The government decided yesterday to lower the plot ratio, height and number of buildings of the property-development projects above the West Rail's Nam Cheong and Yuen Long stations to address public concerns of a "wall effect".

The decision came after consulting with the Mass Transit Railway Corp, and the reductions will inevitably decrease the government's land premium income from the developer.

However, a senior government source said the mitigation measures were intended to "redeem the sins committed before 1997", when manybuildings created the "wall effect" upon their erection. The effect is the result of putting buildings too close to one another and reducing air flow.

The Nam Cheong and Yuen Long development plans were approved a few years ago. To echo the Chief Executive's Policy Address this year that advocates a decrease in plot ratio and development density, the Development Bureau has come up with proposals for the development plans.

For the Nam Cheong development, the approved plan included an array of 10 blocks of high-rise buildings, a high block office tower and an array of nine blocks of low-rise buildings.

After review, the plot ratio was reduced from 8 to 6.6, resulting in a scrapping of a residential block and the office block and an 18 percent decrease in aggregate floor area, from 369,000 to 303,107 sq m. The proposed height of the high-rise buildings was also lowered from 52 to 46 stories.

For the Yuen Long development, which originally comprised nine buildings, the plot ratio was reduced from 4.64 to 3.93, and two buildings were scrapped.

The height of the buildings was reduced from 47 to 44 stories, the floor area was reduced from 160,842 to 136,362 sq me and the number of flats drops from 2,214 to 1,758.

The reduced plot ratio and deletion of certain blocks provides enhanced breezeway and visual corridor, which is instrumental in improving air flow and visual penetration especially for nearby residential developments, government sources said.

"A huge number of 'wall-effect buildings' were built in the years preceding 1997 to meet the 85,000-flats-per-year target," a senior government source pointed out.

"By today's standards, the Town Planning Board would have never approved such plans," he said.

The source added that the Development Bureau will review all the approved outline zoning plans to reduce the plot ratios.

Stakeholders reacted differently to the above proposals. Tam Kwok-kiu, vice chairman of Sham Shui Po District Council, said that although the height of Nam Cheong Development is lowered, it will still affect Fu Cheong Estate, a nearby public-

housing estate, and the wall effect remains.

Man Chi-sum, chief executive officer of Green Power, welcomed the government's moves.

"The reduction in plot ratio will create more outdoor space for recreation and greening, as well as minimize the 'heat island effect'," he said.

But from the green groups' point of view, he said he hopes the government makes further reductions.

Roy Tam, chairman of Green Sense, said the deletion of a few blocks will not help much. In his opinion, the number of blocks should be reduced by half.

(HK Edition 11/19/2008 page1)