Lantau should be developed to house a million people in order to ease long-term housing problems, a senior engineer has suggested.
In a submission made to the Chief Executive-designate, Tung Chee-hwa, Dr Raymond Ho Chung-tai, chairman of the Association of Engineers in Society, said a long-term solution to solve the housing problem was to increase land supply.
This could be achieved by urban renewal, developing agricultural land in the New Territories and reclamation.
Now that Lantau was linked to Western Kowloon, the island could be developed to accommodate a million people, he said.
'More roads should be built to better connect Tung Chung in northern Lantau and the southern part,' Dr Ho said.
The Government has estimated Hong Kong's population will increase to more than eight million in 20 years.
Dr Ho also supported reclamation in the harbour, Deep Bay, near Lau Fau Shan, and Siu Lam near Tuen Mun.
