Dedicated Team To Watch Infrastructure Costs

The government says a dedicated project management team will keep a lid on the huge costs associated with massive infrastructure projects, like the Lantau Tomorrow Vision reclamation plan. Lantau Tomorrow will be Hong Kong's most expensive infrastructure project to date with a price tag of over HK$620 billion.

The government wants to use land, to be reclaimed from waters east of Lantau, to boost housing supply and it is keen to avoid the scandals and cost over-runs that have hit other large scale projects, such as the MTR's Shatin-to-Central rail link.

Critics say the cost could rise to over HK$1 trillion by the time the project starts and it is like pouring money into the sea.

Speaking on a special RTHK "Backchat" programme on Wednesday, the head of the Sustainable Lantau Office, Michael Fong, pledged to control spending.

"We understand that the public may have perceptions that the government is not doing well in the past few years on quite a number of projects," he said. "But we are stepping up the efforts."

Fong said the Development Bureau would establish a project strategy and governance team. He said it would provide needed project management skills training and take on an overall monitoring role.