Why Hong Kong should give up some country park land in exchange for shelving Lantau reclamation

Albert Cheng says even 5 per cent of our country parks could provide enough land for housing for decades without the expense and inefficiency of reclamation

Limits can be set to prevent the government from over-developing country parks and to ensure that the Lantau Tomorrow Vision is set aside

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Tsing Yi and Tsuen Wan are seen from a spot on the Rotary Park Trail in the New Territories. Hong Kong’s 24 country parks cover 44,300 hectares. Photo: Winson Wong

Albert Cheng

Ir.

Published: 7:00am, 16 Nov 2018Updated: 8:50am, 16 Nov 2018

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced her Lantau Tomorrow Vision in the policy address on October 10 before the Task Force on Land Supply could release its own report. She proposed to reclaim 1,700 hectares of land to create a massive artificial island, at a cost of around HK$500 billion. Factor in the transport links to the New Territories and Hong Kong Island and the bill could run up to HK$1 trillion. Apart from the pan-democrats, even some in the pro-establishment camp expressed their reservations. There was also a huge public protest against the proposal.

Seemingly aware of the mess she had made, Lam later said the government would first research reclaiming 1,000 hectares, but she insists on pressing ahead with the artificial island. Some so-called scholars made public a joint petition in support of the proposal, but their statement was not backed up by research and figures.

The deep-rooted division in Hong Kong society originates from the housing shortage and the high property prices. This has hindered Hong Kong’s structural transformation and the sustainable development of the economy. While it is the administration’s responsibility to map out a long-term plan for land supply, reclamation is not the way out. It would be at least 20 years before buildings can be constructed on the reclaimed site.

Efficiency aside, the insanely costly plan is also damaging to the environment, a huge intangible cost. Concern groups have proposed alternatives, including developing land marked for People Liberation Army (PLA) use, using brownfield sites and idle tso (ancestral) and tong (clan) land and ending the small-house policy after 2047.

Here, I would like to put forward a new proposal – tapping a reasonable amount of country park land, in exchange for shelving the Lantau Tomorrow Vision reclamation plan.