Richard Wong

The View | Building more flats in Hong Kong is easy. The hard part is doing it with vision

Richard Wong says the menu of options proposed by the government’s task force to solve our housing crisis is missing an overall strategy for the city’s future development. Taking that into account, we should focus on Lantau and New Territories development

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Public housing blocks in the New Territories, Hong Kong. The city should consider not only how much land should be supplied, but also where it is located, to meet residential and economic development needs. Photo: AFP

Richard Wong

Published: 12:03pm, 26 Jun 2018Updated: 10:29pm, 26 Jun 2018

The Task Force on Land Supply published its much-awaited report in April, and is now gathering public views on a menu list of land supply options. The report was disappointing on three counts.

First, it did not outline a strategy for Hong Kong’s future development. The report appeared to be content with citing a projected shortfall of 1,200 hectares of land based on the Hong Kong 2030 Plus planning study. It provided little enlightenment on objectives, trade-offs and the way forward.

Second, although reference was made to the “tiny” and “cramped” living conditions in domestic premises, it offered nothing in terms of improving the per capita living space in the construction of future units as a development goal.

Third, the report identifies 12 land supply options other than regular ongoing activities, but says nothing about ameliorating the factors that delay development.

Developing land takes time because there are many regulatory approval processes to be followed. Given the huge shortfall of land supply, the government should have been innovative in finding ways to speed up these processes so more land could be made ready sooner.