Sha Tau Kok residents are strongly against the government's plan to exclude most of their town from re-zoning when it opens up 2,000 hectares of the 2,800-hectare border restricted zone in 2010.
Heung Yee Kuk vice-chairman Daniel Lam Wai-keung said his office had spoken to 200 residents from 47 villages in Sha Tau Kok late last month, and most wanted the whole town to be opened up, especially the central area of Chung Ying Street, which straddles the boundary with the mainland.
Residents were 'strongly dissatisfied' the town centre had not been earmarked for rezoning, and also criticised a 30-month study of the land's potential uses for taking too long, Mr Lam said.
'Sha Tau Kok's security is quite tight. After dark, you are treated as if there is a curfew. That is very unfair to the residents,' Mr Lam said.
Some residents had described opening up the restricted zone while maintaining tight security over Sha Tau Kok as freeing the 'shell but not the spirit', he added.
The restricted town has about 8,000 residents and a further 60,000 living overseas.
Mr Lam called on the government to throw open the whole town and shorten the land use study to one year.