PUBLIC COMMENT to Town Planning Board over SECTION 16 APPLICATION No A/H3/381
close at 11-30pm on 10 October 2008.

Prepared form from John Batten of Central and Western Concern Group shrinked here,
Pls copy & paste to your browser to read and send it out before the deadline
Addresses for sending this comment form:
By post: 15/F, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong
By fax: 28770245 or 25228426
By email: tpbpd@pland.gov.hk

PUBLIC COMMENT – SECTION 16 APPLICATION No A/H3/381
I strongly OBJECT to Application A/H3/381 and I REJECT the high-rise development plans proposed by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA).
As a Hong Kong person, I am concerned about the environment and the further deterioration in the quality of life that this development will cause. We will all be directly affected by this development and I SAY NO TO THESE PLANS.
I DEMAND THAT ANY DEVELOPMENT IN THE H-19 AREA IS LOWRISE AND COMPATIBLE WITH THE CURRENT CHARACTER OF THE AREA. I DEMAND THAT THE TOWN PLANNING BOARD REJECTS THIS APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES TO IMPROVE OUR QUALITY OF LIVING AS OUTLINED IN THE TOWN PLANNING ORDINANCE.
Furthermore I object to this application because:- It is bad urban planning; overdevelopment in an already densely-built area and will cause environmental degradation. Tower A and Tower C are too close to surrounding buildings and will directly block views, air-flow and sunlight. This development will negatively affect the well-being of current and future residents of the area. - It will increase traffic in the area - even without carparking within the development (which in itself is against the HK Building Design Guidelines), the development will increase traffic. This area already has notorious traffic problems – as acknowledged by the Highways Dept; Commissioner for Police and the Western & Central District Council. - The area has a long history of slope failure and geotechnical problems. The Urban Renewal Authority 's development will endanger old retaining walls and other old buildings around the site. It is structurally infeasible and dangerous to build a high-rise tower on top of the Bridges Street Market and on Wing Lee Street.- URA's latest AVA (air ventilation assessment) is flawed and fails to show the impact on EXISTING air ventilation. Any sensible person realizes that air-flow WILL seriously deteriorate once the development is completed. - The URA’s plans are completely incompatible with the area's historic and low-rise character (Hollywood Road Police Quarters, tong lau in SOHO, Tai Ping Shan area, Victoria Prison etc).- The tong lau in the area are a unique feature of SOHO and should be retained and renovated as much as possible.- The URA's plan fails to provide quality public open space. The market-top open space is bad ‘open space’ and inaccessible to the public. The Central & Western District Council, in response to public concerns, passed a motion on 17 July 2008 urging the URA to redraw its H19 plans. In this application, the URA has failed to address public concerns nor acknowledge the 1,500 public comments made in the previous comment period. I hereby request the Town Planning Board to REJECT this application.
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就市區重建局之香港士丹頓街/永利街發展計劃 規劃申請編號A/H3/381提出意見

本人強烈反對編號A/H3/381之規劃申請，原因如下：

過度發展，破壞環境：市建局在樓宇密度已極高的本區增建多3幢住宅，特別是地盤甲及地盤丙相對大型及與鄰近大廈極為緊貼，將阻檔周圍樓宇的日照、通風及景觀，令當區居民生活質素降低。現時H19區內已有一私人住宅地盤在打樁，噪音及震盪已令居民十分困擾，居民實在不能忍受市建局無理的增建。
交通問題：就算發展計劃不設泊車位，新增的數百人口將帶來大量車流，堵塞區內狹小的街道，令區內交通擠塞惡化，這是市民、區議會及政府部門都極為頭痛的問題。
3. H19位於半山岩土管制區內，附近有多次檔土牆及土力結構出現問題的紀錄(如早年的弓弦巷，近期有儒林台兩座唐樓之間出現裂痕)。市建局的發展計劃將威脅區內的舊檔土牆及周邊的樓宇，危害公眾安全，尤其在將會受保育的必列者士街街市及永利街之上興建高樓大廈是十分危險的工程，土力結構亦不可行。
4. 市建局最新提供的空氣流通評估，將發展方案與「最高密度發展方案」比較，不能反映區內現時的空氣流通狀況及將會如何受發展計劃影響，隱瞞空氣流通變差的事實。普通市民清楚知道這類大型的三文治式樓宇規劃(如地盤甲夾在多座大廈之間)會嚴重影響周圍住宅單位的空氣流通。
5. 市建局的高密度發展計劃與鄰近的荷李活道警察宿舍中央書院遺蹟、蘇豪唐樓區、太平山區、中央警署及域多利監獄等歷史城區及低密度環境極不配合。
6. H19內的唐樓延續蘇豪區唐樓群的特色，亦有H19業主示範翻新的可行性，這一帶的唐樓應盡量保存及復修再用。
7. 上環區的公共休憩空間嚴重不足，但市建局計劃所提供的「街市頂」空間，不 便利市民使用，屬劣質的公共空間。

中西區區議會於2008年7月17日通過動議，要求市建局因應市民的關注重新提出規劃方案/模式，市建局至今未有遵從建議改善方案，亦沒有因應先前諮詢期所收到逾1500市民反對意見而將計劃作任何修訂。本人認為H19範圍應保持低密度，減輕這區的發展壓力。市建局的H19發展方案明顯損害公眾利益，本人請城市規劃委員會履行責任，保障市民的居住環境及安全，否決A/H3/381申請。

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