Greens want new rules to avoid 'wall effect' at Aberdeen site
A group of green activists has demanded new restrictions be placed on the future development of an Aberdeen site to be auctioned today, in an attempt to curb a possible 'wall effect' blocking air flow in the area if high-rise buildings are allowed.
Green Sense said yesterday it had applied to the Town Planning Board to take a fresh look at the zoning of the site in Welfare Road, which has an area of about 6,403 square metres.
The site is designated for non-industrial purposes, the government says.
The green group's project manager, Ho Ka-po, said yesterday they had asked the board to put additional restrictions on the development of the site.
Ms Ho said the land sale particulars had been written too loosely, allowing developments with a plot ratio of up to 10.
Plot ratio of a site is the ratio of the gross floor area of buildings to the site area. A higher plot ratio could mean that taller buildings are allowed.
'The government should impose height limits,' said Ms Ho, who added they wanted the plot ratio to be capped at 6.5 for residential buildings and 0.5 for non-residential developments on the site.
'To avoid the wall effect, we think the buildings to be erected there should also be at least 15 metres apart from one another so that air flow will not be blocked.'
A site in Cheung Sha on Lantau Island, comprising 16,587 square metres and designated for private residential purposes, is also being auctioned today.
Ms Ho said the sale of the Cheung Sha site was absurd because trees had to be felled to make way for developments.
On several occasions in recent months, Green Sense has tried to block auctions of high-density sites by taking action at the last minute.
