Planners want tighter controls over village constructions
Town planners want to see a tightening of procedures relating to the issuing of building permits for new village houses after a large area of trees was illegally felled in Sai Kung last month.
It is understood the trees were felled on a slope near Tai Mong Tsai village in December. A villager said on condition of anonymity that the area had been sold by villagers to a developer, and the trees were removed and a stream bridged to facilitate construction of a road to the area, where 12 houses were to be built.
A Planning Department source said the damaged area is ecologically sensitive because it is close to a water catchment area and extensive earthworks had left piles of soil on government land. The source added that the destruction was just the tip of the iceberg in Sai Kung. Natural areas near Ho Chung and Sheung Yeung, for example, were also threatened by village development.
Trees on a slope near Tai Mong Tsai village were cut down to clear a path for moving the construction equipment and vehicles.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is investigating the unauthorised felling. A department spokesman said rare plants such as incense trees were in the area.
Hong Kong Institute of Planners vice-president Chan Kim-on said planning conditions should be imposed by the government when it approved construction of new houses to avoid damage being caused to the environment.