Stanley Wong Calls For Calm Debate On Land Supply

The chairman of the government-appointed Task Force on Land Supply, Stanley Wong, is asking people to put forward their views on increasing land supply in a rational manner.

Speaking to reporters after appearing on a Commercial Radio programme, he said it was regretful that a brawl took place at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling on Friday, when a Labour Party protester was allegedly attacked by a 57-year-old man.

Developing the golf course is one of the options included in the consultation document released earlier in the week.

Wong said all of the 18 options up for discussion are bound to affect someone.

Meanwhile, the former Director of Lands, Patrick Lau, has come out in favour of a public-private partnership scheme, aimed at releasing land held by developers in the New Territories for subsidised housing. Under this option in the consultation paper, the government would provide infrastructure for the unused agricultural land in return for the developer providing a certain number of starter homes, or HOS flats, in their projects.

But the Democratic Party's Andrew Wan was less upbeat. He said the partnership would do nothing for the poorest members of society, who have to rely on public housing.

Lau and Wan were speaking after appearing on a separate RTHK radio programme.

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