Look At Green Belt Plots On Their Merits, Urges FS

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Saturday that the public shouldn't fixate on whether potential sites for housing development are green belt sites that are close to country parks, and that plots should be assessed individually.

Some green groups have expressed reservations about the government's idea, spelt out in the Chief Executive's Policy Address, of rezoning some 255 hectares of such land by 2024 for housing.

If developed, the eight plots could provide some 70,000 flats.

Chan said people should look at each specific plot's ecological value, nearby infrastructure, and how many flats it would be able to provide.

"Hong Kong has been troubled by housing woes for a long time and we are as anxious as [the public] in wanting to resolve the problem," the minister told reporters after attending an event.

"If our work can be moved forward at the same time, in a multi-pronged approach, it may be more effective."

Chan also reiterated that he expects this year's deficit to be worse than forecast earlier in the year because of lingering effects from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In particular, he said there had been a significant slump in exports for two quarters running, and that this would harm economic growth.

Chan said the state of the economy meant the government should be more pro-active in introducing anti-cyclical measures to ease the burden on both the public and small to medium-sized enterprises.

Last month, Chan said he expected the deficit to reach HK$100 billion this financial year, compared to a forecast of HK$56.3 billion when he announced his budget in February.