Greens want open space in district

The Source:The Standard
Date of issue:Thursday, September 13, 2007
topic related: city

Environmental group GreenSense wants the whole West Kowloon cultural district to be open areas without land set for commercial use.
This was the group's reaction to the government's new plan for the harbor- side cultural district.
Under the new plan announced yesterday, the government has set the maximum overall plot ratio for the whole site at 1.81 and a height restriction of 50 to 100 meters.
But GreenSense said the restrictions are not enough as the government will sell some of the land for commercial use and developers will build high-rise buildings at the site.
GreenSense president Tam Hoi- pong explained that any high-rise building will affect air flow and create a "wall effect."
Tam said: "I think the government has already made enough money to develop the cultural facilities at the site. It does not need to sell any land for commercial use to finance the project."
He said nearby buildings at the cultural district are all very tall and they have already blocked air flows.
Hong Kong Observatory senior scientific officer Leung Wing-mo said the height restriction and maximum plot ratio will not alleviate the "heat-island" problem in Hong Kong.
"But at least it will not worsen the heat-island effect," Leung added.
The effect is the phenomenon of urban air and surface temperatures being higher than rural areas as tall buildings and narrow streets trap heat and reduce air flow. SCARLETT CHIANG