Not just a question of homes vs trees
Peter Pun says even given our limited land supply, we should not consider building homes in country parks - many of which serve as critical water catchment areas - until there's been a comprehensive review of land-use strategy, while Lam Chiu-ying believes the value of these green havens goes so far beyond the utilitarian that Hong Kong must fight to preserve their boundaries
Land supply has been a much discussed topic over the past two years. The notion that only 6.9 per cent of Hong Kong's land is utilised for residential purposes has given many people the wrong impression that there is still much that can be developed for housing. This, however, is not true. The 6.9 per cent represents only the portion of land on which residential housing is built. Including land for commercial and industrial use; roads; government, institution or community facilities; open space; and other built-on or vacant land, the total for developed land is about 24 per cent.
This does not mean the other 76 per cent could all be used for development. Hong Kong's total area of 1,100 square kilometres is dominated by hills and mountains (about 60 per cent) and includes over 200 islands, most of which are also hilly and without infrastructure. Sixty per cent of natural hillsides have slopes of 20 to 45 degrees. Thus, there's not quite as much land suitable for development as one might think.
In the discussion of land supply, some people have queried why we do not make use of the 2,300 hectares of vacant government sites to solve the imminent housing problem.
We need to consider two factors. First, most of the vacant sites are small and not suitable for developing into housing complexes that can accommodate a considerable number of residents and provide the necessary community facilities and open space conforming to proper planning standards.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, we must always have some land reserved to cater for unforeseeable community or development needs, which change over time as the public's aspirations change. For example, we should not overlook expansion of local clinics and community facilities to meet the needs of the growing population and to satisfy the aspirations for better-quality housing.
There are other options that we should explore. Intensified land utilisation is certainly one of them. The case of Ming Wah Dai Ha, a rental estate in Shau Kei Wan currently under redevelopment, is a good example. Originally built in the early 1960s, the buildings are ageing, and so are their residents. The Housing Society is now redeveloping the estate, optimising the available plot ratio. When the redevelopment is complete, not only will it provide a third more housing units, it will also become an integrated community offering homes for the elderly and related services, as well as commercial and community facilities. In recycling developed land, we can optimise land use, either by fully utilising the approved plot ratio or possibly increasing it.