After abandoning the ill-fated waste-charging plan, the government moves on to propose development of South Lantau as an ‘Eco-Recreation Corridor’…
…establishing a landmark visitor center with dining, retail, and viewing facilities. The center will also host a variety of year-round activities and events, such as markets. Diverse water sports and recreation facilities, including activity centers, adventure water sports zones, leisure piers, and camping sites, will be added along the Cheung Sha beach. Rope adventure facilities, hiking chairlifts and high-quality resort accommodations could also be introduced at Cheung Sha’s hillside.
As for Shek Pik, the authorities intend to leverage the reservoirs and sea views to create facilities catering to those seeking tranquility, as well as cultural and historical enthusiasts. The concept of an “open-air museum” will be applied, with a heritage trail developed alongside the reservoirs.
In Shui Hau, the rich natural resources will be used to establish an education center promoting conservations, highlighting the area’s valuable sand dunes and horseshoe crabs, as well as traditional village culture.
In Pui O, a hiking trail will be constructed along the western side of Pui O Wan, enabling visitors to explore the forest ecology and admire the scenic views of the bays. Additionally, a high-quality campsite will be developed on the hillside, offering experiential learning opportunities about the local ecology.
Enjoy the area before they start to ‘leverage’ it.
I like the Standard’s headline. In the UK political sit-com Yes, Minister, the senior civil servant would use the word ‘bold’ when the minister came up with a reckless idea. It could also describe the Hong Kong government’s plan to ease better-off tenants out of public housing.
This is no doubt overdue. But it’s also hard to pull off – or even perhaps justify – when private-sector housing is so artificially expensive that any rational person will get a subsidized apartment (or live in illegally converted industrial buildings, or add unauthorized structures) if they can, to access affordable living space.
Still, officials want to encourage estate managements and other tenants to snitch on people who sublet or mis-use public housing units, own other property, or who have a luxury car. So why not go one step further and ban anyone at a public housing estate address from hiring an overseas domestic helper? It might concentrate rich residents’ minds if they have to wash their own Mercedes.
Improving access to Shek Pik is probably not a bad thing. It seems that a lot of political prisoners will be locked up in the prison there for a very long time. The government should do all that it can to highlight this fact, otherwise the world might forget.
I’ve hiked so many beautiful trails (Chi Ma Wan) in the hills overlooking Pui O Wan and often thought to myself how much better it would be with paved concrete and hand rails instead of, you know, just nature. And of course retail, dining and “viewing” facilities after a nice invigorating hike is just icing on the cake.
You know when the government gets a hair up their ass to develop “eco recreation” and “nature conservation” you’re fucked.
Enjoy before the “leveraging” indeed.
… hiking chairlifts?
I mean, this government has no concept of oxymoron, but this is literal, even for them.
We should also note that visitors to Pui O and Shui Hau will be provided with excellent views of the mega waste-incinerator plant being built at Shek Kwu Chau.
I could advise the government on how to “cater to those seeking tranquility” without incurring any cost whatsoever to taxpayers. Just leave the damn area well alone! And the idea of adding more “retail facilities” when an ever-increasing percentage of Hong Kong’s exdisting shops already lie shuttered and empty is just ridiculous.
What, no hillside escalators, chair lifts, travelators, etc to facilitate movement of all those super size suitcases and wheelie bags.
The most recent model I have seen allows the master/mistress to sit on the suitcase that converts into a motorized e-case powered via the handle.
On other matters, so will Secretary for Enviro take early retirement – civil servants are rarely sacked – for wasting so much time and resources and crushing the hopes of so many citizens that HK was FINALLY going to take baby steps to combat the climate crisis and our considerable waste problems?
It’s good to know that ‘patriots ruling Hong Kong’ and the ‘improved electoral system’ mean the government can now get on with pushing through bold policies to tackle our most pressing issues without interference from those pesky pan-democrats.
Oops! My typo – existing, not existding.
And while I’m here, may I say what a pleasant surprise it is to see a sensible post from Reactor #4 for a change.
