060528en06001

	news.gov.hk
	From Hong Kong's Information Services Department

May 28, 2006

Development

Central harbourfront to be vibrant, attractive

The future Central harbourfront will be vibrant, attractive and accessible, Director of Planning Bosco Fung says, adding it will become a world-class waterfront with quality public and private developments in a luxuriant landscape setting.

Speaking at a press briefing today, Mr Fung said the area's land use framework is holistic and balanced, reflecting the community's aspirations for providing extensive public open space along the harbour, while maintaining the competitive edge of the Central Business District.

The illustrative concept for the new Central harbourfront has three design emphases, namely creating vibrancy and diversity; creating enjoyable public spaces; and creating a green edge to the harbour and the district.

Vibrant harbourfront: The Planning Department says the future Central harbourfront will be a vibrant, attractive and accessible world-class waterfront. A 3-D model (right) showing how the new harbourfront area will will look will be displayed at City Hall from May 31.

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"The new harbourfront will be attractive in having a green unifying edge endowed with quality public and private developments in a luxuriant landscape setting. It will be vibrant day and night with a mix of uses and diversity of functions, inviting different activities and residents and tourists alike to the harbourfront," he said.

"There will be good access with the provision of multi-modal transport and comprehensive pedestrian linkages at different levels to bring people to the harbour. The new Central harbourfront will become a symbol of Hong Kong, with a distinctive urban form in harmony with the ridgelines and the harbour setting."

Mr Fung said the 11-hectare waterfront promenade, which is bigger than the eight-hectare Hong Kong Park, will offer residents assorted recreation with open-air facilities such as outdoor forums, amphitheatres, green open space, harbourside walkways and undulating lawns.

Leisure and entertainment activities, outdoor media shows and performances can be organised. Ancillary facilities for resting and alfresco dining will also be available.

3 principal corridors

The urban design framework is structured upon a waterfront promenade across the water edge, intersecting with three principal corridors linking the city with the harbour. All of them will terminate in the new harbourfront with focal points including the new Star Ferry Pier, public piers, plazas, and other activity nodes.

"The nine-storey office-commercial building linking Statue Square to the new Star Ferry pier provides a low-rise garden deck and an at-grade landscape walkway. The development would be a new unique building with cascading design, and extensive setbacks to provide garden decks, terraces and roof gardens," Mr Fung said.

Mr Fung said the land use zonings and other planning parameters including height restrictions laid down in the Outline Zoning Plans have provided a framework for the future developments.

Innovative ideas welcome

"Within the broad development framework, and provided the permitted uses and development intensity as expressed in plot ratio or building height as laid down in the OZPs are not exceeded, we welcome innovative ideas and believe there are no lack of design options which will best realise our planning vision of creating a world-class harbourfront," he said.

A bilingual pamphlet explaining the Government's planning vision has been published and a 3-D model to provide visual images of the new harbourfront area will be displayed at City Hall's Hong Kong Planning & Exhibition Gallery from May 31.

The Planning Department will undertake an urban design study to further refine the existing urban design framework and to prepare planning-design briefs for the key sites on the Central harbourfront to guide future developments. The community will be fully engaged in the study process.