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The ‘Field’ to Change: Hong Kong’s Brownfield Policy in the Past, Present and Future

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+ Book Description Is reclamation inevitable? Is the rural New Territories “unplannable”? In land-scarce Hong Kong, why is brownfield land still a “taboo” in the eyes of urban planners? Adopting a community research approach, The ‘Field’ to Change tries to answer these perennial questions. This book consolidates the yearslong research on a range of issues from the brownfields to the broader land question in Hong Kong. Grounded on substantive research over the years, it dissects the brownfield issue from multiple perspectives. The new discourses provide a point of departure for drawing up a blueprint to tackle Hong Kong’s land problem by more sustainable development options other than reclamation. “There are three obstacles to cleaning up the mess in the unruly New Territories: landed interests, village gentries and failure in proper planning.” 　 Recommendations As the Chinese saying goes, “it takes a decade to sharpen a sword”. The book reflects the perseverance of the Liber Research Community and the civil society in conceptualising “brownfield land”. “Brownfield land” transformed from an unknown into the most popular land development option in the “Land Debate” in 2018. In the following year, the government announced the official review of 160 hectares of brownfield land for public housing development. This was the achievement of the civil society in its advocacy of brownfield land redevelopment over the last the years and marked an important page in the history of land development in Hong Kong. ──Andy Chu, Programme Manager, Greenpeace 　 Book information Author: Liber Research Community Book design: Russell Pun, Kest Cheung Publisher: Liber Research Community Publication date: November 2022 ISBN: 978-988-14095-8-4 Retail price: HK$108 Wholesale price: HK$75.6 　 About the author Registered as a non-profit organization in 2014, Liber Research Community (HK) Company Limited consists of a group of people who undertake independent research with the development of Hong Kong in mind. Liber Research Community is a testing ground where people with different research interests can get together and improve the research capacity of society as a whole. 　 Content Foreword: Andy Chu (Programme Manager, Greenpeace) Chapter 1: An overview of brownfields in Hong Kong 　　Preface 　　A brief history of brownfield policy: Milestones over the past decade 　　　　Milestone 1: Key questions identified for a more solid factual foundation 　　　　Milestone 2: Brownfield sites as the most popular land option 　　　　Milestone 3: Brownfield development supported by civil society 　　　　Milestone 4: Policy breakthrough 　　　　Milestone 5: Ongoing public scrutiny 　　Brownfields as a land controversy in Hong Kong: An overview 　　　　Debunking the myth of “land shortage” in Hong Kong 　　　　Brownfields as a method: Changing land development patterns 　　　　Breakthroughs in land development 　　　　The civil agenda under an increasingly authoritarian policy-making environment 　　Unfinished agenda: About the book Chapter 2: Tracing brownfields 　　Major characteristics of brownfield land 　　　　Spatial expansion 　　　　Distribution and features 　　　　Ownership structure 　　　　Operations and uses 　　Development potential 　　　　Degree of clustering 　　　　Locations and accessibility 　　　　Other factors 　　Problems caused by brownfield expansion 　　　　Poor pedestrians and vehicles separation 　　　　Safety problems 　　　　Ecological catastrophes 　　　　Land pollution 　　　　Hotbed of illegal activities 　　　　Encroaching conservation zones 　　Problematic data collection in official surveys 　　　　Outdated data 　　　　Incomplete scope of research 　　　　Fallen off the radar- “Hidden” brownfield sites 　　　　Sites used by government departments omitted from official surveys Chapter 3: Case Studies: prominent examples of brownfield land 　　Case 1: Wang Chau, Yuen Long- The Origin of the Brownfield Controversy 　　　　The Wang Chau saga 　　　　Brownfield issues – adjourn sine die Under-the-table deals 　　　　Land-subletting business 　　　　Road works paving the way for private development 　　　　The victims 　　Case 2: The Longest Delay: Brownfield clusters in Ping Shan, Yuen Long 　　　　A road away makes a totally different fate 　　　　Land ownership pattern influenced resumption decisions 　　Case 3: Flooding in Shek Wu Wai, San Tin: Natural disaster or man-made misfortune? 　　　　