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1.2.2 Dwindling reserves of developable land

Delving into the former uses of developable land, it is discovered
that over 70% of GFA sold in government land auction / tender in 2012
originated from reclaimed land from the 1990s, e.g. Area 66 in Tseung Kwan
O, and from developable land in the previous generations of New Towns, e.g.
Tuen Mun East and Kau To, Shatin (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Government Land Sales 2012 and 2015, by former use of sites

Note : Including non-residential sites.
Source: Our Hong Kong Foundation.

By 2015, the total GFA originating from reclaimed land and develop-
able land in the New Towns encompassed only 50% of the overall figure. On
the contrary, land that needs to go through town planning processes of re-
zoning for development such as slopes, government sites (such as former
staff quarters), work sites etc. surged from 8% of the total residential GFA in
2012 to 41% in 2015. This reflects that readily developable government land is
dwindling, and therefore the government is increasingly relying on change
of land use as a means of land supply (Figure 6).

If further comparison is made, the site area of reclaimed land and
developable land from the previous generation of new towns are generally
larger, with an average size of more than 160,000 sf. On the other hand, the
average area of rezoned sites is significantly smaller, with an average site
area of about 50,000 sf (Figure 7).

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