Residents across the city are fighting the government's ambitious waterfront reclamation plans, which they say would damage the coastline and worsen traffic.
A list of 25 proposed sites for reclamation to boost the land available for housing development was released for public consultation last month by the government.
But in Pok Fu Lam, Sandy Bay, and Ma On Shan, near a popular natural pebble beach in Wu Kai Sha, both on the reclamation list, locals are organising their resistance.
Residents including University of Hong Kong staff living in upmarket flats in Pok Fu Lam have united to commission a professional environmental impact study on how development on reclaimed land would affect the area, while across the city, middle-class residents in Ma On Shan have formed an alliance to protect the beach in Wu Kai Sha.
Despite their vested interests, residents upset by the proposal said they are opposing the encroachment for a greater cause.
Peter Cunich, a history professor at HKU and chairman of the Pok Fu Lam Residents' Alliance, said: 'We have many community services here and all require a clean, quiet and a less congested environment.'