SAR govt endorses all suggestions from land task force

The government has decided to endorse all the eight recommendations submitted by a group of leading land policy consultants — the Task Force on Land Supply — hoping to resolve the city’s dire land shortage with a multi-pronged strategy.

Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun announced the decision on Wednesday. The response came nearly two months after the government-appointed task force submitted their final report in late December.

In the report, the task force listed three options for short-to-medium term and five for long term. The recommendation package includes unleashing brownfield and private agricultural land, as well as a massive reclamation project off East Lantau Island.

The task force, made up by 22 prominent professionals from various sectors in the city and senior officials from eight government bureaus and departments, carried out works since September 2017.

One of the most controversial suggestions was a potential housing redevelopment on 32 hectares of the 172-hectare Fanling golf course.

The decision was made after a balanced look at both the city’s housing demands and its sports development, Wong said.

The potential 4,600 units that could be built on the piece of land will be available within 10 years, according to Wong. If everything

goes well, most residents will be able to move into these units by 2027, he estimated.

To develop the 32-hectare golf course, a two-year technical study will be launched from the second half of 2019 to early 2021, Wong said. Construction of relevant infrastructure projects near this piece of land is expected to begin in the first half of 2024, according to Wong.

In addition, the government will expedite studies on 1,000-hectare Kau Yi Chau artificial island under the city’s ambitious reclamation project Lantau Tomorrow Vision, Wong said. The proposal raised by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her latest Policy Address would create a total of 1,700 hectares of land off the east coast of Lantau Island and provide 150,000 to 260,000 more housing units.

Wong revealed that detailed studies for the reclamation and related infrastructure would now be brought forward. He hopes the budget for the study will be submitted to the Legislative Council in March.

Chairman of the Task Force on Land Supply Stanley Wong Yuen-fai said he was delighted to see the government accept all suggestions mentioned in the report. The government’s “right choice” has responded to the wishes of mainstream society, he said.