The government has acknowledged that the controversial Central reclamation could be scrapped if the public is prepared to accept the legal and environmental consequences.
Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung told legislators yesterday that the government was still listening to all sides in the debate over the future of Victoria Harbour.
But he warned that cancelling the project altogether would worsen traffic conditions and air quality in Central. There would also be the threat of legal action from contractors engaged by the government to do the reclamation work.
'Whether or not to rethink the reclamation is a serious question to consider,' Mr Suen said.
'I admit that citizens now have a different view about the reclamation' than when approval was granted to the project several years ago, he said.
'But, as the government, we also have to consider all the positives and negatives of benefit to the public. Do we want to preserve the harbour or do we want a respite from the worsening traffic?' Mr Suen said.
