Explainer | Court ruling is latest twist in long battle to build flats on Hong Kong golf course
Post looks back at years-long effort to construct public housing on exclusive course and what’s next after Monday’s High Court ruling
Some observers urged the government to rethink the golf course housing plan given uncertainties in the legal procedures involved, as well as the possible changes to development density and timeline.
The Post looks at the debate over the housing plan and the possible impacts of the court judgment.
1. Why did the government propose building homes on the golf course?
After a citywide public debate on solutions to tackle the dearth of land, the now-defunct Task Force on Land Supply suggested in 2018 the government look into building 4,600 homes on 32 hectares (79 acres) of the 172-hectare Fanling golf course managed by the club.
In 2019, then-chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor adopted the recommendation as a short-to-medium-term housing supply solution as the government was set to take back the 32 hectares when the lease expired in 2023.
Under a proposal floated in 2022 by Lam’s administration, 12,000 public flats would be built on 9.5 hectares of the 32 hectares by 2029, with the remaining area earmarked for recreation and conservation.
2. Why does the club oppose the plan?
