Stymied in its efforts to press ahead with the hotly opposed Wan Chai reclamation - which would include a traffic bypass to Central aimed at easing congestion - the government will try a new twist by asking the public whether it wants the road at all.
Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung told a Legco panel yesterday the public would have to decide whether it wanted to solve congestion with a new road, or put up with it to protect the harbour. He said the reclamation would depend on the type of road chosen.
But legislators and activists warned any reclamation could spark public outrage. They questioned the value of the consultation if people were asked only whether they wanted a road.
The latest move follows an aborted attempt to kick-start the project by publishing an information kit containing three proposals for reclaiming up to 25 hectares.
The kit - released in the name of the Harbour Enhancement Committee, without naming its members - was withdrawn this month after a fresh outcry.
Critics complained that it assumed the reclamation would go ahead. The original reclamation plan was blocked by legal action by harbour activists.
In the new consultation paper, to be released next month, the public will be asked whether there is a need for a bypass, and what kind of bypass it prefers.