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Hong Kong should scale back Lantau Tomorrow Vision if it proves too destructive, head of environmental watchdog says
- Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Environment offers the assessment after a meeting on the impact of the controversial Lantau Tomorrow Vision
- During the meeting, council members questioned how Lantau’s biodiversity could be protected under such a huge infrastructure project
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A controversial Hong Kong government plan to build a new metropolis on man-made islands off Lantau should be scaled back if studies show its impact on the environment will be too destructive, the head of the environmental watchdog has said.
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Stanley Wong Yuen-fai, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Environment, offered the assessment on Monday after a meeting in which conservationists questioned officials on measures to mitigate the environmental impact of reclaiming 1,000 hectares of land near Kau Yi Chau Island – the first phase of the ambitious Lantau Tomorrow Vision.
Wong said he hoped authorities could strike a balance between development and conservation, and not just make up for ecological losses, but actually improve the environment.
“If the data shows that there will be a rather negative impact on the environment, they should consider downsizing the scale [of the project],” Wong said. “I hope this is a process that allows for adjustment.”
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The entire project, first unveiled in 2018, would see the construction of a total of 1,700 hectares of man-made islands, which would be developed into a housing and business hub. It also involves a transport network linking the islands to Lantau, Tuen Mun and Hong Kong Island.
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