HKU’s innovation centre is great idea in the wrong place

The University of Hong Kong’s proposed site for its Global Innovation Centre comprises 4.72 hectares, of which 4.12 hectares (87 per cent) are currently zoned “green belt”, being government land. Hence, the rezoning exercise.

The total gross floor area (GFA) proposed is

220,000 sq m to be used for facilities for deep technical research, conferences and exhibitions as well as offices and staff residential quarters. To get a proper sense of scale, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks’ site at Pak Shek Kok has a GFA of 330,000 sq m.

The site for the Global Innovation Centre has been chosen purely for the convenience of it being close to HKU’s main campus. The current green belt zoning correctly reflects the vegetated nature of the steep sloping site with a height difference of some

80m between Pok Fu Lam Road and Victoria Road.

The massive, difficult and expensive site formation work that will be required before any buildings can be erected will require the removal of some 2,000 trees, which will destroy the existing landscape and ecological value of this locality.

Further there has been a complete disregard of the Pok Fu Lam Moratorium which has been in place since 1972 on traffic grounds, for the purpose of prohibiting excessive development until there is an overall improvement in the transport network in the area. By any measure the proposed 220,000 sq m of development must be considered excessive.

Fortunately, this is completely avoidable as there is a suitable alternative: a properly planned site now being formed by the government in the Lok Ma Chau Loop for the first phase of the San Tin Technopole, which is to be the future information and technology centre of Hong Kong, immediately adjacent and complementary to the existing thriving I&T hub of Shenzhen.

The land is already zoned for research and development, education and cultural and creative industries. There will be about 38.6 hectares made available with a GFA of 1,143,000 sq m so the HKU facility would be a perfect fit and could serve as the centrepiece of this phase of the technopole.

As HKU will be expecting a premium-free grant of land from the government, in addition possibly to support for construction costs, it has a duty to ensure that this facility is sited where it will best serve the whole of Hong Kong.

Accordingly, I strongly oppose this rezoning proposal.

Roger Nissim, Ma On Shan