Security guard hurt as emotions run high at land supply forum among residents in Hong Kong’s New Territories

A special task force exploring land supply options could submit its findings a month before the city’s leader delivers her policy address, the chairman said on Saturday, as a fractious public forum resulted in a security guard being injured in a skirmish.

At the forum, hosted by the Land Supply Task Force on Saturday in Tai Po, Stanley Wong Yuen-fai said there was “a good chance” a summary of the public opinions on 18 options to ease Hong Kong’s space crunch would be submitted to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in September.

He added that the summary would provide “some directional and general ideas” for the government. “The detailed analysis will have to be done after all the public engagement exercises finish on September 26, so the final report won’t be before the policy address,” he said.

The options have been open for citywide debate since April. Official studies found Hong Kong was short 1,200 hectares to meet its needs for housing and other developments over the next three decades. The options include some highly controversial suggestions, such as reclaiming land from the sea; turning Hong Kong Golf Club, in Fanling, into public housing complexes; and developing lands at the periphery of country parks and in the New Territories.

In an indication of the debate’s heatedness, a security guard was hurt in a minor fracas when protesters tried to force their way into the forum, which was fully booked.

The guard, 55-year-old Andrew Chan, said he was pushed over on some concrete stairs as he tried to stop Ng Cheuk-hang, of the Land Justice League, attempting to get several unregistered participants into the meeting.