My Take | Government must stand up against the Heung Yee Kuk for the public good
Rather than appeal, this administration should back the High Court ruling that upset plans to build homes for indigenous villagers on the fringes of country parks under the so-called small-house policy
The government has three weeks left to decide whether to appeal against a High Court ruling that overturned an approval by the Town Planning Board to build small village houses in three country park enclaves.
Its reaction would be a good indication as to whether this administration is still beholden to the powerful Heung Yee Kuk, the rural body that represents New Territories villages, or has the courage to stand up for the public good.
The so-called small-house policy that enables indigenous male villagers to build homes on plots of land assigned by the government is controversial enough without encroaching on country parks.
The TPB decision now being overturned would have enabled such an encroachment in three enclaves: Hoi Ha and Pak Lap in Sai Kung, and So Lo Pun in Plover Cove Country Park.
The successful judicial review launched by green activist Chan Ka-lam has done the public a big favour by exposing the cavalier manner in which the board had made its decision.
