The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (January 8) the progress made in its handling of banking complaints received as at end-December 2020. Banking complaints include cases concerning general banking services and conduct-related issues.
 
     In December 2020, 203 cases were received and the handling of 208 cases was completed. As at end-December, the handling of 551 cases was in progress. 
 
     A table summarising the progress made in the handling of banking complaints by the HKMA is attached.

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (January 8) released the latest grading of water quality for four gazetted beaches that are open all year round for swimming (see Note).

     Four beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1).

Grade 1 beaches are:           

 
     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.

     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.

Note: In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced that all gazetted beaches were closed from December 10, 2020, until further notice.

     The Town Planning Board today (January 8) announced the publication of the draft Mui Wo North Development Permission Area (DPA) Plan.

     The draft Mui Wo North DPA Plan covers an area of about 165.37 hectares and is bounded by Lantau North (Extension) Country Park and Lantau North Country Park to the north, the Mui Wo fringe area to the west, the Mui Wo town centre to the southwest, and Silver Mine Bay to the south. The area covers existing village settlements, secondary woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, coastal uplands, vegetated hills, streams, marshes, mangroves, beaches, coastline, agricultural land and more.

     A spokesman for the Town Planning Board said the general planning intention is to conserve its landscape and ecological value in safeguarding the natural habitats, to maintain the unique rural and natural character and cultural heritage of the Area, and to prevent it from encroachment by unauthorised development and from undesirable change of use.

     The whole area of the Plan has been designated as "Unspecified Use" pending detailed analysis and studies to establish the appropriate land uses in the course of the preparation of an Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). The DPA Plan will be replaced by an OZP as soon as possible.

     The draft Mui Wo North DPA Plan is now available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department in North Point and Sha Tin, (iii) the Sai Kung and Islands District Planning Office, (iv) the Islands District Office and (v) the Mui Wo Rural Committee.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the draft plan to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before March 8. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the revised Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29B on "Submission and Publication of Representations, Comments on Representations and Further Representations under the Town Planning Ordinance" (TPB PG-No. 29B) which were promulgated in November 2018 and took effect in 2019.

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29B. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29B, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at locations (i) and (ii) above and the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

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

     The Town Planning Board today (January 8) announced the publication of the draft Pui O Au Development Permission Area (DPA) Plan.

     The draft Pui O Au DPA Plan covers an area of about 8.89 hectares which is located on the southern part of Lantau Island and sandwiched between Lantau South Country Park and South Lantau Road. The Area is characterised by a rural and countryside ambience, consists of natural landscape in the central part with village settlements mainly in the south-western part.

     A spokesman for the Town Planning Board said that the general planning intention is to conserve its landscape and ecological value in safeguarding the natural habitats, to maintain the unique rural and natural character of the Area, and to prevent it from encroachment by unauthorised development and from undesirable change of use.

     Though it is not exceptional in terms of biodiversity or ecological importance, the Area forms an integral part of the natural woodlands system in the adjoining Lantau South Country Park. The Pui O Stream flows through the Area with the lower course, which is the Ecologically Important Stream, outside the Area. There is a need to better protect the natural and landscape character of the Area to avoid disturbing the natural environment. The whole area of the Plan has been designated as "Unspecified Use" pending detailed analysis and studies to establish the appropriate land uses in the course of the preparation of an Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). The DPA Plan will be replaced by an OZP as soon as possible.

     The draft Pui O Au DPA Plan is now available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department in North Point and Sha Tin, (iii) the Sai Kung and Islands District Planning Office, (iv) the Islands District Office and (v) the South Lantao Rural Committee.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the draft plan to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before March 8. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the revised Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29B on "Submission and Publication of Representations, Comments on Representations and Further Representations under the Town Planning Ordinance" (TPB PG-No. 29B) which were promulgated in November 2018 and took effect in 2019.

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29B. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29B, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at locations (i) and (ii) above and the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

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

     The Town Planning Board today (January 8) announced the publication of the draft Sha Lo Wan and San Tau Development Permission Area (DPA) Plan.

     The draft Sha Lo Wan and San Tau DPA Plan covers an area of about 155.92 hectares and is located to the west of Tung Chung on the northwestern part of Lantau Island, fronting the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Link Road and Hong Kong International Airport. The area is characterised by a rural ambience which comprises a natural landscape of woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, vegetated slopes and knolls, streams, wetlands and coastal features, with village settlements, fallow and cultivated agricultural land, historic building and temples.

     A spokesman for the Town Planning Board said the general planning intention is to protect the ecologically sensitive areas (including the San Tau Beach Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)), to maintain the unique rural and natural character, landscape value and the cultural heritage of the Area, and to prevent it from encroachment by unauthorised development and from undesirable change of use.

     It is noted that human disturbances in the form of footpath and road widening and slope cutting activities are found in the area, resulting in adverse impacts on the natural environment and rural character of the area. There is therefore an urgent need to prepare a DPA Plan to provide interim planning control with a view to avoiding further proliferation of undesirable uses and degradation of the natural environment and rural character of the area. Owing to the urgency of preparing the DPA Plan, except for the area recognised as the San Tau Beach SSSI of about 1.14 hectares being zoned "Site of Special Scientific Interest", the remaining area of about 154.78 hectares has been designated "Unspecified Use", pending detailed analysis and studies to establish the appropriate land uses in the course of preparing an Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). The DPA Plan will be replaced by an OZP as soon as possible.

     The draft Sha Lo Wan and San Tau DPA Plan is now available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters of the Planning Department in North Point and Sha Tin, (iii) the Sai Kung and Islands District Planning Office, (iv) the Islands District Office and (v) the Tai O Rural Committee.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the draft plan to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before March 8. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the revised Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29B on "Submission and Publication of Representations, Comments on Representations and Further Representations under the Town Planning Ordinance" (TPB PG-No. 29B) which were promulgated in November 2018 and took effect in 2019.

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29B. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29B, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at locations (i) and (ii) above and the Town Planning Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

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