The Civil Engineering and Development Department today (June 30) awarded a $18.6 million consultancy agreement for a feasibility study on increasing land supply by reclamation and rock cavern development.
The commencement of the 21-month consultancy represents a major milestone in the strategic move to identify potential reclamation sites outside Victoria Harbour and suitable rock cavern developments to meet the land demand for Hong Kong's long term social and economic needs.
A public engagement exercise on the initiative will be launched in the fourth quarter this year. The first stage of the public engagement will last for six months and will include public forums, focus group discussions, topical discussion, roving exhibitions, a telephone poll and consultation with stakeholders, with a view to building a general consensus on the proposed options to increase land supply, as well as the guiding principles and site selection criteria.
The second stage of public engagement, to start in the third quarter of 2012 at the earliest, will seek to engage the public at both territory-wide and district levels in the identification of potential sites for generating new land. The consultancy aims to identify - with general public acceptance - seven reclamation sites, three contaminated sediment handling sites and eight rock cavern sites by early 2013.
Ends/Thursday, June 30, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:25
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