Land reclamation: funding for artificial island studies to be sought as Hong Kong officials press ahead with ‘Lantau Tomorrow Vision’
Government will look to secure financing from lawmakers in the first or second quarter of next year, development minister Michael Wong says
Hong Kong’s development minister has said officials will next year ask the legislature to fund studies into building artificial islands east of Lantau over the next 30 years.
Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Thursday the research would focus on the first stage of the plan – the reclamation of 1,000 hectares next to the small outlying island of Kau Yi Chau.
“But we will also put together basic data on the other 700 hectares, off Hei Ling Chau, to make full use of public money,” Wong said on a radio show.
The Development Bureau would look to secure the cash in the first or second quarter of 2019, he said.
The plan to push ahead with the ambitious project came after thousands turned out at a protest against the proposal on Sunday, voicing concerns about cost and environmental damage.