The Development Bureau has proposed rezoning multiple sites covering about 98.5 hectares in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area, combining housing with transport, commercial and community uses. The area is planned for a population of about 250,000.
Six sites are proposed for residential use. Two others, totalling about 19 hectares, would accommodate a railway station and depot alongside residential and commercial development. A separate site of about 3.8 hectares is proposed for a Smart Green Mass Transit System depot, with homes and commercial development above it.
The plan also sets aside five sites for community facilities, including a sports centre, primary and secondary schools, a community hall and a clinic. Other sites would become open space.
At Tuen Mun District Council, councillors raised concerns about the extra traffic from a planned university area and new industries. One questioned the effects of students travelling to and from classes or living in dormitories; another warned that jobs could draw workers into the area.
The head of planning and development at the Northern Metropolis Coordination Office said new roads in the two development areas would be sufficient for future university and industry demand. The Tuen Mun Bypass and Route 11 were still at the planning stage.
The official projected 150,000 jobs in Hung Shui Kiu and a further 43,000 in Lau Fau Shan. A councillor asked whether residents would have opportunities to work locally and whether the plan included data on those opportunities.
The Planning Department was due to begin the statutory planning process in the short term. A two-month public consultation would follow only if the Town Planning Board agrees to the project.