Despite much recent discussion in the press, there are many subjects that Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen did not cover in his policy address on Wednesday. People who were expecting details on issues like constitutional reform, changes in the Executive Council, the possibility of tax cuts or the development of the West Kowloon and Tamar sites might have been disappointed. But these subjects need to be addressed in other forums, at different times.
However, Mr Tsang did cover some very important subjects, including: what should we do with the closed area of land that runs along the border with Shenzhen? Much of the area is no longer needed to maintain a secure border, and it would be a waste not to use it constructively and sensitively.
For some time, various interest groups have argued in favour of allocating the land for industrial use. The idea of somehow bringing large-scale manufacturing back to Hong Kong never seems to go away, even though it does not make economic sense. The only way we could attract factories back on a meaningful scale would be to offer subsidies of some sort - and that means money from you and me. And then there would be the inevitable debate over the need to import workers from the mainland to work in them.
Much of the land in that closed area is almost certainly too valuable environmentally for building anything, especially factories. A considerable amount of space, however, will likely be available for some sort of development. So, what sort? There are various ideas floating around, including tourist attractions and housing developments.
Some of my colleagues in The Alliance group of legislators have suggested some of the land could be devoted to retirement communities. Such development would be low density, so it would not damage the natural scenery too much. It would free up urban space currently occupied by homes and other facilities for the elderly. This might be more appropriate than general housing developments, as the elderly would not need to commute to town.
Most important, it could give our elderly citizens a more pleasant living environment than many of them currently have - in crowded parts of the city with no views of gardens or hillsides. In theory, our elderly ought to be keen to move across the border, to enjoy the far lower cost of living in the mainland. Many of them do.