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Plan ahead to promote development

With the commissioning of the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel and Cross Bay Link, Tseung Kwan O this morning, the journey between Tseung Kwan O and Kwun Tong, as well as that from Tseung Kwan O to the Eastern Harbour Crossing have been greatly shortened. This has brought much convenience to residents' lives and commuting, and facilitated faster and smoother logistics for businesses and enterprises. In the past 25 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, more than 360 km of roads have been built, making the total length of roads more than 2,100 km. Coupled with continuous improvements to the coverage of the railway network, many areas which had once been considered remote have become popular locations for recreation, dining, gatherings and shopping.

Quality urban development requires strategic planning and continuous building at multiple dimensions and levels. We must continue to increase land supply to meet the public's housing and livelihood needs, and to promote social and economic development. We also need a well-connected road network and consistently enhanced transport infrastructure that make journeys shorter and more comfortable, and bring places closer with each other. At the same time, this will help expand the development capacity of different districts and promote a more balanced overall development layout for Hong Kong.

In fact, it takes much time to develop land or transport infrastructure projects. It is necessary to plan well ahead to create the needed space for social and economic development. In addition, we need to be bold in breaking past limitations and plan in a forward-looking manner so as to provide the society with more room for progress and innovation, and for the economy to grow rapidly.

Looking back at the development of Hong Kong in the past few decades, there were large-scale infrastructure projects in each of them, such as the construction of the Mass Transit Railway in the 1970s and 1980s, the construction of a new airport in the 1990s, the West Rail during the millennium, as well as the cross-boundary Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and expansion of the third runway of the airport. In retrospect, even though these projects had once faced doubts and resistance, they all carried landmark significance, by creating opportunities for Hong Kong's economic and social development, and establishing more convenient connections between Hong Kong and our country as well as the rest of the world. They laid an important foundation for improving the quality of life of the people.

Take the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for example. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, HKIA's annual passenger and cargo throughput were about 71.5 million and 4.8 million tonnes respectively, representing increases of 1.5 times and 2 times compared to the figures in 1998 when it was first commissioned. During the same period, the number of airlines operating at HKIA and the number of destinations served also doubled. HKIA has for years ranked first in the world in terms of cargo throughput, and it remained so last year amid the pandemic. HKIA has won accolade from many domestic and international visitors for its world-class management and service standards. When the Three-Runway System project is fully completed in 2024, the capacity of HKIA will further increase. It is estimated that by 2035, HKIA will be able to handle about 120 million passengers and about 10 million tonnes of cargo per year, thereby creating numerous job opportunities and socio-economic benefits for Hong Kong.

Capacity is what it takes to support development. It is also the key to new town developments, be they from reclamation or re-planning of land uses. Since the 1970s, the Government had developed nine new towns, including Tsuen Wan, Shatin/Ma On Shan, Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Fanling/Sheung Shui, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, Tseung Kwan O and Tung Chung. Together, they have provided a total of 17,000 hectares (ha) of land through comprehensive planning and development. These new towns are now home to over half of our population, and are serviced by various strategic roads and public transport networks. The planning and relevant works of over 340 ha of reclaimed land in West Kowloon in the 1990s had met the housing needs of a population of over 100,000. The project also helped improve the local transport and drainage systems, elevated the neighborhoods, as well as facilitated the creation of a world-class arts and cultural district.

Based on current planning, land supply for Hong Kong in the next decade will come from two main sources, namely the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands. Around 1,300 ha of land will become spade-ready sites in the next decade from the Northern Metropolis; whereas around one-third of the 1,000-ha reclaimed land (i.e. 300 ha) from the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands will be delivered in the next decade. In other words, these two projects will altogether provide 1,600 ha of land, amounting to half of the total supply of the Government-led land creation efforts in the coming decade. Equally important to the land created are the opportunities brought about by these large-scale projects, as well as the more accessible and efficient transport and infrastructure networks made available thereby. Kau Yi Chau artificial islands is a case in point. It will connect HKIA and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Joined by the new railway line and road link, including the fourth harbour crossing, they will connect Hong Kong Island West, Lantau and the Northwest New Territories. A key transport link network will be formed the west side of the city, thus improving the overall territory-wide transport network.

The Policy Address has set out a clear aim to pursue land development along the directions of "enhancing quantity, speed, efficiency and quality". We are now pressing ahead through a multi-pronged approach to create land and compress land development procedures. This will meet the demands of the community and our residents in the short to medium term, as well as to build up a land reserve in the long term to respond to ever-changing social needs. We will also continue to take forward transport infrastructure projects in a forward-looking manner by adopting an "infrastructure‑led" and "capacity-creating" planning approach. With this in place, transport and freight demands arising from long-term development could be addressed, territory-wide transport network improved, and development potential of land in the vicinity unleashed. All these seek to improve the living environment and enhance the quality of life of our residents, as well as create a strong impetus of growth for Hong Kong and an enabling environment for emerging industries or young entrepreneurs.

December 11, 2022