Tai Long Sai Wan

[6] Sai Wan used to be a typhoon shelter for fishing boats but the High Island Reservoir project blocked the shortcut channel.

It is next to Ham Tin Village, which has a restaurant that rents out camping equipment and surf boards apart from serving dishes.

It was revealed that businessman Simon Lo Lin-shing, chairman of Mongolia Energy Corporation and Vision Values Holdings, has acquired several plots of an abandoned village for a total of about HK$16 million to form the site that falls just outside the Hong Kong Country Parks & Special Areas and is not covered by any Outline Zoning Plans.

Villagers claimed that a private lodge will be built with artificial ponds, a tennis court and separate apartment.

[18] Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Vision Values Holdings said that there were no plans for any large-scale works, and that because the owner was very green himself, the land would be developed in a low-profile way.

A leading conservationist has said that the incident will give a bad impression to the UNESCO, which will be asked to grant World Heritage status to the Hong Kong National Geopark.

[22] Yau visited the site on 20 July 2010 and said the government had to strike a balance between respecting private land and protecting the environment.

[24] Peter Li, campaign manager at the Conservancy Association, expressed disappointment with Yau's remarks, saying the government failed to make any concrete promises to address the issue.

Other environmentalists urged that part or all of private land within country parks be repossessed to avoid further damage to the natural landscape.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the government will not repossess private land whenever there is a public outcry.