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FANNY W. Y. FUNG

The city's seventh border crossing to Shenzhen faces a struggle to stay on schedule after villagers who have to make way for the multibillion-dollar development asked for a further delay in their relocation date.
The villagers of Chuk Yuen, in Ta Kwu Ling, were due to move en masse to a new village built 500 metres to the southeast last year - but they have already had the date put back several times and are now asking for the latest deadline, September 25, to be postponed to March.
The delay is a fresh blow to the troubled Liantang-Heung Yuen Wai checkpoint, which has already seen its budget increase massively. A request for extra funding has yet to be approved by lawmakers due to filibustering of other funding requests and the Legislative Council's summer recess.
Watch: Villagers ousted to make way for new border crossing

The two problems have led to doubts that the HK$24.5 billion checkpoint will open as scheduled in 2018.
It is the latest in a series of big public works projects to face delays and huge cost overruns - most notoriously the cross-border high-speed railway, which was pushed back two years earlier this year.
The relocation of the 200 residents in Chuk Yuen has hit difficulties due to construction delays affecting the new village and differences between indigenous villagers - those who can trace their family histories to the area before 1898 - and others.

The moving deadline has been pushed back three times this year, first to April and then to late last month before the September date was set. Now some villagers are seeking a further delay.
At present, the 42 indigenous households and several nonindigenous families are mixed together. In the new village, they will be separated by a river.
Of the indigenous villagers, 14 have opted to have houses built for them by the government, while 12 have accepted up to HK$2.3 million in compensation and the right to build their own home in the new village.
A further 16 have been given land to build a house at their own expense.
The non-indigenous villagers, who have fewer rights over their land, are receiving up to HK$600,000 compensation per household. Some have opted to move out, while 24 others have accepted an offer to buy a site to build a home in the new village. The non-indigenous villagers, and some of their indigenous neighbours, are ready to move.
A recent visit by the South China Morning Post saw construction continuing at the new village. Rows of houses - some completed and others under construction - could be seen on the indigenous side. The non-indigenous site was still being cleared for construction.
But Yiu Wai-leung, 34, the village head elected by indigenous residents, said most indigenous villagers were not ready to go.
"Of 42 compensation houses for indigenous residents, the 14 built by the government are completed and there are only some minor defects to correct. Overall, I am satisfied with those," he said.
"Among the 28 households which chose to build houses on their own, 26 have started work and about four or five houses are completed but they are still waiting for water and electricity."
He has written to the government and asked to push back the moving date to March. Yiu was among a group of residents who earlier complained about the quality of the government-built homes.
In April, about 70 villagers unhappy with relocation arrangements protested at the North District office to demand a delay.
But another village head, Yiu Wong-lun, 66, an indigenous resident who was elected to represent both factions, said most villagers accepted the relocation arrangements. "Only several families are complaining and claim there have been leaks in their new houses. Perhaps they have particularly high standards," he said.
He added that the HK$2.3 million compensation would allow a family like his to keep a small amount of cash after building a small house, with construction costs of some HK$1.6 million and furniture costing an estimated HK$300,000 to HK$400,000.
"If people say we have gained money because of the development, it is a bit of money but not a lot," he said.
The non-indigenous families, meanwhile, said hostility from some indigenous residents could affect the construction of their homes.
Kong Bik-yu, of the Chuk Yuen Residents' Village Removal Committee, which represents these households, said Yiu Wai-leung's faction had tried to stop the construction of a bridge which would allow access to the non-indigenous villagers' site.
She said Yiu himself once blocked the work using a truck last year. Work resumed after government mediation.
Yiu Wai-leung admitted blocking the site, but maintained that his only problem was with the location of the bridge.
"Some house owners say it is too close to their homes and would bring a lot of noise when 100 people walk past every day," he said. "Also, there are not enough parking spaces, and they may park their cars in our village if the bridge is so close."
In a joint answer to inquiries from the Post, the Lands Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department sidestepped the question of whether the project would be delayed. "We will closely monitor the situation with a view to keeping the … project on track for completion," they wrote.
Having agreed to defer the site clearance to September 25, the departments would "continue to liaise with the remaining households and provide them with assistance for a timely removal".
 


Chuk Yuen villagers' delay bid could hit border project deadline

Chuk Yuen residents want the deadline to leave their homes pushed back to March. Photo: Edward Wong

Villager Yiu Wai-leung admitted blocking the development site.

Chuk Yuen border village balances on the edge of change

(From left) Yiu Koon-tai with her daughter and uncle in Chuk Yuen, Ta Kwu Ling. Photo: Edward Wong

Villagers will move to the new Chuk Yuen, which is still being built. Photo: Edward Wong

News

Hong Kong

Chuk Yuen residents ask for more time to relocate for multibillion-dollar development


The city's seventh border crossing to Shenzhen faces a struggle to stay on schedule after villagers who have to make way for the development asked for a further delay in their relocation date.
