Leung environmental adviser wants plan to build Tai Po beach scrapped
Adviser to chief executive says planned Tolo Harbour amenity is not justified by public demand and poses a risk to the environment
An environmental adviser to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says building a beach at Plover Cove, work on which is due to start next month, could become a "white elephant" as there had been no survey to gauge public demand for it.
Dr Ng Cho-nam, who advised Leung during his election campaign urged officials to rethink the project as the tender of the public works contract will close tomorrow. The project cost has blown out from HK$130 million - when it was submitted to Advisory Council on the Environment and Town Planning Board in 2008 - to HK$208 million.
"The main issue with the proposed Lung Mei beach is that it is not justified, except for political reasons. During the environmental impact assessment process, we were never shown data justifying popular demand," said Ng, a former member of the Advisory Council on the Environment who vetted the project in 2008.
"The government's consultant only said that the district council supported it," he added.
At the time, the government-appointed advisory council endorsed the project by a margin of six to five, after its chairman Wong Yuk-shan cast his tie-breaking vote. Ng and most green group representatives voted against the proposal, as they feared the project would spell ecological disaster for the 200 bird and marine species found in the bay. Lung Mei is located near two sites of special scientific interest - the mangroves at Ting Kok and on Ma Shi Chau island.