Residents in 2 villages can turn houses fully into tourist sites under pilot scheme

Hong Kong residents living in the villages of Ho Sheung Heung and Yin Kong in Sheung Shui will be allowed to convert their entire houses into restaurants, guest houses or shops without prior application under a pilot scheme aimed at boosting rural tourism.The relevant urban planning work is scheduled to begin in the third quarter this year, and the government will consider expanding the scheme to other village-type development zones depending on its effectiveness.In a policy paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Saturday, the Development Bureau said the pilot scheme would add restaurants, shops and guest houses to the list of “always permitted uses” for the houses in the two villages, enabling residents to better utilise their homes to “improve visitors’ experiences”.Ho Sheung Heung and Yin Kong are located in the Northern Metropolis, in the vicinity of the Kwu Tung North new development area and Long Valley Nature Park, alongside other nature attractions, making them ideal locations for the scheme, according to the bureau.“[The scheme] creates opportunities to encourage rural economic activities and rural tourism, promotes village history and culture, and adds unique character and diverse appeal to the Northern Metropolis,” the paper stated.“We must appropriately relax the planning and other restrictions on the New Territories Exempted Houses to allow them to operate restaurants, shops, and guest houses.”Under the current regime, residents living in village-type development zones may only operate restaurants and shops on the ground floor of their houses.