Hong Kong plan to build public housing on golf course faces further delay due to blueprint revisions
- Development Bureau says proposal needs to be revised at some point next year to accommodate latest conservation requirements
- Ahead of Town Planning Board next week, club bosses reveal Fanling course shortlisted to hold LIV Golf League event, which would be ‘bigger’ than Sevens
A controversial plan to build public housing on part of Hong Kong’s oldest golf course is set for further delay after the government said it would revise the blueprint.
The announcement came after the Hong Kong Golf Club revealed on Monday afternoon it was in the running to host an LIV Golf League event next year and could act as a bridge between China and the Middle East. The club has warned that if the housing project went ahead, the city might lose out on high-profile tournaments in the future.
The Development Bureau said the housing proposal needed to be revised at some point next year after the Environmental Protection Department approved the project but with conditions, including the preservation of a patch of woodland.
“[It] will inevitably affect the scale and timetable of the proposed public housing development, [but] the government has to respect and follow up on the conditions,” the bureau said.
The project will take up 32 hectares (79 acres) currently occupied by the Old Course. Nine hectares are earmarked for the construction of 12,000 flats, while the remaining 23 hectares will be reserved for conservation and recreational uses. The government will take over the site in September. The club will still have about 140 hectares of land with two complete 18-hole courses, plus 10 holes for a third course.