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Fles
Mr Maže
RC
17 JUN1975
~KK 76
52
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
HONG KONG: MAI PO MARSHES
1.
CONFIDENTIAL
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Molfett
Mr. Walton
14/6
Goronwy - Roberts
Mr Galsworthy's minute to me of 16 April indicated that
Lord Goronwy-Roberts hoped that proper consideration would be given to environmental aspects involved in the building of a housing
estate near the Mai Po marshes. I think we can assure Lord
Goronwy-Roberts that this is the case.
2.
The scheme in question is for an estate of garden houses adjacent to the marshes and covering 280 acres. The environmental aspects have been considered by the Nature Conservation Sub-Committee of the Hong Kong Government's Advisory Committee on Recreational Development and Nature Conservation; and subsequently by the Advisory Committee itself. The latter, which consists of officials and specialists in ecology and wildlife, decided, apparently unanimously, that the housing estate was not incompatible with a nature reserve on the marshes provided that a protective bund, screen of trees and some other works were installed and properly maintained by the developer. One member of the Committee expressed concern lest sewage and insecticide tainted drainage water from the estate would affect the marshes; but assurances were given that these presented no problems, given the design of the drainage system.
The International Council for Bird Preservation seem to
have been prompted to pass their resolution on the marshes partly because of doubts about the degree to which the Hong Kong Government could control matters once the houses were occupied. The Government's reply, however, indicates that control can continue to be exercised through the lease conditions imposed on the developer.
3.
On the wider issue of the possible declaration of the marshes as a nature reserve, advocated by the International Council for Bird Preservation, Lord Goronwy-Roberts may care to know that
CONFIDENTIAL
/the Hong Kong