News›Hong Kong

DEVELOPMENT

Gary Cheung and Olga Wong

Ex-chief secretary’s idea shot down by man who laid down master plan for country parks in 1965

A former chief secretary has proposed developing part of Lantau South Country Park as a “Parkland City” with nature trails, bicycle tracks and flats, saying some land had been included in country parks without in-depth consultation.

Sir David Akers-Jones’ controversial suggestion came two weeks after Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po floated the idea of building flats on country park land.

But Professor Lee Talbot, dubbed the “Father of Hong Kong Country Parks”, opposed the idea and urged the government not to opt for an easy way out in its land search.

Akers-Jones, 86, said: “It’s only recently that Hong Kong’s country parks were enlarged, and land which should have been left for future development was included without overall and in-depth public consultation as to needs for development.”

Lantau North Country Park was extended by 2,360 hectares in 2008 as compensation for the loss of ecology when Chek Lap Kok airport was built.

Akers-Jones, who was chief secretary in the mid-1980s, said: “Look at the huge area of Lantau South Country Park where there are virtually no villages or private land to impede change.

“It could be developed as a parkland city planted with an arboretum of native trees and bamboo, nature trails, a Hong Kong orchid garden, bicycle tracks, and housing in an enjoyable environment – something new for Hong Kong.”

Akers-Jones, a firm supporter of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, was secretary for the New Territories in the late 1970s.

“To develop a country park, in the way I have described, should not be prohibited. We face very many years of waiting before the so-called development areas will actually yield results and provide housing,” Akers-Jones said. “Here is an idea which would not only yield results, but the parkland would be full of excitement and discovery.”

He said the flats could be 20 to 30 storeys.

The 5,640-hectare Lantau South Country Park is the largest among the 24 parks.

In Lantau South, village stone paths hundred of years old can still be found. Its peninsula Chi Ma Wan has plantations that support a variety of butterflies and birds. While rare plants flourish on the slopes of Lantau Peak, the island has provided roosting and feeding places for many rare wild animals, including the white-bellied sea eagle.

But Talbot, who laid down the master plan for the country parks in 1965, said the government should have a long-term population plan that takes into account the impact of a rising population on the welfare of residents.

The 83-year-old environmental adviser to the World Bank and United Nations warned of setting an unprecedented case in country parks.

“Experience worldwide shows that once development is allowed to invade parks and protected areas, the process continues and often accelerates. It is like the camel’s nose under the tent,” he said.

Former Observatory director Lam Chiu-ying warned Akers-Jones’ idea would turn the concept of natural assets belonging to all into “profits for developers and selected private parties”.

“People living there would need a car to drive. They won’t be ordinary people,” Lam said.

The uphill battle for our green havens – Hong Kong’s country parks [1]

News›Hong Kong

ENVIRONMENT

Cheung Chi-fai chifai.cheung@scmp.com

Lack of answers and late disclosure follow discharge of pollutants into irrigation water

Environment officials have come under fire for not launching their own probe into the cause of an effluent leak from the Ta Kwu Ling landfill, as lawmakers vowed they would continue to seek the truth about what officials described as an accident.

More than 50 days after the leak, officials were still unable to determine how a 0.9 square metre hole was torn in the impermeable layer of a temporary effluent lagoon at the dump.

At a special meeting of the Legislative Council environment affairs panel yesterday, officials said the dump’s operator, which faces prosecution for water pollution, was obliged to submit a report on the incident by the end of this month.

“It is like a probe by someone who is the target of a probe. How could you guarantee the probe’s result is trustworthy? Why doesn’t the government launch its own investigation?” asked Civic Party lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah.

The leak was first spotted on July 27 but made public only on August 28. An unknown volume of polluted water ran into the Kong Yiu channel, from which some farmers had been drawing irrigation water.

It also emerged yesterday that two more water samples, taken on August 30 and September 2, contained pollutants exceeding legal limits, in addition to a sample taken on August 7.

Officials said the pollutants were residue from a previous leak rather than a new one.

Democrat lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan vowed to seek the truth about the leak and urged officials to launch their own probe.

“The leakage was either [a result of] professional negligence or something beyond professional knowledge. In either case it is a worry to the public,” she said.

Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said there was an established process for an investigation under the contract with the operator, but he did not say why the government could not launch a parallel probe.

“We will take a serious look into the cause,” he said, adding that an independent consultant would be engaged to review the contractor’s report.

Wong reiterated that the leak was just an “accident”, and that the Environmental Protection Department closely monitored the contractor’s performance.

Legislator Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung queried why it took so long to disclose the leak and whether the dump had the capacity to handle torrential rains.

Christine Loh Kung-wai, undersecretary for the environment, said the bureau would not object to making future leaks public immediately but needed time to look into how to do it.

Dr Ellen Chan Ying-lung, assistant director of environmental protection, said officials had already asked the contractor if the lagoon could be covered. They would also study whether the impermeable layer of the lagoon bottom could be doubled.

Panel chairwoman Cyd Ho Sau-lan said she would hold another meeting on the issue when the contractor’s report was out.