'Abnormal' subsidence in Tseung Kwan O posed no immediate danger to residents, the Government said last night.
Reports said yesterday a four-hectare plot of land had been subsiding faster than normal, forcing the Housing Authority to suspend taking over the plot.
The Works Bureau confirmed that unusual settlement had been recorded in some areas of the new town, which lies on reclaimed land.
Affected areas include the town centre and Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate.
'Ground settlement is a normal phenomenon in newly reclaimed land but in the case of Tseung Kwan O, the amount of settlement is greater than expected - about 850mm compared with the normal amount of 150 to 300mm,' a bureau spokesman said.
An investigation into the cause of subsidence by the Territory Development, Drainage Services and Environmental Protection departments is continuing.