mbill

PO TOI  ISLAND IS AT RISK!!!!!   蒲台有難了!!!
On Saturday (25/11/2006) when I’m watching birds at the Cafe (糖水舖), I saw many flags in blue, yellow and white colour had been set up on the hill area opposite the store.  I wonder what is going on?
The female boss of the store told me that a golf field is planning to build there, the flags are using as some measurement by the workers.
Although there are many graves around the hill, but some compensation to their families were in progress.
If it is true, what can we do???!!!     

PO TOI  ISLAND IS AT RISK!!!!!   蒲台有難了!!!
Photos will submitte later.

星期六(25/11/2006)我 在坤記士多(糖水舖)
觀鳥時發現很多黃色﹐藍色﹐和白色的旗遍插士多對面山頭﹐好奇地問事頭婆。  她說是某地產商興建高爾夫球場的用地﹐那些旗是測量用的。  雖然山頭有很多墳墓﹐但聽說已開始陸續收地賠償。
假如這是真的﹐ 愛好大自然及觀鳥的我們又能做什麼呢   ???

救救蒲台!!!!!!!
        

mbill

The proof:

The flags opposite the store



The flag at the path heading SE next to a grave

The flags at other graves in Po Toi Island


If this is true ,         

lmichael

Bill

A golf course always requires an Environmental Impact Assessment under the EIA Ordinance (Schedule 2, O.1).

I have checked on the EIA website and no EIA has been submitted to Environmental Protection Department for such a project, let alone approved! It is illegal to begin construction of a Golf Course without such an approval.

I suggest that you refer what you found out together with the photos to Environmental Protection Department and ask them to conduct an investigation.

Well done for checking this out - it is always worth being vigilant about such things.

tmichael

There have been notices of a legal nature posted up in that area for some time, apparently concerning a case in the courts about a dispute over the ownership of land in that area, with one of the parties being called "HongKong Golf Resorts" or something similar.

There was supposed to be a hearing on some aspect last April sometime, but then fresh notices appeared this autumn.

I think one or two of the lawyers amongst us have glanced at the papers and may be able to throw some light on the situation.

Certainly a story to get other green groups and the press onto asap.

Mike Turnbull

tmichael

Also a golf course may require an EIA, but does a golf driving range?

Mike Turnbull

深藍-Owen

Did a "in-official golf-course" need a EIA?? just worry what happen to Shum Chung will happen in Po Toi again.

lmichael

Does a driving range require an EIA?

Good point, the exact wording in the EIAO is 'an outdoor golf course and all managed turf areas'

However neither golf course nor managed turf area is interpreted in the ordinance. I don't know if there is a precedent - any driving ranges constructed since the ordinance?

Another point is that Po Toi has no Outline Zoning Plan - it may be worth pushing Planning Department to prepare one.

wgeoff

I will check this out with the locals when I go tomorrow.

However, I think the lady may be putting 1+1 together and getting 3.

The survey has been done over the inhabited part of the island also, including the area around the jetty, the restaurant and the toilet block. I presume this would not be included in a golf course although with sufficient compensation, I'm sure the locals will sell their plots. I heard the survey was being done by the Lands Department to update their survey maps which were last done in 1903, and was happening all over the less well surveyed part of the New Territories.

There has been a dispute over the area around the cafe which the lady operates, apparently a company was set up with the thought of building a golf course around there and obtained several loans by mortgaging the land which they had rights to. They did not pay back the loans and the courts transferred the land to the loan companies as compensation.

I hope she is mixing these two separate events together, but it is certainly worth checking out as Mike Leven suggests. It is possible the companies which have now acquired the land want to redevelop it but surely they will need some sort of planning permission to do anything major?

wcaptain

A letter to Island District Home Office / Lands Dept asking whether there is an application for golf course will be helpful to find out the fact. I could send such letter from my office.

I am really doubt about the golf course on Po Toi as the sea is quite rough in most of the time (but a helicopter pad could help).

Also, I guess most of the area on Poi Toi (except the village) is govt lands. So, it is not easy to build a golf course / driving range. I believe driving range should be included in the EIA ordinance as both need site formation.

Can't say the Sham Chung tragedy will happen on Po Toi, but the EIA ordinance should stop this kind of env degradation.

Perhaps HKBWS should put a Po Toi SSSI application to the Govt asap.

Captain

mbill

We love PO TOI ISLAND
Thanks everyone who concern Po Toi, and thanks Caption Wong write a letter to Island District Home Office / Lands Dept .
We look forward for the good news.

wgeoff

My contact on Po Toi told me that the original land owner did intend to build a golf course but he went bankrupt and the land was transferred to his creditors, and it was not yet known what they intend to do with it.  

I don't know if this is any more reliable than the lady who Bill spoke to. However, I did look around the land again this week and came to much the same conclusion as I did some time ago. I do not believe it is possible to build a golf course in the area under question for the following reasons

1. It is too small an area, you need about 4x the area for a full-sized course. Also the terrain is not suitable, steep sides covered with rocky boulders which would be very difficult and expensive to convert to flattish grass. Only the football field and the valley floor are flat land. This land is nothing like Sham Chung.

2. The plots which were transferred in the High Court case appear on a Lot Index Plan which I have a copy of. There are large gaps between plots which presumably are still government owned which must make it difficult to develop as a whole.

This leaves the possibility of a mini- course or a driving range. Even a mini course will have the same development problems as above. For a driving range, only the valley floor is long and flat enough - the football field is only 70 metres long - but according to the court reports, this single plot is not included and anyway is very narrow for a driving range.

Personally, I doubt whether any golfing development is economically viable. But the new owners will presumably want to do something with their new land if they can. So if it is possible to create some sanctaury for Po Toi, I suggest we try to do it.

wgeoff

Just to keep you updated.

The new owners of this land are now trying to sell it, presumably because they don't think it's worth developing.

I don't think they will find a buyer, I can't think of any project which would make economic sense on this land.

However, HKBWS Conservation Committee are now following this and will take whatever action they think appropriate.