Minor reclamation needed for construction of Hong Kong harbourfront walkway, but opposition not expected
Government does not foresee challenge under harbour ordinance as it can argue it can prove ‘overriding public need’ for boardwalk
A proposed wooden harbourfront walkway running from Fortress Hill to Quarry Bay will involve reclamation of about 5,500 square feet to place piles to support the structure, the latest government design shows.
But the 10-metre-wide, two-kilometre boardwalk beneath the Island Eastern Corridor will cover a sea area of about 1.8 hectares and affect an area of about four hectares where marine use would be restricted, according to the plan.
Despite the risk that the plan could be challenged under the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, which prohibits any reclamation in Victoria Harbour, the government is confident that it can prove an “overriding public need” for the boardwalk – the only criterion that can be used to override the ordinance.
Harbour protection groups and local stakeholders also back the project.
The latest proposal, released last Tuesday for a second public consultation that will last two months, shows that 17 piles needed to support the boardwalk will occupy about 5,500 sq ft of sea.