Hong Kong gov’t says it will not appeal court ruling overturning Fanling Golf Course housing approval

The Hong Kong government announced on Thursday that it will not appeal a court decision that overturned its approval for constructing 12,000 public rental flats on a portion of the historic Fanling Golf Course. The government stated that it carefully evaluated legal advice and assessed the situation before making the decision. The case originated from a legal challenge by the Hong Kong Golf Club, which operates the golf course, against the government's approval of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report that permitted the public housing development.

In 2024, the High Court ruled in favor of the golf club, but the government appealed the decision. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal last month, stating that the addition of new information to the EIA report did not require further public consultation. The government acknowledged that the ruling clarified that not all supplementary information added to an EIA report necessitates additional public scrutiny.

Housing officials remain confident that the average waiting time for a public rental flat can be reduced to 4.5 years before the current administration concludes in June.