Hong Kong authorities have proposed doubling the size of a planned digital technology hub in Lau Fau Shan under the city’s Northern Metropolis megaproject, while landmark buildings would be permitted to reach up to about 250 metres (820 feet) in height under the initiative.
The amended proposal, which will be discussed by the Yuen Long District Council’s town planning and development committee on Thursday, seeks to expand the digital technology hub from 15 to 30 hectares (6.07 to 12.14 acres), with a total floor area of about 900,000 square metres (90 hectares).
Buildings will also be able to reach a maximum of around 250 metres to serve as “landmarks” for the area near the planned Lau Fau Shan station, part of the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link.
While 30 hectares is about one and a half times the size of Victoria Park, the 250-metre-tall limit for buildings could range from 50 to just more than 80 storeys, given a storey could range from three to 4.5 metres in height.
Under the proposal, the building height limit would decrease for sites located closer to the waterfront and other sensitive locations, falling to as low as about 20 metres near the historic Sha Kong Tsuen Tin Hau Temple.
Lau Fau Shan, which means “Floating Mountain” in Chinese, sits on the shore of Deep Bay, facing Shenzhen’s Shekou across the water.
The area falls under the Northern Metropolis megaproject, which will provide 43,200 new jobs and 48,900 residential flats, with the dual purpose of serving as a “digital technology hub” and an “ecotourism node”.