In a proposal submitted to the Legislative Council today, the government advised that temporary reclamation works in Victoria Harbor - which would not affect the harbor for more than three years and the affecting areas would be less than three hectares - could be approved for launch under a government’s chief officer’s decision.

Before that, according to Hong Kong’s Protection of the Harbour Ordinance (the Ordinance), any reclamation work in Victoria Harbor would be banned unless it could get a certificate proving it had "the Overriding Public Need" and the project had no alternative.

In today’s proposal, the government suggested modifying the Ordinance to grant non-permanent reclamation projects for implementation - if approved by Department’s Secretary level officials, such as the Financial Secretary.

The government further advised that some harbor improvement projects with reclamation areas less than 0.8 hectares could also be granted exemptions under government chiefs’ approval.

These kinds of projects would be presented for the government’s review in a list, including promenades, boardwalks, cycle tracks, harbor pools, viewing decks, etc.

"We are planning to hold a public consultation for reviewing the Ordinance in April and consider the public’s opinion," said the government, "and will provide an amendment bill to the Legislative Council in the half of next year."