Brownfield land quadrupled in 20 years 　　　　The top flooding blackspot in Hong Kong 　　　　The “Planning vacuum” 　　　　Poor planning fueled brownfield activities 　　 　　　　Focus 1: Shan Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long: Farmlands damaged by brownfield operations (2013) 　　　　Focus 2: Pui O, Lantau Island: Brownfield sites encroaching the coast (2015) 　　　　Focus 3: Wo Yi Hop Tsuen, Kwai Chung: Brownfield sites encroaching the Country Park (2021) 　　　　Focus 4: Ngau Tam Mei, Yuen Long: Gigantic illegal brownfield operations (2016) 　　　　Focus 5: Ha Tsuen and Kai Pak Ling: Hong Kong’s “lung disease village” 　　　　Focus 6: Sha Kong Wai, Hung Shui Kiu: the neglected brownfield clusters (2021) 　　　　Focus 7: Hung Lung Hang, Sheung Shui: The most poisonous brownfield cluster 　　　　Focus 8: Wetland at the border: facing imminent danger of brownfield encroachment Chapter 4: Tracing the birth of the brownfield crisis through an archival lens 　　Cottage factories: Emerging “brownfield sites” in the New Territories since the 1950s 　　Taming the unruly rural areas 　　　　Dealing with the uncontrolled spread of rural workshops 　　　　1960s-Opportunities for solving the rural factory problem 　　　　A More Positive Approach 　　　　The classification principle 　　The “Small Brownfield Park” proposal revisited 　　The plan went in smoke 　　　　Should the government revive the plan? 　　The insatiable: The role of Heung Yee Kuk in the brownfield problem 　　　　The “Joint Opinion”: A prelude to the Melhado Case 　　　　Escalating into a diplomatic clash Chapter 5: Legal issues and brownfield landscapes 　　The Tin Shui Wai “waste dump” 　　　　A rural spectacle created by legal loopholes 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 1] Incomplete enforcement power 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 2] Ill-defined land uses 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 3] What defines changes of land uses? 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 4] Unfulfilled reinstatement 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 5] Punished for sympathy 　　　　[Town Planning Ordinance: Issue 6] Town Planning Guidelines: a toothless tiger? 　　　　Case 1: 30 rezoning applications approved after the amendments to the “Open Storage” Planning Guidelines 　　　　Case 2: Thin end of the wedge: changing zoning categories fueled brownfield expansion 　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 1] Are brownfield operations on farmland under Block Crown Lease exempted from regulation? 　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 2] “Movable” unauthorised building works 　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 3] Occupying government land 　　　　[Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance: Issue 4] Offenders occupying government land at no cost 　　　　[Waste Disposal Ordinance: Issue 1] Is waste in the eye of the landholders? 　　　　[Waste Disposal Ordinance: Issue 2 ] Toothless penalties that deter nobody Legal loopholes encourage brownfield expansion Chapter 6: A forward-looking roadmap 　　Three ultimate obstacles to address brownfield issues 　　　　Obstacle 1: Changing mindset – How to form a sustainable vision of land development? 　　　　Obstacle 2: Deconstruction/Reconstruction –How can we facilitate changes under the influence of vested interests? 　　　　Obstacle 3: The Future — A forward-looking urban brownfield policy 　　A roadmap for a change to brownfield issues 　　　　Drawing a blueprint 　　　　Getting to the root cause: No more land should be used as dump sites 　　　　Regular stock-taking of brownfield land 　　　　Setting an affordable housing target 　　　　Establishing a long-term policy for relocation of brownfield operations Chapter 7: Finale- words from our researchers Appendices Appendix 1: Definitions of brownfields and policy changes Appendix 2: How to plug the loopholes created by the Melhado Case: Three solutions proposed by the British Hong Kong Government

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