There is ANOTHER TPB comment period that will end on the 23rd of June 2023, be sure to make your voices HEARD! (if you sent your comment in the first and second rounds, send it again for the third round) Join the petition below. Tell your fellow residents and friends!
Your comment is going against generic "I support" form printouts... will you let them bury you?!
The new gist and scans of the hardcopies are available here.
Someone was kind enough to share their analysis of the proposal and has been posted here for everyone to read for themselves...
Area 4a, 10b and Area 22 Development Section 12 A Planning Application: An Assessment.
Visual Impact and Development Configuration
The photomontage included in the ES reveals much (It would be worth checking what other views have been used as Visually Sensitive Receivers. Note for the purposes of a Planning Application views should only be from publicly accessible locations e.g. the paths to the south of JHV and the playground and seating areas)
​
​
The above photomontage is extracted from the applicants own visual impact assessment. The physical impacts are patently adverse and severe. They are not assessed as such in the applicant’s planning submission.
​
View to Development from public path to Mui Wo Indicating current relative openness of development configuration in Discovery Bay South.
​
​
It is clear that the view for the purposes of Visual Impact Assessment have been highly selective. If superimposed on the above view the relative openness of development within Peninsula Village would in truth be total undermined. The level of impact would more realistically be “unacceptable” and “adverse” according to standard Visual Impact Assessment practice
In short, the visual impact assessment is not comprehensive nor thorough.
​
Scheme Density and Current Views
The scheme is a highly dense residential development with small flat sizes. Flat sizes will be in the range of 62 sqm to 71 sqm. (See table below). The density of development is at the root cause of creating the magnitude of unacceptable adverse visual impact.
Jovial, Haven Verdant Courts will have their sea views obliterated at lower level. Twilight Court will have their sea views significantly compromised by the high rise blocks to the west of the applicant’s scheme.
​
Views from the lower floors of JHV to the north will also be compromised (at least 6 storeys) by the inclusion of low-rise development in the present “Community Green” (NB the eradication of the “Community Green” removes a community asset and a site that is presently of some amenity value as it is used as a nursery and offers visual relief)
​
Urban Design
​
The Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines Chapter 11 set out quite clear guidelines with respect to building density, building height arrangement and building disposition. The Guidelines have been largely ignored. The applicant’s scheme is a crude linear wall like arrangement of towers and low-rise structures which has no regard to context. There is similarly no attempt to establish a “fit” and relationship with the context of the proposed development area. The scheme is all about maximising development volume and income to the developer rather than producing good development which is positively conceived and thought out.
​
As can be seen from the master plan the applicant’s layout offers no response to the prevailing layout and design of existing development in Peninsula Village and other adjacent areas of Discovery Bay.
​
The development will be serviced by a relocated Marina Drive. This will be located within a virtual development canyon within which air quality is likely to be poor given the passage of service vehicles and buses along its extent. The creation of a canyon along Marina Drive again shows that little regard has been placed on the creation of a quality residential environment.
Traffic, Transportation and Pedestrian Circulation
​
Traffic generation will be significant. The scheme includes 858 apartments which could generate up to 2,574 residents which would represent about a 60 % increase in the population of Peninsula Village.
​
Bus services are stretched in the peak at present. This would worsen the situation. The Bus Station in Discovery Bay South is already under capacity in terms of coping with services from and to Peninsula Village (queuing for existing services currently extends beyond current platforms). It is difficult to see where additional services might be accommodated and adequate and safe pedestrian queuing capacity secured if This is not addressed in the applicant’s submission.
The junction of Marina Drive with Discovery Bay Road will be unable to cope (this is presently a dangerous junction). The traffic situation and the stress on the aforesaid junction will be exacerbated by the inclusion of the following:
-
1 Transport terminus (Area 10b (including 44 Discovery Bay Bus parking spaces and 10 golf cart parking spaces, and
-
15 vehicle loading /unloading bays/lay-bys
​
This is a significant increase to current levels of parking and vehicles accommodated.
In an emergency the area will be highly reliant on Marina Drive. This is a poor and very limited form of service and provides only limited access.
​
Pedestrian Movement: The pedestrian environment along Marina Drive is unlikely to be attractive to pedestrians. The width of the road is limited. Pedestrian safety is likely to be compromised with the anticipated increase of service vehicles and buses etc. Pedestrians (and users of Kai To services) are likely to wish to use the proposed promenade. This, however is of limited width, has no shade planting and is not consistent with promenade widths elsewhere in Discovery Bay, and, moreover gives no regard to design parameters set out in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines
​
Environmental Impacts
​
Noise and Air Quality
​
Noise and air quality impacts are likely to be severe. Vehicles will pass in very close proximity to the new residential development. The applicant largely ignores this situation. DBTS has given no current clear indication of when it will implement electrification of vehicle fleets.
​
Noise and air quality impacts to existing residents during construction are likely to be severe
Slope Works
​
The proposed development will require significant slope works Below Jovial, Haven and Verdant residential Towers. Stabilisation works are likely to be necessary.
​
The applicant does not make it clear who will be responsible for future slope maintenance and the care of planted areas. This is an issue of great ambiguity and dispute within presently developed areas in Discovery Bay.
​
Trees and Compensatory Planting
​
Current Tree planting along Marina Drive and adjacent to Jovial, Haven Verdant Residential Towers
There is a significant extent of tree planting along Marina Drive and within the development area (there are also trees within the present Community Green Site). Much will be affected by the proposed development. The adequacy and ratio of compensatory tree planting (and possible transplantation) necessitated by the applicant proposals is not clear.
Helipad Development
Helipad: This to be relocate to the north east of the marina. The noise levels from helicopters taking off and landing will be contained at the facades of Coastline apartments around the Marina. As noise travels in an arc the eastern facades of the Blossom and Cherish Courts will also be adversely affected. The present helipad location is in a discrete area. The new location will increase the noise impacts from helicopter landing and taking off. Noise impacts will be particularly profound when the helicopters are in hover mode.
Access to the helipad will be via part of a pedestrian promenade. The passage of emergency vehicles may put promenade users in some danger.
Development Program
Clearer details need to be provided of development phasing and interim measures that will occur during the construction period should the applicant proposals be approved (or under any future modified scheme).
​
The need to temporarily relocate bus parking, bus and vehicle maintenance and cleansing services combined with site preparation is likely to be a protracted and complex process. Works and their likely duration will severely impact upon existing residential development and cause a degree of blight (as will be the case upon completion) that will significantly undermine the current amenity and enjoyment that residents will enjoy from their properties notwithstanding possible impacts to property values.
Save Peninsula Village,
Save Discovery Bay!
​​The Town Planning Board meets on 11th August 2023 to discuss this application - application number Y/I-DB/4. Submit your comments directly to the Town Planning Board, either by email or thru their dedicated website. Links can be found below.
Join us in demanding the TPB stop this proposal from progressing by signing this petition.