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According to a recent research published by the Faculty of
Construction and Environment of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
the expected additional impacts on such factors as day-light duration, air
circulation, skyline and atmospheric temperature are only minimal even if
the average domestic plot ratio of the sites in question was raised to 6.7
instead of 5.5. Such a proposed change, however, would potentially increase
domestic and non-domestic GFA by some additional 1.6 million sf and 1.2
million sf respectively.

It must also be reminded that as discussed in Table 7 in
Chapter 4, in the 2001 development plan for the Kai Tak NDA, the original
population intake exceeded 210,000. This is in stark contrast with the
latest corresponding figure of 123,000. As a rough reference, even if the
development density is further increased by 20%, the population intake
would still be below 150,000, or 30% less than that in the 2001 development
plan.

Similar situation exists in other areas. Take Tsueng Kwan O South
as another example. In 2005 when the property market was much less
heated and the issue of over-supply was constantly lingering in the
community, the government has responded by significantly lowering the
plot ratios in Tseung Kwan O South from 6.5 to the range between 2 and 5.
This represented a reduction in population intake from 131,000 to 98,000, or
roughly 10,000 residential units.

As property prices soared in the subsequent years, in November
2012, the government has relaxed the plot ratios of 4 residential sites in the
said area by 0.3 to 0.4, increasing residential flat supply by a mere 433 units.
This and the case of Kai Tak seem to suggest a common phenomenon
that in chalking up large-scale development plans, it is more difficult to raise
development density than reducing it, although in the first place the original
plan was to accommodate a higher-density development.

We urge the government to take the opportunities before the
actual commencement of these large-scale land development projects to
raise development densities wherever permissible, such that the herculean
efforts spent in the planning processes could yield as much space as
possible. Such areas as the Kai Tak NDA, District 137 Tseung Kwan O, and
the extension of the Tung Chung New Town are all projects worth further
consideration on development density. This is particularly important as
these development projects could accommodate large-scale transportation
infrastructure (e.g. railway stations, bus terminus), which is the key to high-
density development.

Along the same line, we also suggest the Planning Department
to explore the possibility of relaxing development density in urban areas
upon urban renewal. This would maximise the new units provided upon
redevelopment and render the projects financially more viable.

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