The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Mid-levels East Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Mid-levels East area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (October 10).

     The planning scheme area, covering 63.34 hectares of land, is bounded by Kennedy Road to the north, Stubbs Road to the east and Bowen Drive to the west, while the 200-230 metre contour forms its southern limit.
      
     The approved OZP has incorporated amendments shown on the draft Mid-levels East OZP No. S/H12/13, which mainly involve (i) rezoning a site at 15 and 24 Stubbs Road and 7 Tung Shan Terrace from "Residential (Group C)1" ("R(C)1"), "Government, Institution or Community (4)" and "Green Belt" to "Residential (Group C)3" and stipulating sub-areas on the OZP to take forward the decision of the Metro Planning Committee of the Town Planning Board on a section 12A application for a proposed residential development with a privately initiated residential care home for the elderly; and (ii) rezoning a site at 18 Stubbs Road from "Comprehensive Development Area" ("CDA") to "Residential (Group C)4" and a strip of government land from "CDA" and "R(C)1" to an area shown as 'Road' to reflect the as-built conditions of various sites.

     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP have been amended taking into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning circumstances, where appropriate.

     The approved Mid-levels East OZP No. S/H12/14 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Hong Kong District Planning Office, and (iv) the Wan Chai Home Affairs Enquiry Centre.

     Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed at the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (October 10) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).

     Thirty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), and ten as Fair (Grade 2).

Grade 1 beaches are:

 Grade 2 beaches are:

     Compared with the grading released last week, Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Golden Beach, Kadoorie Beach, Lower Cheung Sha Beach and Ting Kau Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Big Wave Bay Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2.

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD's beach thematic website.

Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 27 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from September 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).

Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which is a non-gazetted beach that has no lifesaving service.

     The Government announced today (October 10) the following senior appointments: 

(a) Ms Irene Young Bick-kwan, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, will take up the post of Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Food) on November 11, 2024, to succeed Miss Vivian Lau Lee-kwan who will proceed on pre-retirement leave in end-October; and

(b) Mr Donald Ng Man-kit, Deputy Secretary for Housing/Deputy Director of Housing (Strategy), will take up the post of Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on November 18, 2024. 

     Commenting on the appointment of Ms Young and Mr Ng, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "The appointees are seasoned Administrative Officers with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that they will continue to serve the community with professionalism in their new posts."

     Regarding Miss Lau who will proceed on pre-retirement leave, Mrs Yeung said, "Miss Lau has rendered 36 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community and made significant contributions to the Government. During Miss Lau's tenure as Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Food), she capably led the team to formulate and implement the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as policies on food safety, veterinary public health and environmental hygiene. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she offered strategic steer for implementing relevant anti-epidemic work and played a pivotal role in helping the Government win the battle. I wish her a fulfilling and happy retirement."

     Brief biographical notes of the three officers are set out below:

Miss Vivian Lau Lee-kwan 
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     Miss Lau joined the Administrative Service in September 1988 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A1 in April 2022. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Security Branch, the former Economic Services Branch, the former Finance Branch, the former Financial Services Bureau, the former Education and Manpower Bureau, and the Trade and Industry Department. She was Deputy Secretary for the Environment from May 2010 to March 2014, and Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene from March 2014 to February 2021, and has been serving as Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food) (later renamed as Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Food)) since February 2021.

Ms Irene Young Bick-kwan
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     Ms Young joined the Administrative Service in August 1990 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2023. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Civil Service Branch, the former Transport Branch, Home Affairs Department, the former Office of the Telecommunications Authority, the former Finance Branch, the former Finance Bureau, the former Economic Services Bureau, the former Economic Development and Labour Bureau, the former Education and Manpower Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva. She was Permanent Representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization from May 2014 to January 2019, and Deputy Secretary for the Environment from January 2019 to April 2021, and has been serving as Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene since April 2021. 

Mr Donald Ng Man-kit 
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     Mr Ng joined the Administrative Service in August 1995 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in April 2023. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former Security Branch (later renamed as Security Bureau), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, the Housing Department, the former Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, and the former Environment Bureau. He was Deputy Director of Environmental Protection from January 2016 to September 2019, and Head of Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency from October 2019 to March 2022, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary for Housing/Deputy Director of Housing (Strategy) since April 2022.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
 
     In line with the Government's initiative to further strengthen the promotion of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education in primary and secondary schools, and to take further steps to identify and nurture local STEAM elites, the Research Grants Council (RGC) will organise a series of public lectures from October to November, covering topics including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), economy, health, technology and innovation. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. All are welcome.
 
     The first two lectures titled "Innovative Future: Smart Living and Green Aviation" and "Looking Ahead in the New Era: Economy Transformation and Youth Psychology" will be held on October 19 (Saturday) and October 20 (Sunday) respectively. Both lectures will be conducted in Cantonese. Details are as follows:
 
Innovative Future: Smart Living and Green Aviation
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     In the first session "The rise of artificial intelligence and its development", Adjunct Associate Professor of the Department of Mathematics of Hong Kong Baptist University Dr Charles Cheung will share his insights on how artificial intelligence (AI) affects human life in different areas. In the second session "Soaring into the bluer sky: Climate change and green aviation", Assistant Professor of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Dr Kam Ng will speak about the emerging research technology of "Fly Net-Zero" and relevant policies in the aviation industry. 

Date: October 19 (Saturday)
Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, 1/F, Hong Kong Science Museum
 
     Members of the public may also watch a live broadcast of the lecture through the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hkscm) or the YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/user/hksciencemuseum) of the Hong Kong Science Museum.
  
Looking Ahead in the New Era: Economy Transformation and Youth Psychology
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     In the first session "Hong Kong's third economic transformation", the Associate Dean (External Relations) of the Business School of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics of the HKU and Director of the Asia Global Institute of the HKU, Professor Tang Heiwai, will elaborate on the reasons, opportunities and tactics to transform Hong Kong into a more creative, diverse and inclusive economy, and the specific industrial policy that can foster its role in the GBA's innovation and industrial ecosystem. In the second session "Youth psychological well-being in the artificial intelligence age", the Associate Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Communication Studies of Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr Dominic Yeo, will discuss the impact of AI on youths' psychological well-being, and the strategies for promoting digital well-being and information literacy to bolster youth resilience in an AI-centric era.
 
Date: October 20 (Sunday)
Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library
 
     Members of the public may also watch a live broadcast of the lecture through the YouTube Channel of the Hong Kong Public Libraries (www.youtube.com/channel/UCJUipdvSACZjO1ldoO3YQBA).

     The RGC has been regularly organising public lectures since 2009, featuring various distinguished scholars as speakers. These lectures aim to promote research knowledge of Hong Kong's tertiary institutions and to raise public awareness of the significance and values of local research work.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2524 3987 or visit the University Grants Committee webpage (www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/events/lectures/lectures.html). In addition, members of the public can register for the RGC's email subscription service at www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/subscribe to receive regular updates.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, October 10, 2024 is 104.2 (up 0.2 against yesterday's index).