In Hong Kong, brownfield sites are a major source of land supply for the medium term.
Some 190 hectares of brownfield sites will be cleared for the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area. Likewise, Yuen Long South and Kwu Tung North developments will use 106 and 51 hectares respectively of such sites.
Doing so requires comprehensive planning, infrastructure upgrading and, above all, thorough discussions among our community to address concerns of the affected. These inevitably take time.
To meet short-term demand for housing, we have conducted land use reviews to better utilise land in existing built-up areas and their fringes. Suitable sites are being converted to housing, with their development intensity maximised where planning terms permit. Some 70 green-belt sites have been chosen, but not at random: we target only de-vegetated sites or those with vegetation but that are of relatively low conservation and buffer value.
Together, they make up about 150 hectares, or only 1 per cent of our green-belt areas, but can provide over 80,000 flats, over 70 per cent of which will be for public housing.
As one can see, we consider all possibilities and are not blindly seizing land.