Redevelopment proposal

According to the URA statistics, the project covers 5.3 hectares with 24 buildings on site and there are currently 1640 property interests, 1860 households and 4500 people altogether (URA, 2007a). Having a largest project size and largest amount of households, the URA has carefully planned the project with a long consultation period to gather public views. As described by the URA, the KTTC project will adopt a bottom-up approach that putting the needs of the community in the first priority.

No. of blocks No. of floors *Floor Area(m2)

Commercial 1 70 210,000

Residential 5 50 160,000

G/IC 1 32,000

Open Space 8,700

* Total floor area = 400,000

Table 5.2: The total GFA for the proposed development in the KTTC.

Source: URA, 2007

The figures in the table are rough estimation of the project development potential. As emphasized by Miss Choi, the Assistant Manager and Miss Tsui, the Senior Officer of Community Development and in the URA – Kwun Tong, the details of the design of the new buildings can be modified subjected to public’s opinion. The URA will continue to carry out consultations and meetings with local residents. In short, ten design features of the redevelopment project was identified by Miss Choi and Miss Tsui,

1. As to solve the noise pollution problem in the KTTC, the public transport interchange (PTI) will be located underground. Also, the commercial complex will be placed at a location facing the Kwun Tong Road which serves as a noise barrier to the railway.

2. Constructed with 50 storeys residential buildings, environmental impact assessment was carried out and studies have proved that air will be ventilated through breezeways.

3. The views of the surrounded buildings will not be blocked by new residential towers in the KTTC after taking orientation into consideration.

4. With careful placing of residential towers, natural lighting will not be a problem as sun light can be directed into the KTTC.

5. The KTTC will supply 23,200m2 of open space: 8,700m2 public open space at the ground; 14,500m2 open space at platform area.

6. The KTTC will have 30% of land reserved as green area.

7. Through redevelopment, 25 trees will be kept, 75 trees will be relocated and 500 trees will be planted additionally.

8. According to local opinions, 3 old trees in the Yue Man Square will be kept in the same area. In addition, a waterfall design will be added into the Yue Man Square as to make the whole KTTC more energetic.

9. Multi-commercial activities can

Photo 5.14a Cross-section of the composition of street deign.

Commercial

Stores

Bazaar

10. The needs of the disabled people will be catered as the design for the KTTC will include barrier-free facilities, such as ramp for wheelchairs. The following photo is showing the site model of future KTTC.

The plot ratio for the project will be 7.5, so that the Gross Floor Area (GFA) after providing community facilities for culture and recreations.

5.5.4 Targets

As the KTTC project is of large scale and complexity, the URA emphasizes that it will work closely with the local community to ensure that the views of all important

Photo 5.14b Model for design in redeveloped KTTC.

Source: URA, 2007d

F

stakeholders are fully taken into consideration in the project planning process (URA, 2008). As described ay Professor Lung, the Chairperson of the Kwun Tong District Advisory Committee (KTDAC), the URA has adopted a bottom-up and pro-active approach concerning the community in a participative planning and design process (URA, 2007d). Through public consultations carried out in the past 2 years, there were 12 major features have been incorporated into the deign plan submitted to the TBP, so as to reflect the aspirations of the community,

1. diversified build-form and architecture for community, commercial and residential purposes, ranging from modernistic and landmark features to traditional kaifong-style street and bazaar;

2. a reasonable plot ratio for the 600,000 population of Kwun Tong;

3. appropriate building height to free up more public open space on the ground;

4. landmarks in the form of an oval-shaped multi-purpose civic centre, an iconic commercial tower and a cone-shaped glass atrium for the public transport interchange;

5. a terraced -garden design with abundant water features;

6. green coverage of almost 30 percent of the site area;

7. enlarging the Yue Man Square Rest Garden by four times and preservation of the old trees;

8. an all-weather integrated public transport interchange that enables the entire site to become car-free in the open areas;

9. widen the roads and pedestrian paths by using a building set-back design and offer better views for buildings surrounding the site;

10. placing the commercial complex along Kwun Tong road as noise barrier for residential blocks in the north;

11. priority given to the re-provisioning of government buildings; and

12. a sophisticated network of footbridges and tunnels to enhance connectivity between the site and the surrounding (URA, 2007d).

As the KTTC is a hub of East Kowloon, together with a large site area, the KTTCRP is not only affecting 4,600 local residents and 300 shops, but also the 60,000 Kwun Tong residents as a whole. So, the URA has to pay particular attention to the views of the community. As described by Miss Choi and Miss Tsui, the URA has tried its best to accommodate all the opinions and cater all the needs of the local residents. In a word, the design shown in fig. 5.14b is trying to fulfill the community aspirations listed above.