Hong Kong concern group finds 173 luxury houses citywide suspected to be occupying government land, calls for authorities to take action
- Survey follows controversy over three properties at high-end estate Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam, with breaches found after landslide prompts inspections
- NGO Liber Research Community claims it had compared satellite images and government plot plans to identify properties
A concern group on Hong Kong’s land and development issues has urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of properties after saying it found 173 luxury houses citywide occupying government land without permission.
NGO Liber Research Community made the call on Thursday amid controversy surrounding three properties at luxury estate Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam. Record rainfall last week sparked a landslide in the area, leading to safety checks that revealed the houses had expanded onto government land.
“The downpour showed the common practice of building a private garden on government land is not just a question of non-compliance or unreasonable use of land resources, but also a safety problem,” warned Chan Kim-ching, founder of the group.
“The development was likely to have destabilised the slope and partly triggered the landslide. The public’s attention should go far beyond Redhill Peninsula.”
By comparing satellite images and government plot plans, the group identified eight major areas of luxury houses across the territory, finding what it said was 173 suspected cases of illegal occupancy of government land in the past few days.