Hong Kong still needs land reclamation, Carrie Lam insists as thousands take to streets in protest against controversial artificial island plan

Hong Kong would still need to use reclamation even if other land supply options were also adopted, the city’s leader insisted on Sunday, as thousands protested against a controversial multibillion-dollar artificial island project.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, responding to critics’ who suggested alternatives to reclamation, said her proposed metropolis east of Lantau Island could become the city’s third central business district, after Central and Kowloon East.

The plan, rolled out in her policy address on Wednesday and titled “Lantau Tomorrow Vision”, centres on building a residential and business hub on 1,700 hectares of reclaimed land, which could house 1.1 million people.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po admitted on Sunday the artificial island would be costly, with a big chunk of the bill going to building infrastructure. But he said some of the land could be sold to developers to make up for the cost. There could also be developments on top of railway stations, which would yield some returns.