Sawmill finds new site, wants supplies back

James Lee

Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber wants its machinery and 700 tonnes of wood supplies returned so it can continue to operate at a new site in Fan Ling, says director Wong Hung-kuen.

Authorities shut down the 75-year-old sawmill and cordoned off the premises two weeks ago after the Lands Department had set a deadline for it to move by mid September.

The sawmill was marked for developing the Northern Metropolis in a bid to house 2.5 million people in a tech hub near the city's border with the mainland.

Wong said the Civil Engineering and Development Department requisitioned the sawmill's supplies after the Lands Department seized the current site in Sheung Shui.

The sawmill found a 10,000-square-foot area at Ping Che in Fan Ling that could be leased for five years.

Wong said he would not be able to revive the sawmill in a short period even if new premises could be secured. He said the Civil Engineering and Development Department had ignored his requests on multiple occasions that the sawmill handle the wood itself.

"We need the funds to keep operating, but without our [machinery and wood], there's nothing we can do," he said.

Wong said he would use the timber to make furniture and wooden products, which would save transportation costs for the authorities and reduce workload for the Y Park recycling plant in Tuen Mun. The waste management facility tasked with recycling by the Environmental Protection Department generates wooden planks that are eventually used to make upcycled furniture.

Asked whether he is optimistic about the sawmill's situation, Wong said it was hard to say as "times are different."

But he hopes authorities would allow him to handle the wood and machinery, adding that moving them would take less than two weeks.

In response to inquiries, the Civil Engineering and Development Department said Wong will be allowed to reclaim "certain belongings based on the situation."

As part of the preparation work, contractors hired by the department will tear down remaining structures and remove material such as timber, equipment and sign boards from the facility.

The sawmill was originally ordered to move last year on government notice, but the deadline was extended twice.

Last week, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said factories forced to close or relocate for new town developments will be offered more financial assistance, but only if they are beneficial to the economy.

That came as 41-year-old ice maker Turbo Ice announced a day before Linn's remarks that they were on the brink of closing down as authorities planned to reclaim its Tuen Mun factory site for public housing development.

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com