Hong Kong should weigh up pros and cons of building homes in country parks, chief executive says
But he says the government will also protect more land with high ecological value
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the public must consider the controversial idea of allowing flats to be built on the margins of protected country parks to counter unaffordable home prices.
Delivering his final policy address on Wednesday, Leung said a shortage of land zoned for housing development had led to high land premiums, thus causing skyrocketing property prices and rents.
Society would need to “think out of the box” to increase the land supply.
At the same time, the government would incorporate more land with high ecological value into country parks, Leung said, adding that the government had enlarged country park areas by 38 hectares in the past few years and would work on designating the 500-hectare Robin’s Nest in Sha Tau Kok a country park.
The chief executive said society should consider using “a small proportion of land on the periphery of country parks with relatively low ecological and public enjoyment value” for developments such as public housing and non-profit homes for the elderly.