Hong Kong needs artificial islands as land bank to avoid supply shortage in the future, government says
- Authorities say ‘land reserve’ vital to allow city to avoid ‘pain’ in future and to grab opportunities when they present themselves
- Town Planning Board hears Singapore reclaims land for use when needed and city should maybe ‘go this way as well’
A HK$580 billion (US$74 billion) plan to create three artificial islands off Lantau despite a population decline was on Friday defended by Hong Kong’s planning authority on the grounds a land bank had to be created to avoid the problem of supply shortages in the future.
“If we continue planning everything with a ‘barely enough’ mindset, the pain caused by a lack of land will continue,” Doris Ho Pui-ling, the permanent secretary for development and the Town Planning Board’s chairwoman, warned. “We will miss out on many development opportunities.”
“Singapore reclaims much land and uses it when needed. It has the capacity to grab potential opportunities. Maybe Hong Kong needs to go this way as well,” she said.
Ho added that the artificial islands would also be a chance to build larger flats and create more open space for residents.
Development Bureau officials were speaking as they briefed the planning board on the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project, drawn up to reclaim 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of land to build housing and a business centre over the next two decades.
The board, made up of professionals and community representatives, however, raised some concerns about the massive project.