Proposal to move PLA's Hong Kong HQ opposed by Planning Department
Department voiced its opposition in a paper submitted to the Town Planning Board
The Planning Department has opposed a proposal to rezone the site of the People's Liberation Army headquarters in Central for hotel use, saying the move would set "an undesirable precedent".
The department voiced its opposition in a paper submitted to the Town Planning Board, which is to discuss the rezoning proposal on Friday.
"There is no strong reason to agree or partially agree to the application," the department said, adding the proposal did not provide any traffic and environment impact assessments.
The proposal, submitted by private company Intellect Consultancy in December, came amid debate on whether sites designated for military purposes could be better used.
The company records state Sit Kwok-keung is Intellect Consultancy's sole director, while a source close to the Planning Department said Sit was a former town planner of the department.
The company argued a hotel was more compatible with the surroundings in Central and that removing the base would show Beijing's confidence in the "one country" part of the "one country, two systems" principal.
If the rezoning is approved, the historic Queen's Pier can be restored closer to its original location, the applicant says. But the Security Bureau and the Development Bureau rejected the idea.
"The subject site has been declared as a protected place… it is inappropriate to rezone the site for other uses," said Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok.
