The Town Planning Board today announced new guidelines for a pilot scheme on plot ratio transfer in Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok to provide an incentive to speed up urban regeneration through private initiatives.

Taking immediate effect, the new guidelines put in place a new planning tool allowing transfer of plot ratio (TPR) between sites through processing of a section 16 planning application under the Town Planning Ordinance. 

The TPR mechanism, recommended by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in its district study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, will be implemented as a pilot in the two old districts where redevelopment momentum has been slow while the number of old-age buildings has been growing.

The mechanism allows transfer of permissible gross floor area (GFA) from sending sites (SS) to receiving sites (RS) within the same Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) up to 30% of the maximum GFA permitted for the RS under the OZP through a planning application for minor relaxation of the plot ratio or GFA restriction, with allowance for interchangeability of domestic and non-domestic GFA upon transfer. 

SS examples include sites of low redevelopment potential, sites with buildings worthy of preservation or sites suitable for conversion to open space or Government, Institution & Community (GIC) purpose. 

While RS are usually larger at more strategic and accessible locations suitable for higher density development.

By allowing GFA to be transferred from sites with low redevelopment potential to more sizable RS at the more strategic and accessible locations suitable for higher development intensity, the mechanism is expected to facilitate better restructuring and replanning in the two old districts. 

It will also bring planning gains in the form of additional open space and other GIC facilities as well as preservation of buildings with conservation value to the community.

Subject to market response, the administration will review the mechanism in around 2025, with a view to enhancing the scheme’s operational details.

At the time of review, the administration will take into account recommendations of further urban restructuring studies respectively in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan now being conducted by the URA.