Green group calls on Hong Kong government to cut back on Lantau reclamation project
Green Sense says housing need should be regulated instead of sacrificing nature
A green group has urged the government to reduce the area of a proposed reclamation off the northern coast of Lantau Island by about 30 per cent to better protect the environment, especially a marine park which is only one kilometre away.
A funding request for the HK$20.5 billion proposal to reclaim 150 hectares of land to offer 40,800 new homes will be debated in the Legislative Council later this month.
He said on Monday that the site is also less than 100 metres away from Tai Ho – an area classified by the government to be of special scientific interest.
“The biggest impact of the reclamation is that there will be about 200 to 400 ships entering the nearby waters every day for the construction process, and these ships will unavoidably enter the marine park,” Tam said.
He suggested that the government reduce the reclamation area by about 30 per cent, including scrapping a proposed 10-hectare marina with 95 berths.