'Govt's Private Clubs Plan Favours Rich, Powerful'

Opposition lawmakers have criticised the government's new policy on land leases for private clubs, saying it only favours the rich and the powerful and does not contribute to the development of sports in the city.

The government last week proposed charging these clubs one-third of the full value of the land they use when they renew their leases every 15 years, starting from 2026. Most of the 66 clubs in the city now pay nothing or very little to the government.

Under the proposals submitted for public consultation by the government, the clubs will also have to start opening up their facilities to the public more.

The Federation of Trade Union’s Michael Luk said most private sports venues are nothing but “rich men's clubs”. For example, he said the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling charges non-members more than HK$2,000 per day. That price is simply not affordable for the public, he said.

The Democratic Party's Andrew Wan noted that over the weekend, Chief Executive Carrie Lam asked green groups who oppose land reclamation to be the "voices of the poor" on housing development, but did not mention anything about the land occupied by the Hong Kong Golf Club. He questioned whether the government is bowing down to the rich and powerful.

Wan's party colleague Ted Hui asked why the government can’t simply take back land used by these private clubs and promote those sports itself.

But the Liberal Party's Peter Shiu disagreed with the suggestion that the sports clubs have made no contribution to society. He also said if the government charges clubs a premium that is too high, some may have to close down.

Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah told the lawmakers that the government will continue to listen to views put forward during the public consultation exercise.