Home United States USA — Science Hong Kong, Shenzhen multibillion-dollar land reclamation plans may be on collision course

Hong Kong, Shenzhen multibillion-dollar land reclamation plans may be on collision course

251
0
SHARE

The vast resources needed for Hong Kong’s Lantau Tomorrow Vision project could clash with Shenzhen’s plan to build a maritime hub also on reclaimed land
Industry experts and academics have warned attempting to undertake two major land reclamation’s in Hong Kong and Shenzhen at the same time could strain the resources of the Greater Bay Area, ultimately increasing the costs of the already multibillion-dollar projects.
Hong Kong’s controversial Lantau Tomorrow Vision development project, in particular, already faces daunting cost estimates, which could be further increased if it does not have access to abundant supplies of relatively cheap landfill material.
Competition with Shenzhen for those supplies could create a major cost overrun for the project, which were disclosed by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her annual policy speech in October.
The Lantau scheme, covering reclamation of 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) from the sea, involves the construction of artificial islands off Lantau Island in western Hong Kong.
The official blueprint for the GBA will only be revealed in early 2019, and will outline Beijing’s grand plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities – Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing – into one huge megacity.
It is expected to become a leading hub for innovation and economic growth, but u nder the GBA integration scheme, local officials must consider the needs of and impact on the entire region when undertaking major construction projects, according to Zheng Tianxiang, professor at the Center for Studies of Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.
“If two major land reclamation projects are underway at the same time in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, it might cause a supply shortage of reclamation materials in the GBA, increasing the costs as well as putting pressure on the area’s marine environment,” he said.
If all relevant strategic goals in the region are taken into account in a balanced manner, it will help Hong Kong make the best use of the resources in the GBA and lower the budget for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project, Zheng said.
“Lantau Tomorrow will not just be a new sub-centre of Hong Kong, but also an important link with western Guangdong and so it will play a leading role in the GBA. The provincial and central governments will support it,” he added.
The Pearl River Delta has sufficient resources of river sand and soil, with over 10 million cubic metres of sand created naturally each year, Zheng said, but it must be used economically to keep costs from skyrocketing.
Edwin Chung Kwok-fai, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, has been involved in reclamation projects for more than 30 years, and echoed Zheng’s sentiments.
“There are no detailed plans yet for the sourcing of reclamation materials [for Lantau Tomorrow Vision]. But it will take over 10 million tonnes of filling material, and so it would be good if Hong Kong communicates with Guangdong or the central government to take in consideration the overall supply of materials for the area’s future reclamation projects.” he said.
The preliminary budget for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project is estimated to be in the region of HK$500 billion (US$66.84 billion), a government source told the South China Morning Post in November, which works out at around HK$29,412 (US$3,755) per square metre.
Shenzhen has already reclaimed at least 6,900 hectares (17,050 acres) of land since it was established in 2013, and according to the city’s infrastructure development blueprint, Shenzhen plans to reclaim an additional 5,000 hectares from the sea between 2016 to 2025.
It estimates this will cost 27.3 billion yuan (US$3.97 billion), or 546 yuan (US$79.38) per square metre, highlighting the varying costs between the cities in the GBA.

Continue reading...