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Written by: Commentary Editing Room
2021-04-06 07:00
Last update date: 2021-04-06 07:00
The Planning Department announced the results of the second phase of the brownfield inspection on Wednesday (March 31). Among the 290 hectares, only 73 hectares can be used for various development purposes. Among them, the newly selected brownfields with the potential to develop public housing for the feasibility study There are only four groups with a total of 11 hectares.
The proportion of developable land in the inspection area is quite small.
Non-governmental initiatives have given priority to the development of brownfields in the New Territories. The Planning Department has conducted relevant research and calculated 1,579 hectares of brownfields, of which 700 hectares can be explored for development potential.
It is hoped that through the development of these 700 hectares, the messy brownfield operations can be ended, and land for public housing and other economic development can be released, and the methods of reclamation and the use of land in country parks can be reduced.
However, after a two-stage study of 450 hectares, the results were disappointing.
The Planning Department completed the second phase of the brownfield study and finalized four groups of brownfield clusters with development potential.
(Planning Department document)
73 hectares to develop 11 hectares to build public housing
A few days ago, the Department announced the proposed use of 290 hectares of brownfields with moderate development potential.
These palms are located in San Tin, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, part of the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Village New Development Area, Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Area, Yuen Long South Development, Ngau Tam Mei, Lau Fau Shan and southern Lung Kwu Tan, etc.
Among them, 11 hectares are suitable for the development of public housing. Together with the surrounding land, only four groups of brownfield clusters were found to build 10,000 public housing units. Another 62 hectares of brownfields have been or will be covered by other planned uses. The two total 73 hectares, accounting for 25% of 290 hectares.
In March last year, the department first announced a proposal for 160 hectares of brownfields designated as high development potential, and concluded that 36 hectares are suitable for public housing development. Together with the surrounding land, only eight groups of brownfield clusters were found to build 20,000 public housing units. 25 hectares of brown land has other planned uses, totaling 61 hectares.
In total, of the 450 hectares, only 134 hectares can have new development.
The Department also maintains a list of 250 hectares of brownfields with low development potential. However, when brownfields with high and medium development potentials only screen out 10% of the houses, it is hard for the outside world to expect any changes to the brownfields assessed as low potential brownfields.
In general, less than 20% of the 700-hectare study area can have new developments, which is incredible.
It is difficult for the outside world to understand the department’s selection criteria. The government responded that some lots are difficult to connect to the main roads outside, brownfields are scattered, difficult to integrate, interspersed with developed land, or retained the original brownfield operations, etc., and emphasized that the total is more than 860 Hectares of brownfields can be developed for new uses.
Rating of the development potential of brownfields (Source: Research on the use and operation of brownfields in the New Territories)
The land selection mechanism is not transparent and the housing period is too long
However, even if individual brownfields are difficult to develop, they should not take up most of the research area.
The media and non-governmental organizations such as "Hong Kong 01" have followed up the results of the first phase of the brownfield group inspection and found that the site selection did not include the large-scale land held by the real estate developer, and some of it was adjacent to the brownfield of the developer’s land bank. It is worrying that the government still prefers public-private cooperation.
The government later emphasized that the ownership status of individual land was not a consideration and did not circumvent the developer’s land reserve. However, when the public housing land found in the second stage was still scarce, it would only rely on surrounding land to build 10,000 units. Such suspicions It is bound to emerge again.
The Department’s selection method must be more open and transparent to show that it is deliberately looking for a place to build a house.
The Development Bureau has earlier finalized eight brownfield clusters suitable for public housing use.
(Photo by Liang Pengwei)
In addition to the lack of transparency in the selection criteria for brownfields, the Planning Department has set a plan to turn brownfields into "prepared land" within six years, which is too long.
Taking into account the three to four years of housing construction, the public will have to wait ten years at the earliest to witness the completion of the flats, and there is no hope that the waiting line for public housing will be shortened.
The government must find ways to merge the preliminary processes and accelerate the pace of housing construction while ensuring the quality of the units.
The resumption of brownfields for reorganization of operations and the return of housing space for Hong Kong people are the consensus of the community. The Government has long used the "Land Resumption Ordinance", and what it owes is the determination of planning officials.
The government must re-examine the process of review and selection of land for public housing, and strive to integrate land for the construction of housing, relieve the housing difficulties of Hong Kong people, and end land chaos in the New Territories.
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