Hong Kong retake part of Fanling golf course next month; pet park and walking trail will open to public
Hong Kong Free Press
The authorities will take back a 32-hectare section of the Fanling golf course on September 1, opening part of the facilities to the public – including a pet park walking trail.
In all, the Hong Kong Golf Club course covers 172 hectares leased from the government. Of the 32 hectares to be returned on September 1 when the lease expires, 9.5 hectares will be used for housing and the rest for conservation and recreation.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung met the press on Wednesday and said that – after the Leisure and Cultural Services Department take over the plot on September 1 – facilities such as the pet-friendly park and walking trail will be open to the public from 3pm that day.
Yeung said that, in the future, the facilities will open from 7am. The pet park will close at 6pm whilst the walking trail will open until 9 pm. “That is the general arrangement,” he said in Cantonese.
Last month, Yeung said that the government will lend the 32 hectares back to the club from mid-September to mid-November so it can stage two golfing events. “The two facilities we just mentioned including the pet park and walking trail may be open when they are not on loan,” Yeung said on Wednesday.
The government originally planned to open the football pitches to the public as well, but the ground was found to be worn out. Therefore, the two football pitches will be closed and maintenance work will be arranged “immediately.”
In addition, starting from next month, the car park will be open as a 24-hour public facility. However, when the golf course is lent back to the golf club, especially during the events, the car park will close.
When asked on Wednesday what time the government will build the public housing, Yeung did not state the timeline.
Public Housing
The Environmental Protection Department in May gave conditional approval to a plan to build subsidised housing for 33,600 residents on a nine-hectare plot at Fanling course.
The Planning Department will have to formulate a draft plan by the statutory deadline of the end of November, after which the Town Planning Board will discuss the proposal and start a 12-month review process.
Meanwhile, the club is fighting the plans and on July 21 sought permission for a judicial review of the move by the director of environmental protection. It is challenging an environmental impact assessment report which concluded that around eight hectares of the golf course was suitable for housing. It also applied for an UNESCO heritage conservation award in the hope of preserving the course.
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