Hong Kong shelves HK$700 million infrastructure gallery proposal after backlash
Gallery proposed for Wan Chai North waterfront would have showcased projects such as Northern Metropolis, but plan scrapped after public outcry
The construction of the gallery on the Wan Chai North waterfront was announced in the 2023 policy address, and the budget was included in the government’s planned HK$30 billion financial application for the first-stage of the city’s innovation hub, known as the San Tin Technopole in the metropolis project.
In a reply to the Post, a spokeswoman for the Development Bureau confirmed on Thursday that the project would not go ahead after consulting public views.
“After getting views from society and the legislature about building the infrastructure exhibition hall in Wan Chai North and taking into account the work priority, the government has decided not to implement the project at this stage,” she said.
The spokeswoman added that an exhibition would be set up at a community centre in the Northern Metropolis and promoted online instead, to keep the public updated on the latest developments of the megaproject.
The decision followed criticism from lawmakers who questioned whether the plan made the best use of the prime site and authorities’ move to bundle the funding for the hall with that of the technopole.