Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced in her policy address that the government is looking at building artificial islands to create new land for housing, as part of efforts to resolve Hong Kong’s land supply and housing problem.
Dubbed “Lantau Tomorrow Vision,” this initiative will add 4,200 acres of new land near Lantau Island, Hong Kong’s largest outlying island at the mouth of the Pearl River. The location was selected from a list of several potential sites.
The artificial islands can be used for construction of up to 400,000 residential units and accommodate up to 1.1 million people, helping to ease the population congestion in other parts of the city, according to the plan.
“The vision aims to instil hope among Hong Kong people for economic progress, improve people’s livelihood and meet their housing and career aspirations,” Lam said.
However, given the ambitious nature and scope of the proposal, lawmakers have begun casting doubts as to whether it is a workable plan and whether the cost is justifiable.
The government has yet to attach a price to the project, but local media have estimated that its total cost could reach HKD500 billion.
Critics said that the project would prove too much of a financial strain and could jeopardise the government’s fiscal position. A pro-democracy lawmaker said the government may end up spending all of its reserves, which rose to HKD1.06 trillion as of end-2017, if it takes up the project.
Neo Democrats, another opposition political party, said the reclamation will likely cost as much as HKD1 trillion and have an adverse effect on marine ecology in the Lantau area. — Construction+ Online
