The proposal by Roger Nissim (“ Leave the country parks and golf courses alone ”, June 8) to spare the Fanling golf course from losing more land is supported by the evidence of high demand for such facilities in Hong Kong. Most local golf courses, both private and public, were used to their maximum permitted capacities in the past two years. The authorities can verify this against the 100 per cent booking records of golf courses on most days. Every day, hundreds of golfers who called the Kau Sai Chau golf club ended up disappointed at not being able to book a tee time. The Fanling golf course has recently offered limited public access to its golf courses, which have attracted a lot of non-member golfers despite the high green fee. As a golfer, I fully support Nissim’s proposal to protect the Fanling Old Course. Better still, the government should negotiate with the Hong Kong Golf Club to open the Old Course for public use with a green fee, commensurate with that of the KSC Public Golf Course, as a grant condition of the lease for the Fanling golf courses. Johannes Ho, chartered surveyor, Tung Chung Country parks too valuable to waste on housing I refer to “ Hong Kong’s country parks too precious to build on when other options exist ” (May 30). Country parks are a valuable resource and a natural habitat for various species. Developing these will seriously upset their biodiversity and ecological balance. The reduction of green space will also worsen Hong Kong’s air quality, hinder public enjoyment of public facilities and people’s physical and spiritual respite after a tough work week. That is not to mention that future generations will be deprived of their right to enjoy these precious resources . Most Hong Kong country parks are hilly, near reservoirs or far from the city centre. Since traffic makes the trip inconvenient, people might not be willing to live in such places. If the Hong Kong government wants to develop country parks into residential areas, it needs to invest substantially into developing infrastructure, such as a traffic network and the supply of water, electricity and piped gas. Meanwhile, further development risks damaging water channels and pollute reservoirs. What you should know about Hong Kong’s country parks The plan to develop country parks has triggered strong opposition from environmental groups, creating a breach between the government and civil society. When promoting development plans, the government often depicts environmental conservation and residential development as incompatible goals and urges the public to prioritise one over the other. This social disharmony makes it harder for any future policy to win mass support. Moreover, the government does not lack viable alternatives. Many local groups and scholars have proposed developing brownfield sites in the New Territories and golf courses. Many of these areas have no conservation value, so developing them is more aligned with overall public interest than targeting country parks. Adrian Lam, Tai Koo