The government expects the Hung Shui Kiu new development area project to be complete in 2037. Photo: Planning Department
Leung Wai-kuen (voice of interpreter)
Hung Shui Kiu villagers have called on the government to address compensation and re-housing issues as soon as possible, warning otherwise its plan to develop a new town in the northwest New Territories will end in a "mess".
When fully developed in 2037, the government says the Hung Shui Kiu new development area could house an additional 173,000 people. It will also provide 150,000 new jobs. But in order for that to happen, five non-indigenous villages currently on site would have to be cleared.
A resident from one of the affected villages, Leung Wai-kuen, said during a special Legislative Council hearing that their requests to be re-housed in the same district is "simple" and "modest", and that the government should facilitate their demands as soon as possible if it wants the project to be complete on time.
Meanwhile, representatives of the storage and container industries, which are currently operating in the area, are concerned that they’ll be forced out to make way for development. They urged the administration to safeguard their interests.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1216341-20151009.htm
