Mainland waters may help solve HK land woes
Local heavyweights suggested that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government should seek the central government’s permission to use mainland waters for reclamation and establish “Hong Kong towns” in other cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The forum, organized by local think tank Wisdom Hong Kong, discussed possible solutions to Hong Kong’s critical land shortage. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairperson of New People’s Party, suggested the SAR government ask for permission from the central government to use part of the maritime area near Guishan Island in Zhuhai for reclamation.
Ip suggested that the reclamation work could be done by relevant mainland companies as they already have mature technology that has been proven when reclaiming land near islands in the South China Sea. The process can be fast and provide considerable land supply for Hong Kong in a few years, Ip said.
Hong Kong would rent the land after the reclamation work is done, she suggested. However, Ip didn’t say how much Hong Kong should pay for it.
The proposed 780-hectare Guishan Island is located about 4.8 kilometers south of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. The distance may be further shortened after the reclamation, according to Ip, who is also chairperson of Savantas Policy Institute, another think tank in the city.
The move could bring Hong Kong an additional land area of up to 2,000 hectares, which could be linked to Lantau Island if a bridge was constructed, Ip said. With ferries, the land could be connected to many other places in addition to Hong Kong and Zhuhai, she added.
The reclaimed land, on top of its residential function, could be developed as a “city of the future” with advanced industries and living conditions, Ip reckoned.
She said the plan, which is beyond the 18 options the city’s Task Force on Land Supply is discussing, would be the most effective way to break the city’s impasse on the problem, as it could avoid a lengthy deliberation in the city’s Legislative Council, which was a major obstacle for many land-supply projects in the past.
At the same event, Stephen Wong Yuen-shan, deputy executive director of Our Hong Kong Foundation, said that the key to implementing the plan relies on the support of the central government.
Pushing for reclamation in Hong Kong for years, he believes the plan is also a feasible option if it was approved by the central government.
To address the city’s landsupply issue as well as the aging of its population, Leung Lap-yan, a member of Wisdom Hong Kong, proposed to establish designated areas in other Bay Area cities with special convenience measures for Hong Kong seniors to live.
Such “Hong Kong towns”, which could accommodate tens of thousands of people, would be equipped with hospitals and restaurants offering similar services and foods with their Hong Kong counterparts, according to the proposal. Government-subsidized direct buses would be available with a fare of less than HK$40 from Hong Kong to those cities.
Leung described such cities as ideal places to relocate Hong Kong’s seniors due to cheaper living costs, a similar culture to Hong Kong, and convenient transportation.
The reclaimed land, on top of its residential function, could be developed as a ‘city of the future’ with advanced industries and living conditions.”
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairperson of New People’s Party