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2/11/2010
Press Release
Joint statement on the need for wetland protection
and
against luxury residential developments in Nam Sang Wai
Please participate and support our online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/savelsw2,
or on facebook at http://www.tinyurl.com/savelsw“
Various development schemes within and adjacent to ecologically valuable wetland areas are under consideration by developers.
Among others, prior to a December renewal deadline, Henderson Land now intends to re-launch its Nam Sang Wai luxury housing plan which has been conditionally approved by the Town Planning Appeal Board in 1994. Under the latest proposal, 54 hectares of wetland will be permanently lost.
Given the high ecological value of the wetlands, including a recently established roost of 2-3,000 Great Cormorants – a species of regional conservation importance – and the changes in community aspirations since 1994, the undersigned request Government and the Town Planning Board to:
1. Cancel the existing plans for Nam Sang Wai, after they expire in December 2010, as they do not comply with current community expectations, nor do they meet the Town Planning Board’s current standards.
2. Require the developer to submit a new plan for the community to comment on, and for the Board to consider, taking into account current community expectations and conservation principles.
3. Uphold strictly the “no-net-loss” principle, maintain the integrity of the wetland and the Ramsar site and development plans, if any, should not be allowed to result in a loss of wetland and fish ponds in either ‘size’ or ‘function’ (and neither ‘size’ nor ‘function’ can be replaced with each other).
4. Apply these principles to all development projects inside and adjacent to the wetland conservation areas, such as Nam Sang Wai and San Tin, as well as the Deep Bay Wetlands in the FCA.
5. Ensure that protected wetlands together with endowments funds for their management are transferred by developers to a community-led conservation trust for their management.
6. Where approved development rights are impacted, to consider land exchange and ex-situ transfer of development rights from the conservation areas to sites of low ecological value (land already degraded due to development, open storage, etc.) as compensation. We note that this option was raised in the 2004 Nature Conservation Policy, but is yet to be exercised.
7. Actively oppose the developer’s request for Government land at Nam Sang Wai to be made available to facilitate the development.
Co-signatories:
Designing Hong Kong Limited
The Professional Commons
Northeast New Territories Development Concern Group
Friends of Tai Cheng Wai
Save Nam Sang Wai Group
The Conservancy Association
Friends of Sai Kung
Green Power
Friends of the Earth (HK)
Green Lantau Association
Friends of Tai Long Wan
Friends of Tai Long Sai Wan
Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong
hkwildlife.net
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
WWF
Greeners Action
Hong Kong Sustainable Agriculture Association
Community Development Initiative
Green Sense