Private bridge construction in Tai Po

Contributed by Trish Blomfield

A private bridge construction was commenced last week at the location on the attached Lot Plan (near a drainage tunnel marked N108).

Some interesting aspects to this case

1) How long will the case get passed around between govt departments with no action (Lands Dept, Drainage Services, EPD, police…)? The developer in the meantime will complete their bridge and sells the houses to unsuspecting buyers. The developer is asking 9M for each of the 3 houses but without road access, they wouldn’t be able to get this kind of money.

2) Will the stream flood as a result of the substantial blocking of the river – it looks like a small stream today but becomes a torrent in rainstorms.

3) The stream is tidal at this spot – if the stream is blocked, what will happen at high tides?

4) The river valley is a green belt area and the stream is visited by migratory birds, and other wildlife such as kingfishers is common.

5) What other stories are there behind this development – why did the landowner on the other side block access to the site?