Draft policy expected to cap extra floor space for green features

Advisers to the government have finally come up with draft recommendations to control the amount of extra floor area granted developers who add green features and amenities to their projects.

The policy exempting the area used for car parks, green features and clubhouses from the calculation of gross floor area has been criticised for inflating the size of buildings and restricting the free flow of air.

The recommendations from the Council for Sustainable Development are expected to be submitted to the Development Bureau by the end of the month. The council went through intense debates since it started its review of the policy in June last year, a member who has seen the draft report said. The report proposes a cap on the exempted area at a percentage to be decided by the bureau. The amount of exempted area a developer can obtain will depend on the environment-friendliness of the building.

The environmental performance of a building will be assessed with a labelling scheme for green buildings, BEAM Plus, established by the Hong Kong Green Building Council.

The scheme goes beyond measuring the environmental performance of a building itself and assesses the building's impact on the surrounding environment as well. The council recommends that the government take a site-specific approach when granting floor area to a project. For example, buildings in densely built districts should be given less floor area. Car parks are currently exempted from the floor area calculation. Past reviews show they can increase the floor area of some estates as much as 16 per cent to 50 per cent or more.

It is now recommended that the government exempt less of the area used for car park space above ground while exempting more of the area used for underground parking space.

However, not all underground car parks are desirable, the council warns, as some have lighting and ventilation systems that consume vast amounts of energy.