Hong Kong government should turn to private sector to help make Lantau Tomorrow Vision dream a reality, think tank says

Our Hong Kong Foundation says officials should consider options after city’s cash reserves were battered by coronavirus

First stage of Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s plan calls for building artificial islands covering 1,000 hectares

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Hei Ling Chau, off east Lantau Island, would become a business centre under the proposed reclamation project. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 10:00am, 12 Oct 2020Updated: 1:35pm, 20 Oct 2020

An ambitious HK$624 billion (US$80.5 billion) government project to build artificial islands in the sea around Hong Kong should seek private sector funding, a prominent think tank has said, after the city’s cash reserves took a battering from the coronavirus.

Our Hong Kong Foundation has suggested several options to lessen the burden on taxpayers for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision – one of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s signature policies – which is expected to have a rough ride through the Legislative Council when lawmakers move to scrutinise a funding request for the project’s preliminary studies later this year.

The scheme – which would initially involve building 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of man-made islands in the waters off Lantau Island, and a new transport network to create Hong Kong’s third business district and housing hub – would be the city’s most expensive infrastructure project.

Critics have said the scheme would deplete the city’s fiscal reserves and destroy the marine ecosystem in the area.

Previously, a team of researchers found two seasonal water zones with low oxygen levels near the reclamation site, warning that works could worsen water quality, lead to a higher proportion of red tides and dead fish, and bad odours.