Building plans would ruin south Lantau's pristine beauty

I refer to the report headlined 'Greek vision for Lantau as plan suggests low-rise tourist haven' (South China Morning Post, March 8).

The Planning Department's proposal for southern Lantau to emulate coastal housing in Greece and link the area to the Disney development, is absurd. It is also a breach of faith by the Hong Kong Government.

South Lantau is a designated country park.

The Government assured us it would remain protected as the green lungs of badly-polluted Hong Kong.

When the sun glints on the sea it can look like Greece. It is beautiful precisely because it hasn't been developed. I doubt if our officials really know what Greek-style housing is like. Hong Kong's track record when it comes to building picturesque homes is poor.

But more importantly, my neighbours on Cheung Sha, south Lantau, are Hakka villages and their way of life is not Greek.

This is a quiet, green side of Lantau, where water buffalo and cows roam. The Hakka villagers are part of the genuine culture of Lantau. They make a simple living from fishing, planting vegetable plots in nearby paddy fields and, these days, selling old tin and discarded electrical equipment.