours to South Lantau. To cater for major tourism events (such as the Mui Wo Lantern Festival held in March 2010), TD has exercised flexibility to allow more coaches to gain access to South Lantau on the event date. These measures aim to strike a balance between promoting South Lantau's tourism development and protecting its natural environment.

TD will review, from time to time, the prevailing condition of the traffic and public transport facilities on Lantau and make appropriate adjustments in the light of the different development needs of Lantau.

(b) Lantau Island has always been one of Hong Kong's tourist hotspots. The Government has developed a number of infrastructure projects and attractions on Lantau, including the Hong Kong Disneyland, AsiaWorld-Expo, Terminal 2 of the Hong Kong International Airport, Ngong Ping Cable Car, Ngong Ping Piazza and Wisdom Path, etc.

A number of new tourism facilities will come into operation on Lantau in the next few years. The expansion of the Hong Kong Disneyland is proceeding smoothly. Three new themed areas are expected to be completed by 2013, with the first one (Toy Story Land) to be opened in mid-November this year. A heritage boutique hotel converted from the Old Tai O Police Station will be opened by the end of 2011. Preserving the colonial architectural features and highlighting the history of Tai O (including the Old Tai O Police Station), the hotel will be an ideal attraction to local and overseas visitors alike. The Civil Engineering and Development Department is carrying out improvement works in Tai O in phases, and is embarking on the detailed design for a project to beautify Mui Wo. A new hotel with convention facilities in the Discovery Bay is expected to commence operation in mid-2012.

In addition to leisure travel, Lantau enjoys competitive advantages in the development of meetings, incentive travels, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) tourism. The presence of large-scale convention and exhibition venues and numerous hotels is one of its key advantages. Coupled with the distinctive MICE products constantly launched by industry partners, Lantau has the potential to develop into a new MICE hub to meet the needs of the various event organisers and visitors.

We have been introducing the unique features of Lantau to visitors through various channels. We will continue to keep in view tourism development in the neighbouring regions, and explore the feasibility of developing new attractions on Lantau. We will also continue to foster co-operation among the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Islands District Council and various attractions to promote Lantau as a distinctive tourist destination.

(c) The Government, HKTB and major attractions on Lantau have always been committed to enhancing the tourism appeal of the island. Our strategy is to develop itineraries featuring different attractions on Lautau to achieve greater synergy. For instance, itineraries including the Ngong Ping Cable Car and sites of historical and cultural interest such as the Tai O fishing village and the Po Lin Monastery have been developed to attract tourists interested in natural landscape and cultural heritage. The HKTB also actively promotes Mui Wo as the starting point for exploring Lantau. Tourists are advised to go to Mui Wo by ferry and then take a bus to such attractions as the Po Lin Monastery, Giant Buddha, Ngong Ping Piazza and Ngong Ping Village.

There is frequent collaboration among the operators of tourist attractions on Lantau. For example, when the "River of Wisdom – Animated Version of Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" Exhibition was held in the AsiaWorld-Expo in November last year, exhibition ticket holders could enjoy a discount for riding the Ngong Ping Cable Car. In April and May this year, the Ngong Ping Cable Car paired up with Hong Kong Disneyland to offer admission discounts to visitors.

In August this year, the Tourism Commission (TC), HKTB, Islands District Council and New World First Ferry Services Limited jointly launched a publicity campaign to further promote Lantau's tourism appeal. The campaign includes the publication of a guidebook for outlying islands (featuring tourism highlights of the different outlying islands), the launch of an Island Hopping Pass (to enable tourists to travel to outlying islands on ferry trips at concessionary fares), and arrangements with shops and restaurants on outlying islands to offer dining and shopping discounts to visitors.

TC and the HKTB are currently teaming up with the MICE and other relevant trade partners on Lantau to promote Lantau as a new MICE hub. Our initiatives include strengthening promotion at international and major MICE trade activities, encouraging event organisers to include Lantau in their itineraries, and, by means of public relations efforts and the Internet, promoting MICE offerings on Lantau to attract more event organisers and visitors.

We attach great importance to the development of tourism on Lantau. With a view to enhancing Hong Kong's status as a premier tourist destination in Asia, we will continue to work with the relevant parties to develop diversified tourist attractions on Lantau and step up promotion to enhance the Island's tourism appeal.