Bernard Chan should have fought for park idea
- The Executive Council convenor would have liked to preserve the whole Fanling golf course as a park for the public
- Instead he is going along with the half-baked plan to use part of the site for housing
Bernard Chan is a sensible man, but doesn’t always have the courage of his convictions. The convenor of the Executive Council, the government’s de facto cabinet, would have liked to preserve the whole of the Fanling golf course as a park for the public.
Excellent idea! Too bad he isn’t ready to fight for it. Instead he is going along with his government’s half-baked plan to bulldoze a substantial portion of the historic, scenic and heritage site for housing.
“I have supported taking back the course, but how to use it is another thing,” said Chan, adding it was “a pity” to destroy a “very beautiful” site.
The government’s plan is to take out enough land from the site to build at least 4,600 flats, though additional flats may be added by increasing its development density. Supposedly a compromise, it just about takes on the worst features of every opposing proposal.
Even the government admits the number of flats yielded won’t make a dent in housing supply. But the plan has already infuriated many of the club’s 2,600 members, who make up the city’s wealthy elites, without satisfying the populist demand for a total takeover of 172 hectares of public land.