On September 1st and 25th, URBIS MD Alexander (Sandy) Duggie submitted to the Greening Landscape and Tree Management Section two batches of Nomination Forms for the Registration of Old & Valuable Trees at Fanling Golf Course, located on the land east of Fan Kam Road that was taken back by Government on 1st September. A total of 222 trees are nominated in four volumes, with detailed information and numerous photographs for each tree. Parallel nomination submissions, on the same dates and with the same information, were submitted by the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Horticultural Science. The OVT nominations are also separately endorsed by the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects and by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. The information provided in the Forms includes the Basis for Nomination, Species, Location, Age, Dimensions, Condition, Special Features and Comparison with Existing OVTs of this Species already on the Register. All 222 nominated trees are as good as, or better than, OVTs already on the Register and there is no valid reason not to register them. 62 of the 222 nominated trees are located in Sub-Area 1, the area identified by CEDD for the construction of public housing. As noted by Justice Coleman in his ruling dated 24th August on the Interim Stay on development, the presence of so many potential OVTs in Sub Area 1 “…….appears to identify that any large-scale development in Sub-Area 1 becomes at least extremely difficult, if not impossible.” The Forms may be viewed on the HKGC Website at https://hkgolfclub.org/web/pages/environmental-outreach-and-public-sharing.
