The Harbour-front Enhancement Committee agreed at its fifth meeting today to accept a proposed set of Harbour Planning Principles as a working draft for further consultation.

The principles, formulated with the aim to reflect changing circumstances and community aspiration, will form the basis of guidelines for all relevant individuals and organisations in the planning, development and management of Victoria Harbour and its waterfront areas.

It will be a living set of principles subject to further amendments in the future.

As a start for further consultation, the eight key planning principles are:

* preserving Victoria Harbour as a natural, public and economic asset;
* Victoria Harbour as Hong Kong's identity;
* a vibrant harbour;
* an accessible harbour;
* maximising the harbour-front for public enjoyment;
* integrated planning for a world-class harbour;
* sustainable development of the harbour;
* early and ongoing stakeholder engagement.

"Upon further consultation, the principles can be applied, tested and refined in the harbour planning review and studies such as the Kai Tak and Wan Chai Reviews at key harbour-front areas," the committee chairman Professor Lee Chack-fan said.

"As a 'living' document, the principles are subject to review to reflect further input from other organisations and changing planning circumstances and public aspiration where appropriate."

Members were also briefed on the Government's proposal to develop a permanent domestic heliport at a site that lies along the waterfront in front of the Western Park Sports Centre in Sheung Wan.

The Economic Development & Labour Bureau will provide members with a comprehensive picture of the proposed heliport development along both sides of the harbour.

The meeting discussed the progress reports from the three Sub-committees of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee, namely the Sub-committees on South East Kowloon Development Review, Harbour Plan Review and Wan Chai Development Phase II Review. Members noted, among other things, that the public envisioning process on the Wan Chai Development Phase II project will be launched soon.

Members also noted that the Society for Protection of the Harbour Limited's proposal to rezone the land use of Central Reclamation Phase III would be considered by the Town Planning Board in due course.

The next Committee meeting will be held March 3.