Chief Executive CY Leung has proposed incorporating more land with high ecological value into country parks so low value land at the parks' periphery can be developed.
Delivering his 2017 Policy Address today, Mr Leung said: "We should incorporate more land with high ecological value into country parks, increase the total area of ecological conservation sites and country parks, and enhance their recreational and educational values.
"At the same time, we should also consider allocating a small proportion of land on the periphery of country parks with relatively low ecological and public enjoyment value for purposes other than real estate development, such as public housing and non-profit-making elderly homes."
Noting country parks are precious assets for their leisure, recreational, sports and conservation value, Mr Leung said the Government is committed to environmental protection and ecological conservation, and seeks to balance development and conservation.
"In the past few years, we have incorporated suitable enclaves, such as Sai Wan, into country parks, increasing the total area of country parks and special areas by 38 hectares. In developing the Kwu Tung North and Fanling North new development areas (NDAs), we will establish a Long Valley Nature Park of about 37 hectares."
To conserve more sites with high ecological significance, the Government will designate Robin’s Nest a new 500 hectare country park.
"In addition, we are considering long-term conservation of Sha Lo Tung through a non-in-situ land exchange for the private land with high ecological significance at Sha Lo Tung by offering the rehabilitated Shuen Wan Landfill in Tai Po. In tandem, we will continue to identify suitable sites for inclusion into country park areas."
As some remote rural areas have lost their ecological and cultural value, the Government is collaborating with non-governmental organisations to revitalise these areas.
He said, apart from making strenuous efforts to conserve rural areas and countryside, the Government also adopts a multi-pronged approach to release land resources, which involves NDAs and new town extension projects, as well as development of brownfield sites and reclamation, to address the pressing need for housing and other development.
To further promote the revitalisation of remote rural areas, the Government will establish a preparatory committee to study the ambit and modus operandi of a conservation fund, as well as the legislation and resources required for setting up such a fund.
"We will seek to conserve and revitalise the ecology and culture of rural areas based on the sustainability principle, and respond to the aspirations of urban dwellers for urban-rural symbiosis. The fund will also provide an integrated and dedicated mechanism and resources for implementing policy initiatives relating to the conservation of biodiversity in rural areas."
To underpin the sustainable development and conservation of Lantau, the Government will implement rural conservation pilot projects in areas such as Tai O, Shui Hau and Pui O.
Different government and community resources will be deployed to take forward various rural conservation initiatives, including nature conservation and education, revitalisation of old village buildings, as well as promotion of ecological and cultural tourism.
He said the Government is committed to promoting heritage conservation. So far, five batches of projects under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme have been rolled out, involving a total of 19 historic buildings.
Eight have completed revitalisation works and are open to the public. Among these, four have won the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation.
Mr Leung said the Government will continue to collaborate with NGOs on this revitalisation work.
A study on Agricultural Priority Areas will start this year to identify large areas of quality agricultural land and formulate policies and measures to promote the rehabilitation of fallow agricultural land and improve the rural environment.
"The aim of re-organising the land use of brownfield sites and releasing such sites for development is to optimise their use, improve the rural environment and provide suitable land for relevant industries.
"The priority is to develop areas concentrated with brownfield sites through comprehensive planning by way of a large-scale new town development approach. The developments in Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long South and Kwu Tung North/Fanling North NDAs currently underway cover about 340 hectares of brownfield sites."
The Planning Department will conduct a survey on the distribution and use of all brownfield sites in Hong Kong this year.
On harbourfront enhancement, the Government will implement initiatives through a dedicated team with dedicated funding to extend the promenades on both sides of Victoria Harbour, beautify areas in the vicinity and improve waterfront accessibility.
The Government has earmarked $500 million for the first stage for taking forward harbourfront development.
