The Town Planning Board held meetings in May and June 2018 to hear the views of residents, after which they approved the plans for the new developments with various conditions.
Town Planning Board received a total of 4,334 valid representations (comments from the public), with 1,257 supporting the plan and 3,075 opposing the plan.
Town Planning Board members were interested in the concerns raised over traffic and the proposed improvement measures.
Some members of the Town Planning Board said the sites were not within the immediate neighbourhood of Bel-Air.
Although an additional lane will be added at Victoria Road (Aberdeen bound) outside St. Paul's College Primary School, it’s disappointing the Board did not address all the concerns.
We will continue to press for improvements through the District Council, and through direct communications with the Housing Authority and the Civil Engineering and Development Department. The work is expected to start in 2020 and will be completed in 2025.
​While we support an increase in public housing, there are significant concerns over the planning for the extension of Wah Fu. We have consolidated the comments and created an online petition to the Town Planning Board.
The online petition below is now closed.
- The Housing Department has failed to demonstrate that - although the nearest buildings are over 300m away - the final disposition of the buildings and colour scheme ensure it blends in with the mountain backdrop, and ensures sight lines are maintained for residents along Cyberport Road.
- The height of the buildings planned for Wah Fu North and Wah King Street should be reviewed to reduce the visual impact for existing residents.
- The absence of a comprehensive plan committing to a staggered building heights not taller than the existing buildings. We strongly object to an increase in building height within the original Wah Fu site (as indicated in the MPC paper 5/17).
- The development along Victoria Road near St. Paul’s College Primary School creates a canyon effect and the podia on both side should be set back.
- The development should include parking for trucks and coaches used by residents – so they are no longer park on nearby roads. Note also that existing temporary car parks will disappear and that there is a territorial shortfall of parking facilities for larger vehicles.
- The proposed development lacks a comprehensive plan for footways through the area including to and from nature trails. The development of the site should enhance the ability of the community to enjoy the surrounding vegetated areas.
- The proposal lacks a commitment to upgrading the junction of Victoria Road/ Pok Fu Lam Road. A major upgrade to cope with the additional traffic, as opposed to the upgrade being proposed in the MPC paper 5/17, should be committed to. Note that the land for this has been reserved on the outline zoning plan. Waiting for future traffic to reach capacity is foolish - we should plan ahead.
- A commitment is needed from Government to a program for the planning and implementation of South Island Line (West) and the North Island Line prior to approval of any increase in development.
A revised outline zoning plan for Pokfulam has been gazetted for comments by the Town Planning Board. The changes to the plan are limited to those required to accommodate the redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate by the Housing Authority. Over the last 12 months government has adjusted the plans in response to comments from residents – including our concerns over the efficiency of the junction of Victoria Road and Pokfulam Road. Government also agreed with us on rejecting proposals to use of the valley directly opposite Bel-Air Phase 4-6.
Some 8,900 new units will be completed around 2025-2027. These will be used to decant the old estate prior to redevelopment. The Southern District Council has urged the government to continue to consult the community and to speed up planning for South Island Line (West).
Below is the Development concept plan and a photomontage from Cyberport Road near the kennels.
The junction of Victoria Road/ Pok Fu Lam Road needs a major upgrade to cope with the additional traffic.
Government needs to commence the planning of South Island Line (West) ASAP.
The development along Victoria Road near St. Paul’s should be set back to avoid a canyon effect.
Although the nearest buildings are over 300m away, we want a say over the final design and colour scheme of the buildings to ensure they blend in with the mountain backdrop.
The height of the buildings at Wah Fu North, Wah King Street and the existing Wah Fu Estate site should be reviewed to reduce the visual impact for existing residents.
The consultation deadline is 15 Nov 2017, you may email us your comment or submit it to Town Planning Board directly.
The Housing Authority has revised their plans and reduced the development area by 30% to 13 hectares. The number of units is maintained at 8,900 by increasing the height. The target completion date is 2025. The junction of Victoria Road and Pokfulam Road will be upgraded. The revised plans will reduce the traffic impact of the new development for this junction. However, we will continue to pressure for a grade separated junction design. And we are asking for solutions for the shortage of parking facilities for goods vehicles, and a timetable for the South Island (West) MTR line. These plans will be discussed in the District Council next week.
The Housing Authority advised this week that a revised master plan for Wah Fu and the extension up the hill towards Chi Fu will be made available in June. They are taking into account concerns expressed by the community. The intention is to update the Pokfulam Outline Zoning Plan before the end of 2017. In the meantime we will ask the Transport and Housing Bureau to redesign the Pok Fu Lam Road/Victoria Road junction to cope with the future increased traffic flow. We will keep you posted with updates when available.
The Housing Authority has released new information on their plans for the Wah Fu Estate redevelopment. They have reduced the footprint near Chi Fu. 8,900 units will be built on five sites. Residents from Wah Fu will be transferred to the new sites so that the old estate can be redeveloped starting 2024. I have raised questions over the capacity of the Pok Fu Lam Road/ Victoria Road junction, the timing of the new MTR, and requested better visuals so that Pokfulam residents can better understand the impacts.