CE Dismisses Report On Public Flats Over MTR Sites

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday dismissed a report that the government is about to discuss a plan to build public flats on top of new MTR stations.

The South China Morning Post had cited sources as saying that the government would ask the rail operator to explore the option of having public housing units built at two possible sites: Siu Ho Wan in North Lantau and a proposed new station near Tuen Mun town centre.

But Lam called the report "speculative" when she was asked about it before the weekly Executive Council meeting.

The Chief Executive also took aim at critics of the ongoing consultation on the supply of land for housing, saying some concern groups are trying to divert people's attention from the issue of boosting the city's land supply.

She said certain groups are putting the land shortage problem down to issues like the city's immigration or population policies.

An alliance of concern groups, the Citizens Task Force on Land Resources and the Liber Research Community, last month accused the government of "misleading" the public into favouring specific options for finding more land.