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Hong Kong Legislative Council: Hong Kong 2030+: Extend the public engagement
Ben P.
started this petition to
Hong Kong Legislative Council, Hong Kong Government
The public consultation on the 2030&plus development plan has been under publicised and too short relative to the scale of the project. On behalf of the youth of Hong Kong, we the undersigned urge the government to extend the public consultation until the end of 2017.
The 2030&plus development plan proposed by the government includes major infrastructure projects in two “strategic growth areas”, the New Territories North (NTN) and East Lantau Metropolis (ELM). Current residents of these two areas have only been passively engaged in the public consultation ‐ for example, a recent public consultation in Mui Wo, Lantau Island was grossly under advertised, provoking a public outcry from many residents who stand to be the most affected by the ELM project. It is only due to the concerted efforts of residents and NGOs in both areas that many people are even aware of the development plan’s existence, let alone the public engagement process which generally has been regarded as unjust.
The time frame of the public engagement ‐ which draws to a close on April 30th 2017 ‐ is inconsistent with the scale of the planned developments. Either the ELM or the NTN alone would be the biggest infrastructure project in Hong Kong’s history. It is also far too rushed. A project of such scale requires time and effort to reach consensus and the public engagement from the government should reflect this by being robust, active, and long enough to have a good chance of engaging all residents of the proposed areas and all of Hong Kong’s wider citizenry.
Hong Kong’s teenage and young adult residents, who will comprise most of the adult workforce when the project is completed, feel especially sidelined by the lack of attention paid to their future. Even more so than the broader population, no effort has been made by the government to make them aware of, or collect their views on, projects which could dominate most of their adult lives.
The general public is still largely uninformed about this project. This means there will be a lot of obstacles for the government’s long term plans if the public are not consulted properly in the preliminary stage.
Standing with Hong Kong’s young people, the undersigned urge the legislative council to extend the public consultation period until the end of 2017, and during that time actively seek out and act upon the views presented by a significant cross section of Hong Kong’s society, as well as holding all funding applications related to the plans until the extended consultation is complete.
Sincerely,
The 2030&plus development plan proposed by the government includes major infrastructure projects in two “strategic growth areas”, the New Territories North (NTN) and East Lantau Metropolis (ELM). Current residents of these two areas have only been passively engaged in the public consultation ‐ for example, a recent public consultation in Mui Wo, Lantau Island was grossly under advertised, provoking a public outcry from many residents who stand to be the most affected by the ELM project. It is only due to the concerted efforts of residents and NGOs in both areas that many people are even aware of the development plan’s existence, let alone the public engagement process which generally has been regarded as unjust.
The time frame of the public engagement ‐ which draws to a close on April 30th 2017 ‐ is inconsistent with the scale of the planned developments. Either the ELM or the NTN alone would be the biggest infrastructure project in Hong Kong’s history. It is also far too rushed. A project of such scale requires time and effort to reach consensus and the public engagement from the government should reflect this by being robust, active, and long enough to have a good chance of engaging all residents of the proposed areas and all of Hong Kong’s wider citizenry.
Hong Kong’s teenage and young adult residents, who will comprise most of the adult workforce when the project is completed, feel especially sidelined by the lack of attention paid to their future. Even more so than the broader population, no effort has been made by the government to make them aware of, or collect their views on, projects which could dominate most of their adult lives.
The general public is still largely uninformed about this project. This means there will be a lot of obstacles for the government’s long term plans if the public are not consulted properly in the preliminary stage.
Standing with Hong Kong’s young people, the undersigned urge the legislative council to extend the public consultation period until the end of 2017, and during that time actively seek out and act upon the views presented by a significant cross section of Hong Kong’s society, as well as holding all funding applications related to the plans until the extended consultation is complete.
Sincerely,
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