Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has announced its acceptance of the Government’s Land Exchange Offer for its existing depot at Siu Ho Wan and will now proceed with the proposed development named ‘Oyster Bay’.

To cater for the transportation needs of the new community, MTR has also entered into a project agreement with the Government for the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a new Oyster Bay Station, the company said in a press release on Friday (23 Sept).

In the Chief Executive’s 2020 Policy Address, the development of the Siu Ho Wan depot site was announced and is expected to provide a total of about 20,000 public and private residential units in the medium to long term. As part of the Hong Kong community, MTR said it “strives to construct and operate a safe, reliable and highly efficient railway network, and to build communities well served by a railway service.”

Upon the announcement of the 2020 Policy Address, MTR began a series of preparation work and has obtained planning permission from the Town Planning Board for the layout plan of the development, which comprises residential, commercial, public transport interchange, as well as Government, Institution or Community (GIC) and supporting facilities.

In order to proceed with the development of Oyster Bay, MTR applied for a land exchange for the depot conversion with a podium deck and property enabling works for topside property development. The project will be developed in phases, with the first phase commencing in the short term. The intake of the first batch of residents is expected to take place in 2030.

A new station, Oyster Bay Station, will be built to serve the property development and future population growth. It will be located at Siu Ho Wan between Sunny Bay and Tung Chung stations on the Tung Chung Line. Construction of the new station is scheduled to commence in 2023, with completion slated for 2030 to serve the first intake of residents.

MTR will “proceed with the Oyster Bay development at full speed to build a sustainable community served by environmentally-friendly rail transport,” said Dr Jacob Kam, CEO of MTR Corporation. “This is part of a plan to enhance connectivity of Lantau North, with three new stations to be added along the Tung Chung Line, including Oyster Bay Station, as well as the Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West stations currently being planned under the Tung Chung Line Extension project, providing new impetus for development of the community.”

According to MTR, it has commenced detailed design and advance preparation work on the property development project as well as planning and design of Oyster Bay Station to cater for the development and transportation needs of the future residents in Siu Ho Wan.

All images: MTR Corporation