New Islands Will Be Better Than Central: Tony Tse

Architectural, Surveying, Planning and Landscape sector lawmaker, Tony Tse, says a controversial series of artificial islands the government is proposing to build east of Lantau will be cleaner, greener, and better-designed than existing central business districts (CBD), and may even have little to no air pollution.

Speaking on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong, Tse said the government's Lantau Tomorrow Vision project should be more pedestrian friendly, accessible and green. But he did not elaborate on why he figures air pollution may become a thing of the past at these islands.

"The future “CBD-3” should be more walkable, with less or no air pollution compared to the congestion in today’s Central District," he said. "Nevertheless, a strong theme and far-sighted vision is called for, to create a people-centred, quality environment."

The controversial project will be Hong Kong's most expensive piece of infrastructure to date, with an estimated cost of over HK$600 billion. It will provide much-needed land for housing, with 70 per cent of the residential areas earmarked for public housing.

Critics say the project is like dumping money into the sea. They say instead, the government could make better use of brownfield sites in the New Territories.

But quoting Pope John Paul II, Tse urged the government to move ahead swiftly with the plan.

“The future starts today, not tomorrow,” he said. "I would urge the Government to carry out the necessary feasibility studies as soon as possible now."

Tse said the new areas could use new technology in the fields of IT, construction and even manufacturing. He said these would provide opportunities for young people.

"Concepts such as carbon neutral, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, car sharing, spatial co-sharing, etc. are likely features," he said. "Smart city elements such as SDI (Serial digital interface), BIM (Building Information Modeling), GIS (geographic information system) and the use of MIC (modular integrated construction) and 3D printing methods may also need the contributions from the younger generation in the years to come."

Tse also said the site of the reclamation would result in it being a gateway for the Greater Bay Area, Beijing's integration plan for nine Guangdong cities and the Hong Kong and Macau SARs.