雙語社評齊齊聽

[英語 (足本收聽)] Presented by Dr TAO, Wei-yi Kimberly, Lecturer of School of Professional Education and Executive Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

[普通話 (足本收聽)] Presented by Dr CHOI, Wai-yuk, Lecturer of Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

In September next year, 32 hectares of land on Fanling Golf Course will be returned to the government. The government said last year that all the land in question would be used for public housing, and over 10,000 units were expected to be built. The latest proposal, however, has shown a subtle departure.

[ENG audio 1]

Fanling Golf Course covers an area of 172 hectares and is leased by the government on a Private Recreational Lease. Although it is used as a training site by the Hong Kong golf team and is open to the public in certain time slots, Fanling Golf Course has long been seen by the public as a ''club for the powerful''. With a serious disparity between the rich and the poor in Hong Kong and the dire land and housing problem, the issue of Fanling golf course has become a reflection of the deep-seated conflicts in society. In recent years, there have been growing calls in society for the government to take back the golf course. Opponents insist that the golf course has great conservation and sports value. There are also local political parties that are concerned about whether the transportation infrastructure of the district will become overloaded if housing is put up on a massive scale. After the current government took office, the great land debate was launched. The Task Force on Land Supply recommended that the government prioritise partial development plans by taking back the 32-hectare golf course site to the east of Fan Kam Road as a short- and medium-term land supply option. As for the remaining 100-odd hectares, the Task Force did not recommend to rule out long-term development, leaving it for the government to consider in the future.

[ENG audio 2]

The government's attitude towards taking back the Fanling Golf Course site has changed again and again, leaving the public with a general impression that it does not want to ruffle the feathers of vested interests and lacks the will to pursue radical land development. At first, government officials contended that Fanling Golf Course was visited by many golf players and had high public usage. It also said that 4,000 public housing units or so would be ''more or less the upper limit'' of units that could be built on the 32-hectare land under the existing transportation conditions, effectively pouring cold water on the idea of reclaiming land from the site to build houses. After the government accepted the Task Force's report and agreed to reclaim the 32-hectare land first, the authorities suddenly changed course and claimed that the land could accommodate 9,000 units. At the end of last year, Secretary for Development Wong Wai-lun even said that the entire plot of land would be used to build public housing units and would be expected to provide over 10,000 units, adding that procedures such as those involving the town planning could be completed before the reclamation of the land in question in 2023. Recently, the government submitted documents to the North District Council, explaining the specific development plan. 12,000 public housing units will be completed by 2029 at the earliest. On the surface, the government has not reneged on its promise. Yet, there are certain aspects in the plan that have aroused concern and even confusion.

[ENG audio 3]

According to the development plan proposed by the government, housing construction will be limited to about 8 hectares of land in the north-east corner of the site, and its location will be mainly where the large auxiliary parking lot of the golf course is currently located. Generally speaking, the building density of public housing is about 1,000 units per hectare. The housing density proposed in the new plan is unusually high, which makes people worry that the living conditions will be quite cramped. The government has a responsibility to give a reasonable explanation for this decision.

[ENG audio 4]

高球場僅8公頃建屋 新發展方案令人疑惑

粉嶺高爾夫球場其中32公頃土地，明年9月歸還政府。政府去年表示，相關用地將全數用於公營房屋，盼建逾萬單位，最新建議卻出現微妙變化。

[PTH audio 1]

粉嶺高球場佔地172公頃，由政府以私人遊樂場地契約方式出租，雖然有供港隊代表訓練使用，部分時段亦會對外開放，可是看在公眾眼裏，粉嶺高球場長期以來都是「權貴俱樂部」。本港貧富懸殊嚴重、土地房屋問題水深火熱，粉嶺高球場問題，成為一面反映社會深層次矛盾的鏡子。近年民間要求政府收回高球場呼聲高漲，反對者堅稱，高球場有重大保育及體育運動價值，亦有地區政黨人士關注，倘若大規模建屋，區內交通基建將不勝負荷。現屆政府上台後，發起土地大辯論。土地供應專責小組建議政府「優先考慮」局部發展計劃，先收回粉錦公路以東的32公頃高球場用地，作為短中期土地供應選項，至於其餘百多公頃，土地小組並無建議長遠不發展，留待政府日後再考慮。

[PTH audio 2]

政府對收回粉嶺高球場用地，態度一變再變，予人總體印象是不太想碰既得利益，缺乏大刀闊斧發展之心。政府官員初時揚言很多人到高球場打球，公眾使用量很高，又說該幅32公頃土地在現有交通情况下，興建4000多伙公營房屋已「差不多是上限」，變相為收地建屋潑冷水。及至政府接納土地小組報告，同意先收32公頃土地後，當局忽然改稱，該地皮可建屋9000伙，發展局長黃偉綸去年底更說，該幅土地將全數興建公營房屋，料可提供過萬單位，城規等程序料可趕及在2023年收回相關地皮前完成。政府近日向北區區議會提交文件，交代具體發展計劃，1.2萬伙公營房屋最快2029年完成，表面看似乎沒有「走數」，然而方案同時亦有好些令人在意甚至疑惑的地方。

[PTH audio 3]

政府提出的發展計劃，建屋範圍僅限於地皮東北一隅大約8公頃土地，其所在位置，主要就是目前高球場的大型附屬停車場。一般而言，公屋興建密度每公頃約1000伙，新方案提出的建屋密度超乎尋常，令人擔心居住環境相當侷促擠迫，政府有責任就這一決定，合理交代。

[PTH audio 4]

明報社評2022.5.24