Land reclamation in Hong Kong

[1] The first reclamations can be traced back to the early Western Han dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD), when beaches were turned into fields for salt production.

To treat the large amount of rubble that resulted from the fire, the Government decided to clear it by submerging it into Victoria Harbour and reclaiming land.

The new towns were mostly built on reclaimed land, such as Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Ma On Shan, West Kowloon, Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O.

This includes transportation improvements such as the Hong Kong MTR Station, Airport Express Railway & Central-Wanchai Bypass, as well as public recreation space such as the Central Harbourfront Event Space, Tamar Park and the Hong Kong Observation Wheel.

[10] The third runway and the extension of Terminal 2 in the Hong Kong International Airport is built on reclaimed land.

[11] In October 2018, a development project was announced with the intention of creating 1700 hectares of land in the form of new islands off the east coast of Lantau, to house an estimated 1.1 million people.

[17] In a judicial review in January 2004, the Court of Final Appeal stipulated an "overriding public need" test which the government must adhere in order to carry out reclamation at Victoria Harbour.