New | Shopping centre near Shenzhen ‘will go ahead’ despite curb on mainland Chinese tourists

One of the initiators of a new shopping area near the Lok Ma Chau border checkpoint, lawmaker Wong Ting-kwong, said his plan would still go ahead despite the latest restriction on Shenzhen tourists.

Wong said he was still making amendments on the project proposal before submitting it to the Town Planning Board.

It comes despite the latest arrangement under which Shenzhen’s permanent residents are to be limited to just one visit a week to Hong Kong using their multiple-entry permits.

“The shopping mall is targeting both Hongkongers and tourists,” Wong said. ”It is not in place only to serve mainlanders, it is also a leisure and shopping centre for locals.”

Wong had previously said he hoped the site would make it in time to be in operation in October to cope with the Golden Week period, which begins on October 1.

But he explained there had been a delay of the submission to the government due to the complex design of the site, on which he and his team were still working. He stressed they would submit the proposal “as soon as possible”.