Hong Kong court overturns conditional approval for building 12,000 flats on golf course

A Hong Kong court has overturned the environmental authorities’ conditional approval for building 12,000 public flats on part of the city’s oldest golf course, a ruling that could send the development plan back to the consultation stage.

The High Court handed down the judgment on Monday after the Hong Kong Golf Club filed a legal challenge against the government’s decision on an environmental impact assessment report for the public housing development on 9.5 hectares (23.5 acres) of the 172-hectare course in Fanling.

The judge noted that quashing the decision could lead to the public consultation being reconducted and comments sought again from the environmental advisers.

The court earlier ordered a temporary halt to any decisions arising from the report until the judicial challenge was resolved.

In May last year, the director of environmental protection gave conditional approval to the assessment report conducted by the Civil Engineering and Development Department, depending on whether the layout plan could be revised to preserve about 0.4 hectares of woodland, and minimise the impact on tree preservation, the landscape and visual aspects.

The 9.5-hectare site has been temporarily rezoned to “undetermined” following the proposal review and judicial challenge.