AN environmental group is demanding a written assurance that Hong Kong taxpayers will not foot the bill if ecological problems occur at the public golf centre being constructed at Kau Sai Chau.
The secretary of Recreation and Culture, James So Yiu-cho, said yesterday that all the environmental aspects of the project had been addressed.
But Friends of the Earth want the Government and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (RHKJC), who are paying for the centre at a cost of $500 million, to give written assurances safeguarding Hong Kong citizens from any possible future costs.
The environmental group said it was particularly concerned that the current plan involved the creation of a reservoir which would mean moving one of Hong Kong's finest areas of mangroves. The group is also concerned about the use of a pest management scheme planned for the golf courses.
'I know that Friends of the Earth is still unhappy about certain aspects, but I am afraid we are not in a position to satisfy 100 per cent of what they are asking for. Within practical and reasonable boundaries we have done everything to meet environmental concerns,' Mr So said.
He said that the Environmental Impact Assessment had met with the approval of the Advisory Council on the Environment.