Plan to build new homes on brownfield sites in New Territories inefficient, not bold enough, Hong Kong think tank says
- Our Hong Kong Foundation proposes four large sites for business parks, logistics operations
- Hard to move occupants from brownfield sites which are ‘too small, scattered, poorly located’
The Hong Kong government’s plan earmarking eight brownfield sites in the New Territories for public housing is time-consuming and inefficient, according to a prominent think-tank.
The Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF), set up by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, has urged the government to take a more comprehensive approach by developing larger sites for multiple uses.
Pressing for a bolder vision, it proposed four large sites that could be used for business parks and vital logistics operations, as well as much-needed new homes. It would also help solve the issue of relocating occupants of brownfield sites, and free up space, the foundation said.
In March, the government identified eight brownfield clusters ranging in size from one to 13 hectares in Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Tai Po districts for public housing. Combining them with adjoining land parcels would produce 63 hectares on which more than 20,000 flats could be built in 10 years.
Brownfield sites refer mainly to agricultural land in the New Territories now occupied by warehouses for industrial, storage, logistics and parking uses.
