The role of Sai Kung Town as a gateway to the district's recreational outlets will be strengthened, the Town Planning Board says, adding the character of both the town centre and the traditional rural township will be preserved.

The new draft Outline Zoning Plan for Sai Kung Town, which covers about 105 hectares was published today.

The general urban design concept is to create a number of activity nodes along the promenade at Sai Kung Town North, and to encourage the use of public transport and pedestrian circulation between strategic locations.

To strengthen Sai Kung Town as a tourism gateway, about 11.2 hectares designated for specific uses, such as commercial, cultural, hotel, recreational, heritage tourism, beach-related leisure, multi-storey vehicle park, boat servicing, petrol station, public transport terminus and pier uses, have been zoned Other Specified Uses.

Waterfront promenade

About 6.5 hectares and 4.4 hectares has been zoned Recreation and Open Space respectively to provide land for recreational developments and a continuous waterfront promenade from the former Sai Sha Hotel to the Marine Police East Divisional Headquarters to the south.

Half a hectare has been zoned Commercial to serve the immediate neighbourhood. About 7.7 hectares is Comprehensive Development Area for medium-rise residential or commercial development in the north-western area to provide impetus for redevelopment.

About 2.3 hectares in the town centre is zoned Residential (Group A). Another 5.4 hectares, which covers the existing Lakeside Garden, Tui Min Hoi Chuen and Man Yee Fishermen Housing Estate, is zoned Residential (Group B). About half a hectare is zoned Residential (Group C) for the existing low-density residential development of Costa Bello.

To phase out the existing incompatible industrial uses, about 2.7 hectares is zoned Residential (Group E) to encourage redevelopment.

Rural township

To preserve rural township character, about 12 hectares has been zoned Village-type Development to provide land for the three existing recognised villages, the old town, Lake Court on Hong Kin Road and three former fishing settlements.

About half a hectare near Sai Kung Sewage Treatment Works is zoned Industrial (Group D) for industrial uses that cannot be accommodated in conventional flatted factories. About 15.4 hectares is zoned G/IC to provide land for facilities serving the needs of local residents or a wider district.

Another 12.6 hectares, covering densely vegetated slopes at Tui Min Hoi, is zoned Green Belt to define the limit of development and to contain urban sprawl. Some 7.7 hectares of land is zoned Country Park to reflect the part of the gazetted Tsiu Hang Special Area and Ma On Shan Country Park included in the planning scheme area.

Anyone affected by the plan can submit a written objection to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board by May 4. To see the plan visit the board's website.