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Could burrowing into Hong Kong’s hillsides help tackle its land shortage?

Hong Kong moves one step closer to going underground to access public and private facilities but critics question project’s cost effectiveness

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One of the cavern projects already implemented in Hong Kong is the relocation of two salt water service reservoirs to make way for the development of Hong Kong University’s Centennial Campus. Photo: Jonathan Wong

In the future, Hongkongers could head underground to go for a swim, park their car, pick out their favourite wine or store essential data, according to a government proposal.

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Under the plan, precious land space in nearly 50 rock caverns across the city would be freed for a series of developments – a way to tackle land shortage.

Hong Kong’s steep, hilly terrain tends to limit the growth of urban areas, but the new proposal aims to overcome and make use of such natural constraints, reducing the need to reclaim land.

But some experts were sceptical, and questioned the cost effectiveness of developing such land­scapes. “Why would you want to put a swimming pool costing ten times more in a cavern?” Albert Lai Kwong-tak, a civil engineer and convenor of think-tank The Professional Commons, said.

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The plan for potential uses of caverns was unveiled by the Civil Engineering and Development Department earlier this month when the report was submitted to the Town Planning Board.

The idea of developing the landscapes was first proposed in 2011 in a budget speech by Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, who said the government was looking at developing caverns to free land for other commercial or residential developments.

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