Continuous and contiguous fish ponds in Nam Sang Wai, which form an integral part of the wetland ecosystem in the Deep Bay area, will be preserved to protect their ecological value in the draft zoning plan approved by the Chief Executive-in-Council, the Town Planning Board says.

The Planning Scheme Area, covering about 600 hectares, is bounded by the San Tin Highway and Castle Peak Road in the east, Fairview Park in the north, Shan Pui River in the west, and Shan Pui Chung Hau Tsuen and Au Tau in the south.

The area comprises a low-lying alluvial flood plain draining into Deep Bay. It is largely rural with many fish ponds and some farm land.

Private-public partnership

About 121 hectares of fish ponds, which form an integral part of the wetland ecosystem, is zoned "Conservation Area". About 151 hectares of fish ponds is zoned "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Comprehensive Development & Wetland Enhancement Area" to provide incentives for comprehensive development or redevelopment with conservation objectives and positive measures to enhance the ecological value and functions of the ponds or wetland under a private-public partnership.

To facilitate a proposed residential development with a nature reserve at Lut Chau in Mai Po, the fish ponds at Nam Sang Wai are zoned "Comprehensive Development & Wetland Enhancement Area 1". The fish ponds at Tin Fook Wai are zoned "Comprehensive Development & Wetland Enhancement Area 2".

About 78.4 hectares, including areas near Tai Sang Wai, Man Yuen Chuen and Wing Kei Tsuen, and the area north of Shan Pui Road is zoned "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Comprehensive Development to include Wetland Restoration Area" to provide incentives to encourage the phasing out of the open storage and port back-up uses and to restore the degraded wetlands adjoining fish ponds through comprehensive residential or recreational development with wetland restoration and buffer proposals.

Low-density development

About 16.1 hectares is zoned "Residential (Group D)" covering Man Yuen Tsuen and two areas to the south of Kam Tin River for low-rise, low-density residential development and residential upgrading. About 42.8 hectares is zoned "Village Type Development" to cater for village expansion.

About 3.5 hectares at the Castle Peak Road-Tam Mi Section to the south-west of Mo Fan Heung is zoned "Industrial (Group D)", and 5.4 hectares of land along the western side of San Tin Highway is zoned "Open Storage".

About 3.4 hectares is zoned "Government, Institution or Community" covering Pok Oi Hospital, a church near Au Tau Roundabout and two sites used for a gas offtake station and a low flow drainage pump.

Another 8.8 hectares covering three sites to the west of San Tin Highway on both sides of the Kam Tin River is zoned "Open Space" to provide recreational facilities and serve as a buffer and easy access to the Kam Tin River.