Choosing reclamation doesn’t exclude other land options for Hong Kong

Aron Harilela says reclamation is a viable solution to the city’s land supply problem, but it can be pursued with other options, like the development of agricultural land and the conversion of old industrial buildings

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Reclamation work in Tung Chung. The yellow floats form a net preventing sand and rocks from spreading, though enviromental groups doubt its reliability. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 4:15pm, 21 Aug 2018Updated: 6:20pm, 21 Aug 2018

The public consultation by the Task Force on Land Supply comes to an end next month, and a report is due on its findings by the end of the year. Thereafter, it will be up to the government to propose the way forward. This will be no small challenge. But there are ways of meeting it.

It is a big challenge for three reasons: first, the sheer number of options – 18 in total – that the task force has put forward; second, the diversity of views and conflicting interests involved; third, the urgency. In fact, the lack of affordable housing in Hong Kong and high commercial rents are adversely affecting residents’ quality of life and our international competitiveness on a daily basis. We cannot afford to let this continue.

Against this background, it may be useful to look at the most attractive options and others which should be regarded with considerable scepticism, if not discounted completely.

The stand-out option which may be most able to meet our future needs is land reclamation. As pointed out in the task force’s consultation paper, it is not saddled with issues such as private land resumption, household or business resettlement, or modification of land use. It offers a higher “return on investment” than the other options, greater flexibility in land use planning, and a cushion of extra land to satisfy our long-term needs.

The impact of reclamation on the environment (particularly marine ecology) will need to be carefully assessed. But, subject to the results of environmental impact studies, reclamation seems the most obvious and attractive option.