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5.Lantau Development








                                                    As this Report has reiterated, Hong Kong has not witnessed the
                                             completion of any large-scale land development project for well over a
                                             decade. Looking ahead, the next large-scale land development project
                                             with an immense strategic value to be completed in the city would be
                                             the development of Lantau Island. As such, this Chapter presents our
                                             view on the Lantau Development and discusses some important aspects
                                             surrounding the project, with several policy recommendations.


                                             5.1 Background


                                                    Following the successful completion of the “Hong Kong Airport Core
                                             Programme” during which the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Tsing
                                             Ma Bridge, North Lantau Highway, and Tung Chung New Town were built,
                                             Lantau is presented with its next development opportunity to become the
                                             intersection point between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Pearl River Delta
                                             (PRD). With the completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB)
                                             and the Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL), it will put most of the
                                             cities in the Pearl River Delta within a three-hour commute radius of Hong
                                             Kong.


                                             5.2 Overall recommendations


                                             Regarding the Lantau Development, we put forth 5 recommendations as
                                             follows:
                                             1.  Prioritising transportation in urban development: The efficiency of
                                                transportation system is instrumental to the success of new town
                                                development. To avoid the past planning mistakes, improving existing
                                                transportation network to cater for future needs should be at the top of
                                                the development agenda;

                                             2.  Balancing the different aspirations in different regions: The government
                                                should examine the development constraints and needs, and tailor
                                                various development strategies for different regions of Lantau Island;

                                                Maximising the “clustering effect”: Lantau should be established as a
                                             3.  world-class “showcase” under the planning concept of an “Aerotropolis”,
                                                such that a complementary economic ecosystem incorporating
                                                different regions could be formulated, propelling Lantau into a smart


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