Huang Weilun: Tomorrow’s traffic on the northwest of the New Territories

The Legislative Council held a public hearing on the “Dragon Island” Central Waters Artificial Island Project on Saturday. A number of groups attended. The Secretary for Development, Mr Wong Wai-lun, reiterated that “Lantau tomorrow” will not only solve the housing demand but also help alleviate the traffic conditions in the Northwest New Territories.

Former officials advocate Nankai Island reclamation

The Development Committee held five sessions and about 10 hours of public hearings. The committee received 160 opinions from groups and individuals. Public hearings invited people from all walks of life to attend and provide advice on the “Low Island” project. Zhang Jianqiang, a former retired engineer of the Housing Department, said that he supported the reclamation. He believed that to meet the long-term supply of land, Hong Kong must reclaim a large amount of land. It is also recommended that the Government consider reclamation in Lamma Island and use the Island Line to connect. .

Legislative Council Member Mai Meijuan pointed out that those who oppose the “Tomorrow’s Days” scheme are “vested interests” and believe that they are linked to real estate hegemony. Their remarks have provoked dissatisfaction and rebuttal against the convener of the Lantau Alliance, Xie Shijie. Tomorrow’s Lantau cannot solve the current housing problem. It reiterates that there is still a large amount of land in Hong Kong that has not been planned or developed. In addition, the Ding Quan case has released more than 900 hectares of land and there is no need to reclamation.

The Secretary for Development, Mr Wong Wai-lun, pointed out at the meeting that “Lantau tomorrow” will not only provide a large number of public housing estates, but also help to alleviate the demand for housing. It will also help alleviate the traffic conditions in the northwest New Territories. He also pointed out that the authorities would handle the land issue in a multi-pronged approach. It did not deal with the reclamation and did not deal with the New Territories brownfield. He pointed out that some people think that brown space can solve all problems, it is to underestimate the difficulty of the development of brownfields, and overestimate the supply of houses that can be created by developing brownfields.

Mr Wong reiterated that the “Low Days” project is a stable and long-term investment. The Government’s project is not based on land revenue but on the overall efficiency of the project. It emphasizes that “Low Day” will be carried out in 15 to 20 years. The use of 40 billion to 50 billion yuan will not empty the warehouse, and the authorities are confident that they can control costs.