ANXIOUS Lantau residents want the Government to scrap plans for an explosives magazine on the island. They say the complex at a remote bay will put lives at risk and hinder future development. The Civil Engineering Department plans to build the magazine at Kau Shat Wan - an isolated bay between Discovery Bay and Silvermine Bay - to replace the existing stores on Stonecutters Island. Kau Shat Wan, which literally means Dog Flea Bay, is not accessible by road or hillside footpaths. Sheltered by hills on three sides, it is uninhabited. The new magazine will store up to 500,000 kilograms of explosives in caverns dug under the hills behind the bay, with a potential to double capacity when necessary. The design allows less reclamation and less environmental impact. A feasibility study and environmental assessment is being carried out at the site. But Islands District Board members say a hazardous goods depot should not be built on an island where the population is growing and where there has been rapid urbanisation and development in recent years. Members suggested Sunshine Island or Hei Ling Chau - about five kilometres off Silvermine Bay - as alternative sites. Worried Board member Mr Wong Hoi-yue, of Peng Chau constituency said: ''A minor accident at the magazine can become a disaster on the island. We hope the Government explains the safety measures before going on with the project.'' He added: ''Kau Shat Wan is certainly not a good choice because it is near the ferry routes from Silvermine Bay to Peng Chau and Peng Chau to Central. ''The site will be made a restricted region and it will affect sea routes.''
