Exclusive | 5,000 flats could be built on Hong Kong golf course, government study finds
Official release of results by government planners held until a lease policy review is completed, but green activists argue such land should be freed up
More than 5,000 Hong Kong flats can be built on part of a 170-hectare golf course in Fanling, if golfers and authorities holding the land are willing to let go, according to a study by planners, the Post has learned.
The revelation came amid calls for the government to develop housing on some 400 hectares of public land across the city which are rented at cheap rates for private recreation. Advocates are against using scenic and ecologically important space on the fringes of country parks for housing.
Government advisers on land supply will meet in the next two weeks to discuss whether such private recreational sites held by the Home Affairs Bureau should be considered in solving the city’s housing issues.
Demolishing Fanling course for flats won’t impact top golfers, says Olivia Cheng
The latest study, conducted by the Planning Department, found that the eastern part of the golf course comprising a car park and the so-called Old Course could be used to build 5,000 to 6,000 flats, a government source told the Post.