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time-consuming.

As an illustrative example, Figure 25 display how a plot of land within
the Fanling NDA currently used as container yards and warehouses, i.e. typical
brownfield sites (Left), with the size over 10 hectares, is designated with differ-
ent land uses such as residential, open space, government uses, etc. under
the latest Outline Zoning Plan of the Fanling North NDA (Right).

Figure 25. A plot of land within the Fanling NDA

Sources: Google, Liber Research Community, and Town Planning Board.

3.3. The United Kingdom Experience on

Brownfield Sites

Advocates of the “Brownfield First” principle often quote the United
Kingdom (UK) as an example of advanced economies adopting the said policy.
However, we doubt if the UK is an appropriate benchmark for comparison in
terms of the development of brownfield sites in particular, and in land supply
policy in general.

Firstly, the definition of “brownfield” is very different in the UK com-
pared with that in Hong Kong. For the former, “brownfield” is loosely defined as
“previously developed land” which is currently vacant or derelict with a poten-
tial of redevelopment, according to the Department for Communities and Lo-
cal Government of the UK. In contrast, in Hong Kong where no official definition
exists yet, it usually refers to abandoned agricultural or rural land in the New
Territories that are converted into various other uses such as open storage,
container yards, warehouses, and industrial recycling yards etc., which are of-
ten incompatible with the surrounding environment (Table 6).

To illustrate the difference, any previously used train depots, railway
stations or industrial buildings could be defined as brownfield in the UK. And by
the same token, if such definition is applied in Hong Kong, the former Kai Tak
International Airport would then be a large brownfield site, which differs mark-
edly from the conventional definition quoted above.

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