Henderson puts Ma On Shan project on hold
Henderson Land Development may shelve indefinitely its proposed massive residential-commercial project in Lok Wo Sha, Ma On Shan, because of the Government's failure to reach a consensus on the area's land use.
An official from the Territory Development Department said no decision had been reached during last week's inter-government department meeting on collecting views on the feasibility study of the area, which covered about 50 hectares near Whitehead detention camp.
'Nothing is available at this stage as we have too many different proposals,' the official said, adding no compromise could be reached in land use in the area.
One proposal suggested most land in the area be zoned for recreational use, while another argued housing concerns ought to be the priority.
'What we can do is simply wait. Many developers are prepared for the delay in their developments as studies such as these do take time,' the official said.
In April, the Town Planning Board rejected Henderson's proposal to increase its plot ratio to three times from the present maximum of two for the Lok Wo Sha residential site.
The proposed project, with an area of 3.72 million square feet, will comprise 4,312 units in 21 blocks.
Analysts said one of the reasons for the rejection was that the feasibility study near Whitehead detention camp was still under way.
'The Government has not decided the various development details in the areas,' an analyst said.
All projects that sought an increase of plot ratio from one to two times would certainly be rejected, he said.
Other developments affected by the study include the proposed large-scale residential development at Lee On Station on the Ma On Shan Railway by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp (KCRC).
According to KCRC's latest annual report, housing development in Lee On Station is one of the corporation's priorities on the Ma On Shan Railway.
Lee On Station, Tai Wai Station, Tai Wai depot, Sha Tin Tao Station and Fo Tan Station are all KCRC priority development sites.
KCRC said all these areas could generate a total gross floor area of 13,993,460 sq ft, of which 90 per cent would be used for residential development.
About 15,000 residential units could be built at the development.
