Project aimed at creating 54,000 new homes to ease housing shortage

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po on Thursday said the government planned to spend about HK$40 billion for resettlement and compensation of villagers affected by the North East New Territories New Development Area Plan, including non-indigenous inhabitants.

"We are not heartless, and (are not doing this to) destroy the villages. Why did we launch the project? It is because we see the housing needs in Hong Kong," said Chan. He was speaking on a radio program about the new development project, involving an area of 787 hectares, which has met with opposition from some villagers, farmers and green groups.

The secretary said the compensation for villagers affected will match or even exceed the resettlement arrangements for villagers in Tsoi Yuen Tsuen, whose homes were torn down last year to make way for the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou.

The government will also assist the villagers to get back to farming. More details will be disclosed after the compensation arrangement is approved by the Executive Council, added Chan.

The project, once completed, will provide 54,000 housing units, of which 40 percent will be public housing. A total of 533 hectares will be released in three areas, Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, and Ping Che and Ta Kwu Ling.

Chan said after evaluation of the initial consultation results, the government may increase the allocation of public housing to half of the total units. He also expects an increase in the density of the development.

In the meantime, villagers from Kwu Tung Village, which has a history of more than 100 years, voiced concerns that their rights to express their views have been overwhelmed by those who have louder voices.

Lam Siu-fu, representative of the village, said currently villagers have no firm stance about the government's redevelopment plan, as long as the government has a concrete arrangement package for them. Lam stressed that moving the villagers to public housing will not be an option for negotiation. He expressed the hope the government will meet with villagers and listen to their concerns.

A 70-year-old villager, surnamed Cheng, said she has been living in the village all her life. She voiced the hope the government will find another place and rebuild the village. Cheng, whose five daughters and sons also live in the village, said they don't want to move into public housing.

Some villagers from Ta Kwu Ling voiced strong opposition to the project.

Another woman - whose surname is Cheuk and lives in Ping Yeung San Tsuen of Ta Kwu Ling, which will be affected by the project - said she didn't know about the redevelopment project until two months ago. She said she would not leave, even if she was "beaten to death". Cheuk runs a store on a land she has rented. Once the project commenced, she will be expected to move.

In response to some criticisms that the project aims at blurring the boundaries at the border, Chief Secretary Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said those concerns and criticism are completely "unfounded".

Lam said the SAR government had been planning the project for several years and it was all about the housing needs of Hong Kong, stressing that it had nothing to do with Shenzhen.

The government will hold its last public consultation meeting on Saturday after a previous attempt was brought to an abrupt end by angry villagers and other opponents of the project. The third stage of consultation will be completed by the end of this month.

Chan also appealed to the opponents of the project, saying that the project has a high plasticity and there is lot of room for adjustment. Therefore, rather than restart planning on the project from the beginning, the opponents should provide specific proposals that can merge with the plan, added Chan.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 09/21/2012 page1)