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Should we prioritise the development
of brownfields?

Brownfield-concentrated districts like Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long South, Kwu Tung
North and Fanling North have already been included in upcoming development
plans. Below are the four considerations relating to brownfield development.
First, the government must reserve relocating sites for decanting the existing
brownfield businesses.
Second, as brownfields are mostly privately owned, developing them may incur
considerable compensatory costs. Enforcing the Cap. 124 Lands Resumption
Ordinance may lead to lawsuits that would delay our development timeline.
Third, as brownfields are sporadically distributed, it would be difficult for the
government to conduct strategic town planning with adequate infrastructure and
communal facilities.
Fourth, if we prioritise brownfield development as a land option, it may in some
way incentivise people to convert more farmland into brownfields (i.e. rent-seeking).
This may further reduce the proportion of farmland and green area in Hong Kong,
which is a step backwards for environmental protection.
The potential negative externalities of brownfields
necessitate a thorough and comprehensive
developmental plan, but we must acknowledge
the fact that brownfields alone could not solve
Hong Kong’s land problem entirely. We must
also consider other options to increase land
supply in Hong Kong.

Specific

RECOMMENDATIONS

What solutions do Our Hong Kong Foundation
offer for the severe land shortage problem
in Hong Kong?
Our Hong Kong Foundation has always
advocated for a multi-pronged land supply
strategy. Our key suggestion is to resume
large-scale reclamation outside Victoria
Harbour. We propose to fulfil Hong
Kong’s long-term land needs with the
Enhanced East Lantau Metropolis (EELM)
plan, which is a 2,200-hectare man-made MAN-MADE
island between Lantau Island and Hong
Kong Island. ISLAND

Is the EELM plan a completely new idea?
The EELM plan is based on the East Lantau Metropolis (ELM) plan laid out in the
“Hong Kong 2030+” paper that the government has published. The ELM consists
of three reclaimed islands with a total of 1,000
hectares. However, we regard the ELM plan as too
conservative. The EELM that we have proposed will
have 2,200 hectares. It is equivalent to half of the
size of Kowloon and can provide a large piece of
land in one go.