Greater Bay | Guangdong open to leasing new towns to HK residents

GUANGDONG authorities are open to leasing new towns on the mainland for the purpose of housing Hong Kong residents, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) has reported.

Hailing Macau’s rental of a part of Hengqin Island in Zhuhai as a success, Guangdong’s housing and urban-rural development department suggested a similar arrangement might be negotiated with Hong Kong.

In a statement, the mainland department said that it was interested in studying the development of new towns in Guangdong occupied with residents of Hong Kong.

“In the next step of constructing the Greater Bay Area, we would consider the housing needs of different groups and solve housing problems of those including Hong Kong people who come to work and live in the mainland,” the statement said.

The pro-establishment political association, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), initially suggested the plan, offering the possibilities of leasing or buying land from mainland cities.

In the case of Macau, the strip of land in Hengqin that hosts the University of Macau is leased for a total of MOP1.2 billion over the course of 40 years.

DAB representatives said that the response from the Guangdong authorities was promising and urged the HKSAR administration to pursue the idea.

According to the SCMP, Association chairwoman Starry Lee said that setting up towns on the mainland was a “win-win situation” made operationally simpler by the soon-to-open infrastructure projects connecting the city to the mainland. She added that these projects would make commuting easier for those working in Hong Kong but living on the mainland.

However, Stanley Wong, chairman of Hong Kong’s Housing Authority, noted that challenges might be encountered in convincing Hong Kong residents to relocate further away from Hong Kong Island. Already, he said, families were reluctant to move to the outlying parts of the special administrative region.