Advertisement
Carrie Lam’s plans for Lantau reclamation ignore Hong Kong’s future integration with the mainland
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
In announcing plans to spend up to HK$500 billion (US$64 billion) on reclaiming 1,700 hectares of land east of Lantau, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has effectively dismissed the views of her task force whose public consultation only closed on September 26. This plan was not included in the task force’s 18 options, which contemplated reclaiming only 1,000 hectares for the East Lantau Metropolis.
As an expert in infrastructure finance and a long-term resident of Hong Kong, I would like to offer a fresh perspective on the issue of land supply: it is, in fact, two very different issues, depending on the time frame involved.
In the short/immediate term, Hong Kong needs perhaps 150,000 flats to address current inadequate housing. This should be met via developing brownfield and agricultural sites, scrapping the New Territories’ small-house policy, loosening planning restrictions, resuming People’s Liberation Army land, etc, all of which would allow for building to start relatively quickly.
Advertisement
In the longer term, say 20 years, which is how long it takes to reclaim land and then build on it, Hong Kong’s needs are completely different.
Five reasons to oppose Carrie Lam’s artificial island – apart from its massive price tag
The Census and Statistics Department projects that Hong Kong’s population will rise from 7.3 million in 2016 to 8.2 million in 2043. But, with a fertility rate for residents of only 1.13, this increase is due entirely to inward migration, presumably mostly from the mainland, about which there is no debate – as I wrote in my submission to the Lantau Development Advisory Committee in 2016.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x