A slope in Magazine Gap Road, Mid-Levels, is being covered by concrete despite Buildings Department guidelines that Hong Kong Island slopes should look as natural as possible - and there is nothing officials can do because the slope is privately owned.
Work on government-owned slopes must adhere to strict greening laws, with the use of shotcrete - concrete that is sprayed over an area - used only as a last resort.
But the greening guidelines for privately owned slopes cannot be enforced, because they are merely recommendations, so residents can opt to cover a slope with concrete instead of planting trees, shrubs and grass.
A Buildings Department spokeswoman confirmed the guidelines for residents were not legally binding and said there were no plans to change this.
She said the guidelines were introduced in 2002 'to promote good practice in landscape treatment for man-made slopes and retaining walls', but the department was powerless if an owner wanted to use concrete as long as the work complied with the Buildings Ordinance.
An update of the department's guidelines in August last year described the use of shotcrete on slopes as unpleasant and harmful to the environment and said the public often complained it was ugly.
In 2008, the department declared the slope at 21 Magazine Gap Road a dangerous hillside after a landslide. The slope's owner commissioned ESA Consulting Engineers to submit a plan for remedial work.