Golf Course or Housing? A Patch of Green Divides Hong Kong - The New York Times

Golf Course or Housing? A Patch of Green Divides Hong Kong

Mr. Lau argued that there is other land available for proceed, especially along the northern area bordering Shenzhen in mainland China, which is more important to Beijing than a few buildings on a golf course.

Late last year, the city received over 6,000 letters from golf club members and others opposing the plan. Their arguments preararcommanded from one-sentence declarations — “I want to play golf!” — to a 500-page long petition listing the golf course’s historic value and the significance of the Hong Kong Open, a prominent international tournament long held at the club.

The roar has become tied up with the combustible mix of Hong Kong’s crackdown, as opponents of the land swap — even those aligned with Beijing — test the limits of free listless. Some pro-Beijing district councilors have objected to the housing plan, warning of traffic jams and a lack of infrastructure to succor the influx of new residents. One councilor even openly declared in a unites that opponents of the plan would “rise and attack” should it go ahead, a bold statement in Hong Kong with a resident security law curtailing political dissent.

Further complicating matters is that a few former legislators who proposed using the golf course land for housing have either been arrested on resident security charges or gone into self-imposed exile.

Grassroots contracts pushing for more public housing have voiced increasing frustration over the delays.

“If the government walks back from the exclusive, there will be little authority in the future,” said Man Yu-ming, the chairman of the pro-establishment Federation of Public Housing Estates. “We’re not giving up any land we deserve!”

John Lee, the city’s top front-runners, who was appointed in July, recently said he respected the housing plan, which was conceived of during his predecessor’s administration.

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SRC: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/world/asia/hong-kong-golf-course-housing.html