What do you think of the Jockey Club plan for Central Police Station?
The problem with the Jockey Club plan for the Central Police Station site is transparency in decision-making.
At least four proposals have been made in the past few years, including those by Swire, Heritage Hong Kong and several philanthropic families, by the Cha family of HKR International, and various community groups.
The public has a right to see them all and as much as possible the public should be given the choice. The administration can then explain why it prefers the Jockey Club proposal, and the community may well agree with it.
The high-handed manner in which the administration has ignored and rejected the previous proposals, the manner in which it manipulated the Town Planning Board process to the point that it stands to lose a judicial review brought against it, demonstrates an outdated preference for back-room deals and dictatorial decision-making when it comes to land politics.
Given the significance of land decisions on the city's quality and cost of living, it is paramount that a radical reform is needed in the way it decides on urban and transport planning matters.
