A plan to build luxury homes on a site adjacent to the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is to proceed with public consultation, despite a protest against the plan by over a hundred student who rallied outside a meeting of the Town Planning Board.

The site, on Renfrew Road in Kowloon Tong, bounded by HKBU on three sides, formerly housed the IVE (Lee Wai Lee) campus.

Though the IVE campus vacated the site in 2010, its neighbor had begun planning to takeover the entire 1.52-hectare site in 2005. The University's most recent plan was to add a student hostel and a hospital specializing in Traditional Chinese medicine.

The university expressed "shock" in late December when the Planning Department proposed converting half of the IVE site into a residential development, as outlined in an amendment proposal to the outline zoning plan of Kowloon Tong.

The IVE site, as proposed, would be sliced into two and the university would be permitted to occupy only the upper half, covering approximately 0.64 hectares. The residential site was expected to generate revenue of over HK$7 billion at auction.

The metro planning subcommittee of the Town Planning Board deliberated over the proposal on Thursday, while protestors including students and staff of HKBU staged a vocal demonstration outside the meeting.

The Education Bureau told the committee that the entire site exceeded the needs of HKBU. The bureau also contended universities will not be granted any sites for construction of self-financing hospitals, though HKBU contended its hospital plan will be funded by the government.

Secretary for Education Ng Hak-kim reiterated on Friday morning at the Legislative Council that the university's need to add dormitory beds will be well satisfied by the 0.66-hectare site.

"It is clear that the University Grant Committee had addressed the needs of HKBU and thus we made the recommendation to assign it the use on the northern half of the site," said Ng, adding that HKBU President Albert Chan Sun-chi was informed of the decision earlier this week.

The government had suggested earlier that it had reached agreement with HKBU on the current plan, but the university released a public statement arguing that no negotiation had ever taken place.

Management and students of HKBU have so far showed no sign of giving up.

Albert Chan reiterated his determination to reabsorb the entire site, after he sang the university anthem outside the vacant IVE building in a publicity event on Thursday.

The subcommittee eventually decided on Friday to go ahead with public consultation before it writes up a report for the Executive Council, which will make the final decision. HKBU has already submitted a formal letter of objection to the board.

kahon@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 01/26/2013 page1)