Reclaimed areas could repay land debt: DSSOPT

Part of new reclaimed land could be used to repay land debt to private companies, the head of the Urban Planning Department of the DSSOPT, Lao Iong, revealed yesterday

Parts of the new reclaimed land could be used to repay land debt to private companies, the head of the Urban Planning Department of the Land, Public Works and Transport Services Bureau (DSSOPT), Lao Iong, said yesterday.
However, in a reply to local media, he added: “We cannot pay back a debt if we have no assets.” The decision on whether or not any of the 3.5 square kilometre plan will serve this purpose will only be made, after the project planning is complete, the official explained.
“Only after we have reached a consensus on the new reclamation land and the plots are used to satisfy all the resident’s expectations will we be able to know if there are any available areas,” Lao emphasised.
Several private companies were granted land plots, some even before the handover, only to see it taken back by the Administration later on to build “infrastructures or projects of public interest”. The Government agreed to grant these companies other plots as compensation.
However, so far the only confirmed case is a piece of land with over 0.8 hectares located to the west of the Governador Nobre de Carvalho bridge that was granted to a private company called Treasure Island Entertainment to repay land debt.

Green concern

Green spaces, bicycle paths and social facilities, such as elderly homes, nurseries and schools, are what local residents would most like to see on the new reclaimed land, according to the opinions gathered by the Government and a survey conducted during the first phase of the project’s public consultation.
On the contrary, almost two-thirds of the people who gave their opinion on housing were against the construction of low-rise buildings in the reclaimed land – “that was a demand from the Central Government as well,” Lao Iong revealed. The survey respondents believe these areas could be the solution for the increased housing demand.
Even though the support for the reclamation is high, over 70 percent of the interviewees criticised the lack of information on what’s in store for this land. A significant number of people also expressed concern over possible negative effects of the reclamation, including floods and increased sediment deposit in the Pearl River Delta.
A group composed of staff from the office of four secretaries is already preparing a macro-study on the environmental impact of the reclamation works, Lao said. The group will also try to forecast the demand for public housing and social facilities in these areas.
Lao said DSSOPT will launch a series of workshops and technical conferences with the participation of mainland China and foreign experts in the first quarter of next year. The second phase of the public consultation should start in July or August, he added. By then there will already be several alternative preliminary projects for each of the reclaimed areas with proposals for what the land should be used for, the official said.