Fung shui spell over golf land agenda

Hong Kong will suffer from disasters and bad luck while achieving nothing if the government takes back 32 hectares of the Fanling Golf Course, nearby residents said yesterday at the Town Planning Board's last public hearing.

Villagers said building public flats on the golf course will undermine their living quality and aggravate traffic congestion in the area, as they expressed objections to the government's plan to take back the land for public housing in a nine-hectare area.

They said they would rather have the land back if the government no longer leases it to the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Speaking at the hearing, a representative of the Ching Ho Football Club of North District said he had visited the Wong Tai Sin Temple to ask about Hong Kong's fortune.

"I asked the gods what Hong Kong's future will be like if the government takes back the land from the golf course. The fortune stick says there will be inevitable disasters and the SAR will not achieve anything," he said.

"The golf course is such a good place which can help the community host various events. Why does the government suddenly have to take it back?"

Head of the nearby Ping Kong Village, Hau, said the land was earmarked for golf training and exercise purposes.

"I've found the land contract my grandfather and father left, which says the colonial government bought the land that belonged to Ping Kong Village for HK$3,200. It states that the land would be used to teach children to play golf and could not be sold."

Another villager, Leung, reiterated that residents would like to take back the land if the golf club no longer manages the course. "If the government does not allow the golf club to use the land, we want it back as building public housing units will cause inconvenience for us and affect our lives," she said.

A resident of Ho Sheung Heung said the area is already suffering from traffic congestion as it takes an hour for villagers to return to work in Sheung Shui every morning, adding that the construction will only worsen the situation.

"The construction of public flats cannot be retracted, as we can't ask residents to leave once they move to the area."

North District Councilor Simon Hau Fuk-tat said the existing transportation in the area cannot handle a huge number of residents, adding that Fan Kam Road lacks maintenance.

He appealed to the government to find an alternative plot to build public flats.

Representative of Kam Tsin Village Hau Tim-kau, said the government should learn from the mainland and complete restoring transport facilities first before building the flats.

The villagers also petitioned at the North Point government offices to keep the golf course for hosting international events, which can further raise the SAR's international status.

They appealed to the government to attach greater importance to historical and cultural heritage by cherishing the Fanling Golf Course - the oldest course in the Greater China area.

However, the Society for Community Organization counterpetitioned, urging the government to carry out its plan to build public housing on the site for 220,000 people living in subdivided units.