'Turn south Lantau into a resort town'

Lawmakers on Tuesday called on authorities to speed up its long-standing plan to turn south Lantau into a tourist spot, with some urging the government to make it a high-end vacation resort. Officials told a Legco meeting they were collecting the public's views over the next two months on building a pier and accommodation facilities in Cheung Sha, as well as setting up a water sports centre at Hong Kong’s longest beach there. In the proposed South Lantau Eco-Recreation Corridor plan, an uphill chairlift would also be built in Cheung Sha, and the neighbouring areas of Shek Pik, Shui Hau and Pui O would get walkways around a reservoir, along the shore of a sand flat, or on treetops. But legislators like Andrew Lam said the government had earlier made such plans in its blueprint to develop Lantau back in 2017, and had asked authorities to act on them. Undersecretary for Development David Lam said the government would try to build more parking spaces, family playgrounds and a visitor’s centre in the area in a year or two. The undersecretary said preliminary assessments on the environment and infrastructure had shown the proposals would not have any adverse impact on south Lantau. He said it is estimated the corridor would attract 4,000 to 6,000 more visitors a day during holidays. "We will have to access the reception capacity of Lantau as a whole because it wouldn't be ideal if too many visitors are going to the area and destroy the local characteristics. So maybe we'll implement an online booking system," he said. Meanwhile, Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien said authorities could transform south Lantau into an upscale vacation destination featuring high-end resort hotels. Lam said authorities were liaising with developers and had received some positive response.