Plans for 12,000 public flats on HongKong golf course in doubt
Government decides against appealing court ruling that revoked environmental approval for the Fanling project.
Quick Look
Plans to build 12,000 public flats on part of Hong Kong's oldest golf course face serious doubt after the government chose not to appeal a court ruling revoking the project's environmental approval.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Plans to build 12,000 public flats on a portion of Hong Kong's oldest golf course in Fanling faced legal challenges regarding environmental approval.
Plans to build 12,000 public flats on part of Hong Kong’s oldest golf course have been thrown into serious doubt after the government chose not to appeal a court’s decision to uphold a ruling revoking the project’s environmental approval.
Authorities said on Thursday that they had decided against appealing after “holistically” considering legal advice following the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the overturning of conditional approval for the construction of 12,000 flats on part of the golf course in Fanling.
In a judgment delivered earlier, the court found that the official endorsement of the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report was marred by an unfair public consultation process, the imposition of improper conditions and a failure to meet wildlife conservation objectives.
The ruling is likely to result in fresh public consultations over the development of the 9.5 hectares (23.5 acres) of land set aside for the project, which was initially slated for completion in 2029.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Fresh public consultations over the development of the 9.5 hectares of land
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When will fresh public consultations begin?
- Will the housing project be entirely abandoned or redesigned?
