After years of delay, the government has finally revealed its unconventional proposal to develop the last piece of waterfront land on Hong Hong Island. But is it really what residents want, asks Winnie Yeung.

Since the demolition of North Point Estate six years ago, the piece of waterfront land the estate sat upon has been vacant. This 37,000-square-foot plot has been named one of the city’s last pieces of premium land, as it’s the biggest vacant waterfront site on the island. But for years its future has remained a mystery. That is, until a recent Planning Department submission to the Town Planning Board, which revealed a plan to greatly reduce the government’s revenue from land sales and set aside certain pieces of land for the public.

The plans contradict the government’s usual approach. For decades, development on both sides of Victoria Harbor has been determined by the government with one end in mind: maximum profit. Whether it’s commercial skyscrapers along the Central waterfront or the recent sky-high residential block in West Kowloon, development has carried on with little restraint, and has almost invariably resulted in more high-rise buildings along the harbor.

The downside to this kind of development includes obstruction of not just the view, but also of the district’s airflow. This is particularly true for the northeastern section of Hong Kong Island: most of the eastern waterfront is blocked by Island Eastern Corridor, a six-lane highway that has aggravated residents and harbor conservationists for decades, as well as numerous blocks of residential high-rise walled buildings such as the 17-block, 25-floor Provident Center and the 14-block, 27-floor City Gardens.

Stroll through North Point and you’ll find yourself sandwiched between looming buildings, walking along narrow streets choked with vehicle exhaust. Ms. Cheung, who has been running a newspaper stand for more than 20 years in North Point, experiences the pollution first-hand and has developed allergy symptoms because of it. “We’re trapped between the walled buildings, but the breeze from the harborfront and the mountains can’t reach us,” she says. Nearby fruit shop owner Ms. Ma adds that the air is so dusty that she constantly has to spray her fruit down with water.

Their complaints haven’t gone unheard. “Residents have been complaining to us for years,” says Eastern District Council chairwoman Christina Ting Yuk-chee. “But it’s not like we can tear down the buildings to start our urban planning all over again.”

Thus all hopes for clean, unpolluted air in the area fell on this vacant plot of land where North Point Estate used to be, which could serve as a crucial airflow passage. But for years everybody has been waiting to see what will happen to it. “The Eastern District Council has been waiting for the government to come up with a concrete plan,” says Eastern district councilor and landscape architect Patrick Lau Hing-tat. “But six years has been too long a wait, especially for a premium piece of land like this.”

There have been plenty of hiccups. Back in 2002, the Housing Authority, which managed North Point Estate and the land under it after the estate was demolished, announced plans to give it back to the government, on the condition that the government would sell the land and allow for 3,430 residential flats to be built on the location (with a plot ratio of 10). The authority would then take one fourth of the flats for their subsidized home scheme. Unsurprisingly, the plan for more walled buildings was widely criticized by local residents.

In 2007, the Housing Authority scrapped the plan and returned the land to the government unconditionally. And instead of following the old model of building more high rises for maximum profit, the Planning Department responded to the public’s concern by cutting the plot ratio from 10 to 4—a large decrease in floor area that would minimize the walled building effect. It also meant a sharp decrease in the value of the land from $300 million to just $180 million.

In particular, the department has proposed a strict height limit of 80 meters (one fifth the height of the IFC 2 building) for any future buildings on the development, and plans to split the land into two—the western part will feature a hotel, and the eastern part a combined development with public facilities such as a seven-storey public transport terminus. But only 65 percent of the total land would be used for development, while the rest would be left for a large public open space and a 20-meter long waterfront promenade.

The plan came as a pleasant surprise to some. “I think the government has made a smart move, as they understand people’s concerns over walled buildings and the need for better utilization of the waterfront,” Christina Ting of Eastern District Council says. “There is a realization by the government that harborfront development isn’t just about land sales. We are not against commercial development—we understand this is very valuable land—but we believe we should also make good use of it to benefit residents.”

While the residents and the Eastern District Council are happy with the idea of building less on the land, they are still not happy with the details of the plan. Thus, after several attempts to get the government to take their suggestions, the Eastern District Council organized a design competition to gather ideas from both professionals and local residents. “We hope to create a buzz to bring people’s—especially the government’s—attention back to this piece of land,” Lau says. “We are inviting everyone to come up with ideas that could go anywhere, without the constraints of the government’s planning guidelines.”

One main concern is the hotel development. “It’s going to be high,” says Lau. “And I think we’ve had quite enough hotels in this district already.” Right now North Point has at least three medium-scale hotels, including City Garden Hotel, Harbour Plaza Hotel and Ibis.
Concerns have also been raised that the proposed seven-to-eight storey transport platform would not be the best option. An independent report commissioned by the government itself has showed that it would block at least half of the airflow heading toward the inner streets.

Finally, district councilors also hope the government can build a Cantonese opera venue there to replace the problematic Sunbeam Theatre, a private but major performance venue for art located just blocks away. But Anita Shum, chief executive officer at the Home Affairs Bureau in charge of culture, has already shut down that idea, claiming that the government would prefer to use the land for public use rather than such a specialized facility.

Many expect a long road ahead before any real development happens. But a temporary promenade has already been built on the plot and an art fair will be held there soon. Meanwhile, the Eastern District Council hopes to deliver ideas from the design competition and local residents to the government at the end of the month. They remain committed to preventing the land from being wasted.

Additional reporting by Cyril Leung

If you have any ideas for Hong Kong’s last empty piece of waterfront, call the Eastern District Council at 2886-6536 to speak directly to district councilors.