University of Hong Kong to scale down innovation hub project on green belt following residents’ opposition
Hong Kong Free Press
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has announced it would scale down plans to build a research and innovation hub on a green belt after the project was met with opposition from nearby residents.
HKU plans to build a Global Innovation Centre (GIC) in Pok Fu Lam and earlier applied to the Town Planning Board (TPB) to rezone about 4.1 hectares of an area currently classified as green belt.
The university said the project could benefit Hong Kong in becoming an international IT hub and the proximity to HKU’s campuses and other research facilities would “create synergy.”
The TPB received more than 3,500 submissions in response to the rezoning application. An HKFP inspection of about 800 submissions made available in late May revealed that 77 per cent opposed the plan, many of them written by residents living in the area.
A number of people expressed their concerns over the potential impact to traffic and the environment, including the proposed removal of about 2,000 trees. Some called for the relocation of the project to the San Tin Technopole – a major tech hub planned near the city’s border with Shenzhen, which has also attracted criticism from environmental groups.
According to a concern group representing local residents, as many as 3,000 of the views received may be in opposition to the existing proposal. Other submissions included one from the city’s railway operator the MTR Corporation, which said HKU project may overlap with a proposed extension to the South Island Line.
HKU on Thursday said it would pause the project to “strategically amend” the plan after considering comments from stakeholders.
“HKU has decided to take some time to strategically amend the development plan of the GIC,” it said in a statement. Among the changes being considered were “reducing the density of the proposed development and bulk of the building(s)” and “, “increasing the setback area from neighbouring buildings, designating more green spaces.”
The university added that it remained committed to the project while respecting the liveability of the affected neighbourhood in Pok Fu Lam.
In response, the government said on Thursday night that it welcomed HKU’s decision to revise the scale and the layout of its project in response to stakeholders’ views.
Meanwhile, the Planning Department intended to recommend that the TPB amend the zoning of the site from the original proposal for the global innovation centre project to an interim zoning of “undetermined,” the government said in a statement.
The move would enable HKU to revise its plan and consult the community before deciding on the appropriate land use for the proposed innovation centre, it said.
The TPB would conduct hearings to consider the submissions it had received and the new developments in November.
The government said the land use and the parameters of the site would be determined after HKU submitted a revised proposal, which would go through another round of statutory town planning procedures, including public consultation.
HKFP has reached out to the concern group for comment.
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