Will Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis Development Strategy lead to a brave new world?
- New structures, such as the creation of a deputy chief executive role, will be needed to ensure that the many components of delivering the strategy are properly coordinated
- The government must undertake large-scale land resumption followed by clearance
We should all welcome and support this holistic approach to strategic planning which, if properly executed, will deliver a city good for people to live in, work and travel to.
Also welcome is the “paradigm shift in respect of mode of thinking for Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation, spatial concept, policy formulation and institutional establishment”, which underlies the proposed action items such as creating cross-boundary ecological corridors, resumption of land necessary for conservation, plus the effective realisation and efficient execution of this bold strategy.
Hong Kong has never attempted such a broad and ambitious plan so the importance of having the necessary structures in place to deliver this outcome are crucial. All the previous major infrastructure projects such as the new towns and the new airport were very much engineering led, but now that conservation and quality of life elements are to be planned in, as equals, right from the start to integrate with the engineering elements, building the right structure to balance out and deliver these sometimes competing and opposite requirements will require very skilful leadership.
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A common criticism of local governance is the “separate silo” mentality that prevails between the different bureaus, which can frustrate and delay implementation of new policies. A new structure will be needed that can overcome this problem if this ambitious vision is to be delivered on time and within budget.
One possibility would be the creation of a deputy chief executive role that would have the necessary authority over all the contributing departments and bureaus to ensure conflicts and disagreements on implementation can be properly discussed and effective decisions made to ensure that the many component parts of delivering the strategy are properly coordinated. The deputy CE would also have a critical political role to play with the necessary coordination and cooperation with the Shenzhen authorities to ensure our plans and developments fit in with their vision.
The only way forward to deal with the multiple, complex, land issues is for the government to undertake large-scale land resumption followed by clearance. The biggest blight on the New Territories landscape is the many container storage areas which, together with their necessary support vehicles, often operating on narrow and unsuitable roads, are perfect examples of haphazard, unplanned, land use which have become brownfield sites.
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Although the throughput at Kwai Chung is less than before, there will still be an ongoing need for land for container storage but this should be properly planned for, in consultation with the container industry, placed in the right location with suitable road access and included in the overall development strategy.
By providing relocation sites this will greatly facilitate and speed up land resumption and clearance.
Working together, and in collaboration with, the Shenzhen authorities there is a great opportunity to create the Wutong Mountain or Robin’s Nest or Pat Sin Leng Ecological Corridor necessary to conserve and enhance the overall natural landscape, ecology and habitat resources. Environmental NGOs in May 2019 produced the Robin’s Nest Joint Statement and Plan covering 1,120 hectares, 95 per cent of which is government land, recommending the most suitable boundary for the Robin’s Nest Country Park (RNCP).
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Now is the time, as Hong Kong’s contribution to the development of this ecological corridor, to immediately take forward the 2019 plan to officially demarcate RNCP to ensure there will be a wide area under improved management under the Country Park Regulations leading to enhanced conservation, which will increase the carrying capacity of this ecological corridor.
I have always supported the retention of Fanling Golf Course (FGC) in its entirety so as to enable it to continue providing a ready-made location for eco-recreation and education whilst at the same time preserving some extremely rare habitats, including that of the critically endangered Chinese Swamp Cypress. With its luxuriant green open spaces, incorporating mature woodlands, it already has a long history of recreational and high landscape value as it provides these functions today in a well regulated manner, which benefits the community both locally and internationally. Properly curated, could it become the central park the new metropolis deserves?
As the development strategy envisages developing some 600 hectares of housing and economic land, there is now absolutely no reason why any part of FGC should be taken back for housing.
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Whoever becomes the new Chief Executive, I trust this bold planning vision will be retained as government policy.
Roger Nissim is adviser of Hong Kong Countryside Foundation
