The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club facilities at Shelter Cove (Che Keng Tuk) have been in existence since
before 1990, before the marina was opened in 2006. Some of the existing facilities are quite old and inadequate for existing use. However, under the current zoning of “Recreation”, any new buildings
require planning permission. The Yacht Club has recently made an application to Town Planning Board for some of its minor structures relating to better accommodating the existing operations.
The location of the marina
The existing lease has a maximum permitted development of 500 sqm and a maximum building height restriction of 6.65m above the mean formation level of the land on which the building or structure stands or such height as may be approved by the Director. The lease is being replaced by a new lease which is currently under preparation by the District Lands Office and is understood to include similar development controls. During the process of preparing the new lease, a site inspection identified some storage containers and the guard house as new structures, and not “existing structures” as before. They have been removed from the site as requested. The main purpose of the application is to obtain planning approval for structures to carry out the functions incidental to the existing Yacht Club operations.
Under the new lease the Yacht Club facilities will be open to sharing with other eligible groups and by non-members. The proposed structures will better accommodate these activities.
On the 26 April 2022 a submission was made to the Buildings Department for approval of temporary storage facilities and staff offices to replace the previous facilities which have been removed. On 27 May 2022, DPO/SK&Is advised the Authorised Person and Buildings Department that the proposal could not be approved as planning permission had not been obtained. This application is in direct response to that advice.
The site as shown in the OZP
The application site is shown above which is an extract from the approved Hebe Haven Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/SK-HH/8. The site is zoned “Recreation” and the Yacht Club with its existing use classified as “Marina” under Column 2. However, any new development related to Marina use requires permission from the Town Planning Board. As such, any structure which is not an existing structure related to the existing Yacht Club use requires planning approval.
Under the Notes for the “Recreation” zone, there are no restrictions on building height, site coverage or plot ratio for marina related facilities. However, there are restrictions on residential development with the limit of a maximum plot ratio of 0.2 and maximum building height of 2 storeys (6m). “New Territories Exempted House” is not subject to this restriction on residential development. Therefore, there are no such restrictions relevant to the facilities proposed in the application.
There is no provision under the Notes to the Recreation zone for temporary uses of the nature proposed, so the application is for permanent use and buildings. These new facilities will replace the previous storage and office use which were not approved nor existing structures.
The existing and planned facilities
The application is for an Ancillary Guard House and Refuse Collection Point, Ancillary Storage Facilities and Staff Office, Additional Toilets and Modification to the Kitchen for the existing Yacht Club. The proposal is shown above which indicates the location of the existing and proposed facilities on the site as shown below.
Building 1: Ancillary Staff Office and Storage:
Staff are employed to manage the operation of the marine facilities, such as the crane which lifts the sailing boats into and out of the water. They are also responsible for essential management and maintenance of the boat storage facilities both on the land and the water. Training programmes are operated from the site and these are managed by coaches and training officers who also need a small office space to operate from. There is currently no office facility on the site to provide for these essential support services. The proposed ancillary office space with a small storage space is a building of 1 storey
of approximately 60.8sqm and located at the north of the existing electric sub-station.
Building 2: Ancillary Storage:
There is a need for ancillary storage facilities for the operation of the Yacht Club facilities. These will be used for the storage of small boats, sails, safety equipment, race management equipment such as buoys, paddles and oars. Also, there is a need to store replacement and maintenance material related to the pontoons, marine berths and boat storage equipment. The proposed ancillary storage space of 1 storey, is approximately 105.9 sqm floor area and located at southeast of the existing electric sub-station.
Ancillary Refuse Collection Point:
The existing refuse collection point (RCP) is barricaded with yellow plastic barriers to help prevent wild boars from ravaging the collected refuse. It is proposed that an ancillary RCP of 1 storey to be built providing a sustainable solution to good management of the refuse. The structure will be a roofed-over store room with two permanent openings on two sides. It is approximately 8.2sqm, and located southeast to the existing electricity sub-station between the ancillary storage space.
Ancillary Guard House:
The previous guard house was considered not an existing structure. The proposed guard house is located at the entry barrier to the car park and is where the security staff are based and it is an essential operational facility The proposed guard house of 1 storey has an area of approximately 2.25 sqm.
Additional Toilets and Modification to the Kitchen:
At present the only toilets located on the site are within the male and female changing rooms. The changing rooms, only providing 2 urinals and 2 flush toilets for the Male Toilet, and 2 flush female toilets. They are heavily used and it is often inappropriate for people using the eating facilities to use the toilet facilities in the crowded changing rooms. The changing rooms are also located some distance from the eating area. It is therefore proposed to add three additional toilets near the eating area.
The kitchen area is quite small and some facilities such as freezers and serving areas are located outside the kitchen. It is proposed to revise the layout of the existing kitchen so that some of the external space is included within the walls of the kitchen. This will provide a much more efficient and safer arrangement.
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