In April 2018, the Task Force on Land Supply started public engagement work to seek public comment on 18 options for land supply in Hong Kong. One of the options was “Developing the East Lantau Metropolis”. Consultation was completed in September 2018. However, in October 2018, the government has launched the “Lantau Tomorrow Vision” Project in Policy Address. The new Project involved 1700 hectares of reclamation in east Lantau waters. The scale of reclamation is 700 more hectares than the original “East Lantau Metropolis” Project. CA worried that the new Project would induce cumulative negative impact on Lantau environment.
In March 2019, the government announced the estimated cost for the Project and proposed that the “ Central Waters between Hong Kong Island and Lantau have good potential for developing artificial islands since they are ecologically less sensitive”. The government then submitted relevant papers on the research to the Legislative Council. In the past few months, several green groups have separately conducted ecological surveys in Sunshine Island and Central waters. Protected species or species with conservation concern were preliminary recorded. Surveys found that Sunshine Island was the breeding site of White-bellied Sea Eagle, National Second Grade Key Protected Wild Animal. The Island is also the habitat of endemic Bogadek's Burrowing Lizard which global distribution is limited to Sunshine Island, Hei Ling Chau and Shek Kwu Chau only. Regarding the marine ecology of Central waters, a rare Sea Pen was recorded, and such record on this type of coral is limited in Hong Kong waters. The above findings revealed that the ecological value and sensitivity of East Lantau were underestimated.
CA together with 6 green groups issued a joint statement and presented a petition to members of the Panel on Development of the Legislative Council. We reiterated that “we want adequate housing and the sea”. Large-scale reclamation will have irreversible impacts on the terrestrial and marine ecology. We urged the government to withdraw the reclamation Project, and consider alternatives on land supply, including the use of brownfields and idle lands.
