27°C | Light rain
Jan 5, 2012
The government has listed 25 sites for reclamation that may be used to create the land bank recently proposed by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. They include options for man-made islands.
The sites have been identified as part of a public consultation begun in November by Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, in line with the proposal for a land bank made by Tsang in his October policy address.
Reclamations in the past were demand-led and for a clear purpose. However, Development Bureau officials could not confirm that sites chosen for reclamation would be used only for housing, or if there was a supply target they had to meet.
The bureau said it had an open mind about whether man-made islands could become sites for unpopular facilities such as oil depots or factories, and thereby free precious land in the urban area for other developments.
To the dismay of environmentalists, the proposals include building man-made islands adjoining Cheung Chau, Lamma and Hei Ling Chau islands to the west of Hong Kong Island. Other proposed sites would require reclaiming at least part of the sea between Po Toi Island and Beaufort Island to the south and between Peng Chau and Hei Ling Chau.
As well as these five offshore sites, seven sites affect natural but unprotected shorelines including Lung Kwu Tan, near Tuen Mun, where more than 400 hectares could be reclaimed. Reclamation along 13 areas of already modified shoreline is proposed, including Tolo Harbour, Mui Wo in Lantau and Tseung Kwan O.
The Cheung Chau man-made island alone could supply at least 1,500 hectares, the bureau says, an area bigger than the island reclaimed at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau for the city's airport. However, it would require reclaiming land from sea up to 14.5 metres deep, which could be too costly, the bureau said.
Robin Lee Kui-biu, chief engineer of the ports division at the bureau's civil engineering office, said the lack of transport infrastructure might be a drawback for man-made islands but this was not insurmountable. "Some may ask how those living on the islands can commute to work and school and how the islands become self-sustained," he said. "But in 20 or 30 years, having bridges or tunnels linking to these islands is not impossible."
Edwin Tong Ka-hung, head of the bureau's civil engineering office, said the quest for land was important to help Hong Kong meet the development needs of a population forecast to reach 8.9 million by 2039. (The government has a record of overestimating population growth.)
This would require 4,500 hectares of additional land, of which 3,000 hectares is being planned. The remaining 1,500 hectares would be gained through urban renewal, land rezoning, land resumption, using old quarries, reclamation and digging rock caverns.
Members of the public can express their views on the 25 sites selected by visiting the Development Bureau's website, and have until February 29 to state their preferences.
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