Hong Kong environmentalists warn proposals to boost land supply could cause ‘irreversible’ damage
- Twelve environmental groups say proposals ‘scapegoat’ public hearings to hide administrative delays
- Changes would reduce public consultations at Town Planning Board, limit participation of residents in planning city’s development
Hong Kong conservationist groups have urged authorities to withdraw several proposed amendments to land-use regulations, warning it would limit public participation and cause “irreversible” damage to the local environment.
The package of six amendments would enable the government to reduce the number of public consultations at the Town Planning Board from at least two to one, as well as allowing land reclamation projects to begin without funding approval.
Featured in Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s policy address last October to expedite the city’s land supply, the proposals are scheduled to be discussed by the Legislative Council’s development panel on Tuesday.
A total of 12 environmental groups, including Greenpeace Hong Kong and Save Lantau Alliance, raised concerns on Monday that the move would provide authorities with leeway to launch the controversial Lantau Tomorrow Vision project a year early, without being required to draft a detailed land-use plan for the reclaimed sites.
But the alliance said reclaimed lands for new projects could become brownfield sites, referring to developed areas that had become disused or abandoned.
