Carrie Lam to press ahead with Lantau Island reclamation, whether Hong Kong public likes it or not
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Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday hinted she would not scrap a plan to build a massive island in the city’s waters, even if public opinion turns against it.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s comments came before the government-appointed Task Force on Land Supply was due to conclude a public consultation.
A man-made island to the east of Lantau Island was one of 18 options the public was consulted on in the five months from April. The task force intended to summarise opinions and put them in a report for the chief executive by the end of the year.
Lam said the task force, in its brief midterm report to her, said the government could not delay increasing land supply, and it had to source more land in various ways and prepare for the future.
“To truly meet these three requirements, reclamation cannot be avoided,” Lam said, in response to a question on whether she would scrap the plan if public opinion turned out to be against it in the task force’s final report.
