Students petition against harbour reclamation

Students at Chinese University have signed a petition against the plan to reclaim land from Tolo Harbour near their campus.

The students' union, which has so far gathered 3,500 signatures, said "we feel that reclamation at Ma Liu Shui would ruin the scenery of Tolo Harbour and our campus, which blends in so well with nature".

The students' action comes after the government announced earlier this month that six sites had been identified as suitable for reclamation to build homes to cope with the long-term housing demand and economic development. A three-month consultation is under way.

Chung Yiu-wa, president of the union, said: "Many of our student hostels and classrooms boast the sea view of Tolo Harbour. We've always been close to the sea and this has been part of our campus memory.

"But sea view is not the most important thing. We don't think reclamation is justified. The government hasn't made good use of existing land, like disused barracks," he added. The current consultation had also failed to take into account the reduction in the city's projected population in 30 years, which was revised down to 8.47 million from 8.89 million last year, he said.

It has been proposed that 30 to 60 hectares be reclaimed from Ma Liu Shui for housing, and the area could benefit from the upcoming Sha Tin to Central MTR link. Another initiative in Sha Tin is to move a sewage treatment plant, which occupies 28 hectares, into a cave in order to release land for more homes.