Re the Lantau scheme.
Unintelligence, incompetence and stupidity of the kind for which the Hong Kong civil service has become globally renowned.
This cock-eyed proposal, containing as it does every gimmick and cliché in the book, will lead to one thing alone, namely the utter ruination of the remaining nice bits of Lantau’s South coast.
Another good reason, if one were needed, for giving the exciting new model Hongkers a wide berth.
TL;DR – Reactor #4 is an ass hat; again.
I very often decline to comment here, unless I get particularly excited about something and lose myself. This is because I feel that other contributors are usually far better informed than I am; but with one major exception. Since late 2018, much of my time and energy has been spent in the design, construction (and operation) of the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF), otherwise referred to by morons as “the mega-waste incinerator plant being built at Shek Kwu Chau”.
Once it finally becomes operational next year the facility, which will officially be launched as “i-Park”, (you know, to go along with T-Park, O-Park etc.) will be capable of handling one third of Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste (MSW) and generating 480 million kWh of electricity per annum. The incinerated waste does not disappear completely, but it is greatly reduced in volume (will end up approx 10% of original volume) and thus reduces amount straight to landfill. The facility is adjacent to Shek Kwu Chau, but not directly connected. Therefore, the plant must also generate its own potable water, and does so from seawater via the purpose-built water treatment plant (desalination).
But that’s not all, oh no, that’s not all! This MSW stuff is a mixed bag (pun intended) and for any peasant who has ever emptied a bin, you will know that “bin juice” (aka leachate) is a real thing. This also needs to be treated before being safely released for the delectation of local aquatic life, via the purpose-built waste water treatment plant.
Furthermore, all that lovely MSW is bound to contain some recyclable goodies (at least, that not already stripped out by an army of cardboard grannies and aluminium can collectors). At least 30 tonnes of MSW per day should pass through the purpose-built mechanical treatment plant, with its host of dryers and conveyor belts, to mechanically sort all the bits and bobs into their various skips for recycling.
Am I done yet? Done? No, I have hardly even begun to do! This 31 billion HK dollar megaproject will also incorporate visitor facilities for happy clusters of Hong Kong’s school children to avoid their dreary lessons about *other subjects* and watch other people setting fire to some shit instead. It’s gonna be lit fam!
And then there’s the flue gas, which will be treated via bag filters and chemical scrubbers to remove all but the most stubborn dioxins, and permanent flue gas monitoring is accompanied by air monitoring and sampling equipment located at strategic points in the area around the facility. Furthermore, the exhaust gas ejected from the 150m high chimney will be dispersed on the prevailing wind resulting in any concentrations at sea/ground level being infinitesimally low.
The EPD has consulted extensively, widely and consistently (they can do it if they try). The Heung Yee Kuk have been spoken to sweetly, the residents of Cheung Chau and South Lantau encouraged to visit the visitor centres, and a lovely website set up to explain the entire incineration process to the wider public. In fact, probably the only opinion not sought was that of the Finless Porpoise population, upon whose prime feeding grounds the 16 hectares of reclamation needed for the facility were placed.
Finally, and most assuredly, sight lines have been extensively studied throughout this project, and I can say with certainty that iPark WILL NOT BE VISIBLE AT ALL from Shui Hau Tsuen or Pui O, unless you happen to possess eyes like a shithouse rat. It will be over 7km away and obscured by geological formations, and likely obscured further by Hong Kong’s famously observed summer “haze”. You’d have to really want to see it, to see it.
Cheung Sha, on the other hand, will offer unrestricted views of the whole assemblage, assuming you can actually see that far. See my previous point for further clarification.
Thank you, Ho Ma Fan, for your detailed clarification. And thank you for doing something positive for Hong Kong. Too bad about the dolphins, though.
@Ho Ma Fan: Quite interesting read and kudos! But will there be dining and retail at the visitor facilities???
@Chinese Netizen – I would expect nothing less than high-quality dining, retail and viewing facilities.