An Unprecedented Land Supply Means in Hong Kong: Under-ground Quarrying-cum-Cavern Development

Abstract

Cavern development is a viable source of land supply, which can provide solution space for a broad variety of land uses and preserve the valuable ecology and green environment at the ground surface. While most of the caverns are purposely built to house various facilities, underground quarrying-cum-cavern development at suitable sites is a viable means of creating a valuable cavern land bank. With thoughtful planning and prudent site selection, the operation of an underground quarry associated with concrete batching and asphalt production operations can be a self-financing or even profitable business in the short to medium term, while the cavern space created can be utilized for other strategic uses in the long term. To take forward this initiative, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has completed a technical study to establish the technical feasibility and possible implementation arrangement of underground quarrying-cum-cavern development in Hong Kong. A prototype reference design based on the site setting of the Lam Tei Quarry has been produced, considering factors including technical, operational and logistic considerations. This paper presents the findings of the study, including the reference design and implementation model, and discusses the prospect of the underground quarry-cum-cavern development as a land supply means in Hong Kong.