Student challenges plan to build flats on Tai Po green belts

A student at the Institute of Education has applied for a judicial review to overturn a decision by town planners to endorse rezoning plans that would allow the building of flats on five green-belt sites in Tai Po.

Yau Ka-po, 21, said he was "not against" rezoning land to meet the city's pressing housing needs, but he stressed the green belt should not be touched and said the decision went "far beyond the public's expectation".

"I don't agree with the principle of sacrificing green belts for development at the expense of the environment," the second year education student said, adding that he would apply for legal aid if leave was granted.

Yau's application to the High Court will challenge the rezoning plans on grounds of environmental impact, with at least one site mentioned being home to more than 2,000 trees.

The plans were approved by the Town Planning Board on February 13. One of the sites involves a 4.13-hectare plot in Lo Fai Road, where 660 private flats are now set to be built.

The government plans to turn a total of 70 green-belt sites, covering an area of 150 hectares in all, over for housing - a key pillar of its ambitious target of adding 480,000 new homes by 2019.

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po has repeatedly stressed that the 70 sites account for just 1 per cent of all the city's green-belt sites and that most of the sites targeted were "de-vegetated" and of relatively lower conservation value.