A court decision that could affect plans for a large-scale public housing project on part of a golf club popular among Hong Kong’s high society will not have a significant effect on housing supply goals, Chief Executive John Lee has said.
The Fanling Golf Course. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Lee made the comment on Tuesday, a day after the city’s High Court sided with the Hong Kong Golf Club in its legal challenge against a housing project. The project was slated to provide 12,000 public rental units on the Fanling course.
Addressing reporters ahead of a meeting with his Executive Council, Lee said the government would consider the potential reduction of public rental flats or the delay to the project as a result of the High Court’s decision.
The court’s decision could bring the project back to the consultation stage, Lee said, adding that the government will have to conduct a “holistic assessment.”
Chief Executive John Lee at the 2024 Policy Address press conference on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
But he also said the ruling would not have a major effect on the overall public housing supply target of 308,000 flats over the next 10 years.
Conditional approval ‘unlawful’
Environmental authorities last May conditionally approved the controversial plan by green-lighting an environmental impact assessment for the project. Endorsement of the report – used to identify the potential impacts of a project and minimise environmental damage – is needed for a development project to go underway.
The project was intended to provide housing for 33,600 residents on a 9.5-hectare plot of the Fanling golf course — part of a larger 32-hectare plot that has been returned to the government.
The Fanling course spans 172 hectares in total.
Last July, the Hong Kong Golf Club filed a judicial review against the authorities’ approval of the environmental report.
Hong Kong’s High Court on November 11, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
A type of legal challenge, judicial reviews are considered by the Court of First Instance and examine the decision-making processes of administrative bodies. Issues under review must be shown to affect the wider public interest.
HKFP has reached out to the Environmental Protection Department.
The Hong Kong Golf Club welcomed the High Court’s judgement, touting the Fanling course’s “significant ecological and cultural value.”
“The three championship courses – which include the Old Course – are integral parts of the Fanling site, which is an irreplaceable sports facility and is key to Hong Kong’s ability to attract major golf tournaments,” the club said in a statement.
The club will use the courses “to the best of their potential with a view to supporting… the further development of Hong Kong’s mega-event economy.”
