Ideas to spark Tung Chung growth should be welcomed
Bernard Chan backs effort by a group of business and community leaders
The population of Tung Chung on north Lantau is planned to rise from around 120,000 today to over 260,000 in the mid-2020s. A public consultation on this significant expansion has just finished.
Government planners will have to balance different, and probably conflicting, interests. These include villagers and environmentalists, but also the broader community's long-term need for housing.
If you look at the new towns built over the decades, you will see planners have increasingly achieved pleasant living environments. Tin Shui Wai is known for its social and economic problems, but as physical living space, it is far nicer than many of our older downtown areas. The plans for Tung Chung will continue this trend, and future residents can expect quality surroundings, with natural parkland, play areas and cycle paths.
Some critics fear Tung Chung could become another Tin Shui Wai. Both are far from our main business districts. For skilled workers with jobs nearby (like airline staff in Tung Chung's case), the private housing in these places is ideal. But for the less-skilled, typically in public housing, the cost and trouble of travelling is a bar to employment and encourages welfare dependency. Tung Chung also has a reputation for limited amenities.
The government expects airport expansion and the bridge to Macau and Zhuhai to create job opportunities there.
A non-governmental organisation is working with the community to develop ideas on how to make Tung Chung a new town for everyone. The Lantau Development Alliance comprises businesses and community groups with strong ties to the district. They foresee a great future for the north Lantau corridor if it can exploit the opportunities of the airport and Zhuhai bridge the right way.
One of their key strategies is to make Tung Chung an attractive place to live. They propose ways to reduce travel costs and expand the choice of shops, good schools and other facilities. They also suggest offering incentives to attract public housing applicants with skills to the new town.