In March, the Planning Department amended the use of three adjacent plots of land in Tuen Mun that belong to Transport International Holdings, a subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai Properties, rezoning them from industrial to comprehensive development area.
After the rezoning, one of the plots, which are near the Tuen Mun station on the West Rail Line, could be used for residential development, providing usable floor area of up to 840,000 square feet.
These plots are currently used by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company as a depot and a maintenance and repair centre. Not all of them, though, because a property on the site, with a total gross floor area of more than 100,000 sq ft, has been leased out. The property, which belongs to TM Properties Investment, a subsidiary of Transport International, was leased out last year to earn rental income.
On the surface, it's a business decision. But the problem is that because the bus company now has a smaller depot, it's using public space to park its fleet, clogging up nearby streets. The government shouldn't turn a blind eye to this because the bus company is blatantly occupying public space and causing inconvenience to nearby residents and road users.
It has been claimed that the relevant government departments have condoned these activities and bent the rules. If true, that would be a case of collusion.
This case touches on the principle of fairness. If the Transport Department grants KMB buses this privilege, the same treatment should be extended to other providers of commercial transport. All should be allowed to park their vehicles on the roads during off-peak hours.