Necessity drives plan to build public flats on part of Hong Kong Golf Club course
- By endorsing proposals to increase land supply for homes, including at the renowned Fanling site, city leaders have shown how determined they are to fix the housing crisis
The urgency for action limited the choices of officials. People in need of public housing now have to wait more than four years and high rents have left the needy struggling. The task force came up with a shortlist of eight recommendations which could provide about 3,250 hectares, but they are mostly long-term and include costly reclamation from the sea and island-building. Three could provide 300 hectares within eight years, though: resuming brownfield sites; using private agricultural land; and taking over part of the Hong Kong Golf Club’s site at Fanling.
Golf is an easy target when it comes to land; the game is widely perceived as being elitist and especially so where the club is concerned, with membership fees being in the millions of dollars. It has just 2,600 members and restricts use of its facilities, while the amounts of water used to keep its fairways and greens pristine are viewed by environmentalists as wasteful. With three 18-hole courses covering an area of 172 hectares, the site would go a long way towards lessening the housing burden. But for all the pressure and criticism, the club also hosts international golf tournaments that enhance Hong Kong’s global image and strives to promote the sport locally.
The task force has therefore suggested taking back only the oldest course, being used mostly for practice and training, and a car park, ensuring that the world-class venue and the competitions it holds will be impacted as little as possible. But even though the recommendation has been endorsed, it will take time to convert the site to housing. The Development Bureau made clear yesterday it will be at least five years before the construction of flats can begin. Studies and rezoning are among steps that have to be taken and there is always the possibility of legal challenges, as with any of the other proposals that have been put forward.
But land is in short supply and without it, homes cannot be built and Hong Kong’s development will be stunted. Taking over part of the golf club’s site would seem populist, but the recommendations that have been adopted are about necessity, as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pointed out.
