Golfers compete during the Hong Kong Open 2018 at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. (INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT)

The Hong Kong government has said a court decision granting leave to an application for judicial review of an environment impact assessment (EIA) report for building public housing on the Fanling golf course will not affect the government taking back 32 hectares of land. 

The 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.

On Tuesday, a High Court judge ruled that he would hear the Hong Kong Golf Club’s application challenging the EIA report allowing the construction of public housing on the site.

READ MORE: Fanling golf course site deemed suitable for HK public housing

In response to media inquiries on the impact arising from Tuesday’s court decision, a spokesperson for the Development Bureau said in a statement: “We note that the court has granted leave to the relevant application for judicial review and an ‘interim’ stay of the relevant approval for the environmental impact assessment.”

On Monday, the TPB decided to designate 9.5 hectares of the Fanling golf course as “undetermined” as it agreed that the area is suitable for public housing

“Having sought legal advice, we also note that the court's decision will not affect the Town Planning Board's procedures of gazetting the proposed amendment of zoning to ‘undetermined’ in early August and inviting further representations,” the statement reads.

Regarding the challenge of the EIA report allowing the construction of public housing in the site, the Town Planning Board said earlier on Monday that this would not affect the TPB proceeding with its statutory planning procedures.

The golf club’s New Course and Eden Course – 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 said.

Also the same day, the TPB decided to designate 9.5 hectares of the Fanling golf course as “undetermined” as it agreed that the area is suitable for public housing.

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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.