This photo taken on May 24, 2018 shows people playing golf at the Hong Kong Golf Club's Fanling golf course. (PHOTO / AFP)

HONG KONG – The Town Planning Board on Monday decided to designate 9.5 hectares of the Fanling golf course as “undetermined” as it agreed that the area is suitable for public housing.

The TPB decided to amend the zoning of the area temporarily to allow the Civil Engineering and Development Department to review the layout design, building height and development density of the public housing development.

The majority of TPB members agreed that the area was suitable for public housing, noting that the site is located near the Sheung Shui MTR Station and several existing public housing estates in the North District

The review would help address the conditions set out in the approval of the development project’s Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

The majority of TPB members agreed that the area was suitable for public housing, noting that the site is located near the Sheung Shui MTR Station and several existing public housing estates in the North District.

“The proposed public housing development was compatible with the surrounding areas and could benefit from the existing transport and community facilities,” the board said.

It added that the various technical assessments on the draft outline zoning plan also largely confirmed the overall technical feasibility of the proposed housing development at the site.

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The TPB also noted the Hong Kong Golf Club has applied for judicial review, challenging the EIA report allowing the construction of public housing in the site. The board said this would not affect the TPB proceeding with its statutory planning procedures.

The TPB said that the golf club’s New Course and Eden Couse, each of a standard course with 18 holes, and the Old Course with the remaining 10 holes located to the west of Fan Kam Road, which amount to a total area of 140 hectares, will still be kept by the club, and the New Course and Eden Course will continue to be used for holding international tournaments.

The board also pointed out that the government has stated clearly that, if circumstances permit, it is willing to let the club use the land, including the 9.5 hectares if not yet required for housing, for future international tournaments.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is set to take back 32 hectares of the golf course on Sept 1, with 9.5 hectares intended for housing while the remaining 22 will be used for recreation and conservation.

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The TPB urged the government to properly conserve the natural landscape and ecological features of the area, “and as far as possible, to open the area to public for passive recreational use whilst not affecting the intention for conservation.”