Xinhua Bookstore Xiang Jiang Group Limited, developers, have applied to the Town Planning Board to build two 3-storey small houses in the middle of the old Hakka village of Pak Sha O. The application is one that has been rejected in one form or another a couple of times over the past four years.
The developers are well known in the Sai Kung Country Parks. They have either bought land from indigenous villagers in many enclaves, such as Hoi Ha, or entered into illegal transfers of “ding” rights – the convention where male indigenous residents who can trace their ancestry back to the village before 1897 can apply for government land for a small three-storey house, or build on their ancestral land with little planning procedures, although current court cases may have limited this right recently.
BUZZ has reported many times on the fight to save the Pak Sha O enclave – most recently in March 2018.
At least the application makes a nod to the uniqueness of the village: “Unlike other recognized village, the Pak Sha O core village cluster is outstanding vernacular Hakka village and is well preserved with historical buildings. In order to respect the village form, the colour for the 2 proposed village houses will be made compatible with the existing old houses by means of white colour on external walls. Pitched roof covered by black tiles will be adopted for the direction facing the pathway, for the proposed house at Lot No. 1156 S. B in D.0.290″. And the mocked up photos show some sensitivity to the area. They key to the application is that it is classified as a rebuilding of existing buildings – even though the site is basically an empty lot with a few ruins.
The developer has been buying up land and “ding” rights around Pak Sha O for a number of years. The following graphic, from Friends of Sai Kung, show, in red, the extent of their current control. Much of this is currently farmland, and, although a very environmentally sensitive flood plain, was incorporated into the “V” zone under the recently gazetted Outline Zoning Plan, even though many concern groups fought hard against this.
BUZZ will continue to follow this application as it progresses through the system. The application can be found at https://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/tc/plan_application/Attachment/20190628/s16_A_NE-PSO_1_0_gist.pdf. The latest date for submission of objections is 19 July 2019.
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