Don't sacrifice Hong Kong's country parks for a housing quick fix
Roger Nissim says the government must not abdicate its duty to protect our green belts and country parks in its attempt to find quick fixes for Hong Kong's housing woes. There are much better alternatives to focus efforts on
The restarting of a regular land sale programme in 2013 after a 10-year hiatus is one of the real positive actions of the Leung Chun-ying administration as it struggles to plug the huge gap in housing supply. There is no quick fix for this situation. There is no such thing as "instant" flats and the public needs to understand it will probably take another four to five years before an equilibrium can be found between supply and demand.
I am, however, deeply concerned that, in their desire to find quick fixes for the shortage of land, both Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Housing and Transport Anthony Cheung Bing-leung are starting to try to convince us that it is appropriate to consider rezoning green-belt sites and look at the possible use of land within country parks. These are both bad ideas and should not, as suggested by Cheung recently, be considered as one of the trade-offs necessary to achieve these short-term objectives.
Let us first consider green-belt sites. According to statutory outline zoning plans, the intention of this land-use zoning "is primarily for the conservation of the existing natural environment amid the built-up areas/at the urban fringe, to safeguard it from encroachment by urban-type development, and to provide additional outlets for passive recreational activities. There is a general presumption against development within this zone".
Country parks are covered by the Country Parks Ordinance. The Country and Marine Parks Authority is mandated to "encourage their use and development for purposes of recreation and tourism", "protect the vegetation and wildlife", and "preserve and maintain building sites of historic and cultural significance". There is a "presumption against any new development".
Some 24 country parks have now been designated for the purpose of nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education.
The wording here is unambiguous. It makes clear that these lands should be left alone to serve their existing statutory public purpose. The two policy secretaries are in fact encouraging both the Town Planning Board and the Country and Marine Parks Board, as well as the public, to overlook, and even subvert, their statutory responsibilities.
It is also worth reminding all concerned that, since 2011, the Hong Kong government has been committed to following the requirements of the international Convention on Biological Diversity and will be consulting the public this year on its Bio-diversity Strategy and Action Plan. This will require action not only to preserve country and marine parks but also to expand and enhance them.