Technical issues affect development of brownfield sites for housing in Hong Kong, says minister
Paul Chan agrees use of such land is essential, but government first has to deal with businesses and squatters established in such areas
The development minister says clearing up brownfield sites is an “essential option” to tackle land shortage but it is not an immediate solution as there are difficulties to tackle, including the rehousing of villagers.
Elaborating on Friday on the measures on housing and land supply listed in the chief executive’s policy address, Paul Chan Mo-po admitted they would all come with technical difficulties.
This include developing brownfield sites – such as storage depots and scrap car yards – which have been taken up abandoned farmland across the New Territories. Activists have urged the government to use brownfield for housing before considering developing green belts and country parks.
READ MORE: Developing brownfield land the size of nearly 1,200 soccer pitches should be Hong Kong government’s priority: urban planning group
“To be honest with you, we can’t give priority to brownfield land,” the secretary for development told a press conference. “There are many squatter huts and different operations including recycling yards and pig farms, which provide jobs to people. You can’t just kick them out. A comprehensive study and planning is needed.”
There is 190 hectares of such land in Hung Shiu Kiu, and 109 hectares in Yuen Long South, and some more in Yuen Long’s Wang Chau and Kam Tin.
A cross-departmental taskforce has been set up to study the possibility of moving some of those operations into multi-storey buildings. If the government can find 10 hectares of land to build such blocks to house the operations, 50 hectares of brownfield can be released for housing, Chan said.
The proposal for Yuen Long South would be released next week for public consultation, and the final scheme in Hung Shui Kiu would be available later this year.