Preliminary Outline Development Plan (PODP)

Five Planning Areas

Urban Living

Located closest to Yuen Long New Town, the Planning Area for “Urban Living” will be characterised by a mixed and lively residential community with medium to high-density developments and various developments. The area will provide the most housing supply in Yuen Long South.

• Providing a Variety of Land Uses: The Planning Area for "Urban Living" resembles new town character with mixed land uses comprising public and private housing, commercial and community facilities. A key focal point is proposed at the northern “entry” of the Planning Area where a sports centre, a commercial centre and open space are provided, serving the future population of Yuen Long South, Yuen Long New Town and the adjacent villages. Street level will be bustling with commercial facilities providing retail, leisure and recreational opportunities, adding vibrancy and vitality to the area.
• Open Space Network: Active and passive recreational facilities will be provided in the open space. The open space network will join with the nullah running in the middle of the community for leisure and to provide breezeway. A sewage treatment works is proposed underneath the district open space adjoining Kung Um Road for efficient use of land. The Study will also explore the feasibility of turning the northern section of Yuen Long Nullah as a sustainable drainage channel with landscape amenity.
• Integrating with Yuen Long New Town: A new main road running from the southern part of Yuen Long South, through the “Urban Living” Planning Area to the PDA in Tong Yan San Tsuen will be provided. The new road connects the two PDAs and links the PDAs with Yuen Long New Town.Existing roads including Kung Um Road and Lam Tai East and West Road will be improved. A green pedestrian and cycling corridor running in the north-south and east-west directions will be provided.

LOHAS Living

Situated at the fringe of Tai Lam Country Park and surrounded by hillslopes and village settlements, this neighbourhood aims to provide an urban experience that promotes a Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS). The Planning Area for “LOHAS Living” will provide a low to medium-density living environment that complements nature.

• Taking Advantage of the Natural Assets: Developments at the southern end of the community are low-density to blend in with the mountain greenery and Tai Lam Country Park. Capitalising the natural landscape in the surroundings for promoting sustainability and health, a scenic cycle track interwoven with open space is proposed running from the “LOHAS Living” Planning Area along the hillslopes to the Green Zone in Tong Yan San Tsuen. Besides, the preserved streams join with the open space network in the community to offer space and environment for community farming.   
• Revitalising Yuen Long Nullah: The section of Yuen Long Nullah within the community will be revitalised. Together with parks, open space and cycle track in the community as well as the “Green Zone” in Tong Yan San Tsuen, these features will enrich the character of Yuen Long South, attracting both residents and visitors.

Garden Community

Located at the Tong Yan San Tsuen area where there are already some well-established residential clusters, the Planning Area for “Garden Community” will be a residential-oriented area with low-density developments to complement the existing low-rise and low-density residential clusters.

• Providing a Tranquil and Green Environment: With the open space network, preserved secondary woodland and natural streams, the existing tranquil lifestyle will be retained. This help fostering an ambience of garden city embraced in greenery especially with the “Green Zone” proposed at the southern part of Tong Yan San Tsuen.
• Retaining Well-established Residential Communities: There exist some clusters of well-established low-rise residential communities along Sha Tseng Road and Tong Yan San Tsuen Road including some planned/proposed developments. They are low-rise developments developed in accordance with the extant Outline Zoning Plan with plot ratio 1. These well-established residential clusters are proposed to be retained. Future developments in the "Garden Community" will also be low-density with plot ratio 1 to complement the existing residential communities.

Green Zone

The Planning Area for “Green Zone” comprises the active agricultural land, preserved secondary woodland, stream courses and other natural landscape features. Together with the mountain greenery in the south, the "Green Zone" will become a key feature of Yuen Long South.

• Preserving Active Agricultural Land: Yuen Long South has been part of the Yuen Long Plain with a long history of cultivation. The active agricultural land in the southern part of Tong Yan San Tsuen will be preserved. Joining with the preserved secondary woodland, the “Green Zone” will enhance the local character and landscape of Yuen Long South. At the southern tip of the “Green Zone”, a site is reserved for livestock farm.
• Linking with Rural and Nature: With the preserved active agricultural land and secondary woodland, the “Green Zone” is intended as a physical manifestation of the rural tradition of Yuen Long where rural experience such as organic farming, markets, leisure and recreational activities would take place. Pedestrian paths and a scenic cycle track will be provided to facilitate visitors and residents to reach the “Green Zone”.

Employment Belt

To better utilise land resource and release land development potential, to avoid haphazard sprawl of open storage and rural industrial uses, as well as to improve the environment of Yuen Long South, the Planning Area for "Employment Belt" is designated along Yuen Long Highway to consolidate the open storage and rural industrial operations. The location and area of the “Employment Belt” have taken into account land uses in and near the PDAs and the need to provide convenient access to highway. They have balanced the needs of various land uses to be provided and preserved in the PDAs including housing, supporting infrastructure and community facilities and the preserved active agricultural land, secondary woodland and natural streams.

• Providing Land for Open Storage and Rural Industries: In view of the need to store bulky and heavy goods and machinery, the “Employment Belt” provides land for non-conventional multi-storey flatted factory buildings that could be specially designed to meet the needs of the operations. Besides, the Belt also provides land for open storage. The “Employment Belt” could offer job opportunities and contribute to the local economy.
• Enhancing Accessibility: The proximity of the “Employment Belt” to Yuen Long Highway facilitates easy accessibility of freight traffic to the highway through the provision of a road system. This can also avoid the intrusion of freight traffic to the residential neighbourhood.
• Maintaining Compatibility with the surrounding: The "Employment Belt" is located in areas which are primarily zoned “Industrial (Group D)” and “Open Storage” on the extant Outline Zoning Plan where land is reserved for and partly occupied by such uses. “Open Space” and “Green Belt” zones are designated on the PODP as buffer areas, and they also function as breezeways in the area. The Study will conduct environmental impact assessment and air ventilation assessment in which further proposals including urban and landscaping design will be put forward to enhance the environment.

• Overall Planning and Design Framework
• Key Land Use Proposals
• Five Planning Areas
• Pedestrian and Cycling Connectivity
• Vehicular and Public Transport Connectivity