Hong Kong shelves HK$700 million infrastructure gallery proposal after backlash

Hong Kong authorities have shelved a controversial proposal to build a costly exhibition hall at a prime site to showcase major development projects, including the Northern Metropolis.

The construction of the HK$700 million (US$90 million) gallery on the Wan Chai North waterfront was first announced in the 2023 policy address.

The budget was included in the government’s planned HK$30 billion financial application for the first-stage development of the city’s innovation hub, known as the San Tin Technopole in the metropolis project.

In a reply to the Post, a spokeswoman for the Development Bureau confirmed on Thursday that the project would not go ahead after consulting public views.

“After getting views from society and the legislature about building the infrastructure exhibition hall in Wan Chai North and taking into account the work priority, the government has decided not to implement the project at this stage,” she said.

The spokeswoman added that an exhibition would be set up at a community centre in the Northern Metropolis and promoted online instead, to keep the public updated on the latest developments of the megaproject.