Opinion

Hong Kong’s Lantau Tomorrow development risks being too densely populated to function as a business district

The 1,000 ha of reclaimed land earmarked for the project are expected to accommodate a new business district plus some half a million residents

But with most of the space to be taken up by transport infrastructure and communal facilities, the project may be stretching itself too thin

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Kau Yi Chau, an island off the coast of Lantau. The Lantau Tomorrow Vision project will consist of three artificial islands built around the existing island. Photo: Jelly Tse

Francis Neoton Cheung is the chairman of Doctoral Exchange, a public policy research collective, and a former member of the Land and Building Advisory Committee.

Published: 8:15am, 28 Mar 2023

The notion of creating artificial islands nestled between the idyllic Lantau and bustling Hong Kong Island to house a third central business district might have sounded fantastical a decade ago. But it is on the way to becoming a reality, provided careful planning is carried out.

A public consultation for initial studies of the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands project draws to a close at the end of this month. A pivotal component of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project and an essential piece of infrastructure worth supporting, its construction costs have now risen to HK$580 billion (US$73.8 billion).

This reclamation project, creating 1,000 hectares of new land connected to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories by rail and road links, is set in a strategic location to alleviate the city’s acute shortage of land. It will provide the long-awaited solution to the housing and economic development needs of Hong Kong.