A controversial HK$580 billion plan to create three artificial islands may face a further delay as Hong Kong’s development minister said there was “no need” to specify a starting date for reclamation work.
Development minister Bernadette Linn on Tuesday said that infrastructure projects such as the Northern Metropolis would take priority, refusing to specify a start date for reclamation work for the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn meets the press on October 30, 2023. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
“There is no need to determine the actual date for commencing works now,” Linn said just days after the finance chief hinted at further overall cost-cutting measures amid a budget deficit expected to approach HK$100 billion this fiscal year.
The first phase of reclamation was previously slated to begin in 2025, until finance minister Paul Chan said last March that the timetable would be delayed by up to three years.
Authorities have said the three interconnected artificial islands east of Lantau would provide 190,000 to 210,000 flats and around four million square metres of office space in what would be the city’s third central business district.
But the islands push has been criticised for its huge price tag, with a survey finding that more than half of respondents feared it would burden public finances. The project has also been criticised on environmental groups, especially when there is currently a glut of office space.
(From left) Greenpeace campaigner Chan Hall-sion and journalism scholar Francis Lee on April 19, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The development chief on Tuesday said that “the most important thing” was for the government to focus on preparation works, adding that the environmental impact assessment report for the project has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Department.
The EPD will review the report within 60 days to determine whether the report is suitable for public inspection, its statement read.
Deficit ‘not the only problem’
Linn last August said that the timetable for the Kau Yi Chau islands development could be “lengthened” or executed in stages to minimise its impact on government finances, and that authorities “dared not” come up with new estimates of the price tag.
Development policy think tank Liber Research Community said the budget deficit was not the only problem the project faces.
“The problem is not just a lack of money, but the fact that these mega-projects have a very long development period and are bound to go through various social and economic changes that require major adjustments from time to time,” Liber said.
An artist’s impression of the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands. Screenshot: Development Bureau.
Almost 80 per cent of reclamation projects worldwide of a comparable scale run the risk of failure or under-completion, according to research conducted by Liber in collaboration with Greenpeace’s Hong Kong office.
Linn on Tuesday said that projects providing land for housing, industrialisation, and infrastructure would be prioritised, citing the Northern Metropolis – a 30,000-hectare housing and business hub along the border with mainland China
“As for some landscaping projects or enhancing existing facilities, they will take a lower priority,” Linn added.
Finance minister Chan on Sunday made similar remarks, saying the government would review its priorities for public works projects based on their urgency and scale, with priority given to the Northern Metropolis development.
Chan also said the government would look into further cost-cutting measures on top of a one per cent budget cut across departments during the new fiscal year beginning this April.
