‘PLA barracks are waste of resources and should be considered for Hong Kong’s land needs’
Labour Party chairman Steven Kwok says ratio of four military personnel to one hectare of land is ‘unacceptable’ contrast to city’s 67 people per hectare
The barracks of the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong must be considered as an option for land needs in a space-starved city, the Labour Party said on Saturday, adding that the premises were underused.
The party cited official figures showing that about four PLA members shared one hectare (2.5 acres) of military land, compared with the city’s overall population density of 67 people per hectare.
“This is unacceptable,” Labour Party chairman Steven Kwok Wing-kin said during a rally in Kowloon Tong outside one of the PLA’s 19 barracks. “It’s such a waste of resources.”
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The call by the party came ahead of a citywide public consultation – expected to kick off on Thursday – in which Hongkongers would be invited to choose from a list of 18 options to source for more land.
Authorities have predicted a shortage of at least 1,200 hectares of land to meet housing needs and economic development in the next three decades. The consultation would be conducted by a government-appointed Task Force on Land Supply.
The task force originally planned to include the suggestion of using the city’s 2,700 hectares of military land, but that was eventually dropped from the list of options drawn up for public consultation. The government had made clear that all military sites were for defence purposes.