Tourist attraction: Natural landscape and religious heritage will be preserved in the development of Ngong Ping as a key tourist destination.

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Ngong Ping Outline Zoning Plan, which aims to preserve the area's natural landscape and religious heritage as well as enhance its potential as a key tourist destination.

The plan, which covers a total area of about 102 hectares, also strives to maintain the unique ambience of Ngong Ping and preserve its low-rise, low-density rural character and to enhance visitors' experience of the area.

Existing key attractions such as the Tian Tan Buddha Statue and Po Lin Monastery form the main building blocks of the design concept.

They will be complemented by a larger, vehicle-free public square or piazza, which will be connected to a tourist corridor leading from the cable car terminal in the northwest and the public transport terminal in the west.

About 80% of the total area is zoned to conserve the natural environment and ecologically-sensitive habitats.

Some 6.4 hectares of land, including the Tian Tan Buddha Statue and Po Lin Monastery, is zoned 'Government, Institution or Community'.

About 1.9 hectares of the land in front of Po Lin Monastery is zoned to provide a vehicle-free public square to enhance the visitor experience, serve as a focus for activities and improve the connection between different places of interests.

The Tea Garden Restaurant site and the adjoining disused paddock with an area of about 1.3 hectares are zoned for recreational purposes.

Some 4.7 hectares of the land is zoned for village-type development to demarcate the area for Ngong Ping Village.

In addition, a small area of 0.2 hectares is zoned for an existing villa development behind Po Lin Monastery.

The public can browse the plan online at the Town Planning Board's website.