Rock Caverns – Hong Kong’s Hidden Land

ABSTRACT: The hilly terrain and underlying geology of Hong Kong offer an excellent opportunity for placing urban facilities underground. About two-thirds of Hong Kong’s land is found to be suitable for rock cavern development. Given the potential for multi-layer cavern development, a substantial usable area could be created. In September 2012, the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region commenced a study on “Long-term Strategy for Cavern Development”, to develop a holistic approach in planning and implementing cavern development and render it a sustainable means for expanding land resources. The study also places emphasis on private sector participation as facilities, such as storage, warehousing and datacentres, can benefit from rock caverns’ stable and secure setting. Implementation of a long-term strategy for cavern development could provide a sustainable approach in easing the pressure of land shortage. Developing a systematic relocation programme for suitable Government facilities could release surface sites for other uses including housing, and placing nuisance or potentially hazardous facilities in caverns could remove incompatible land uses. Reserving rock cavern space to accommodate future public and private sector facilities underground could further reduce the land take. The Hong Kong Government has also commenced an initiative to explore the potential of underground space development in the urban areas. Facilitating rock cavern development at the urban fringes and underground space development in  the urban areas could enhance Hong Kong’s utilisation of land resources in pursuit of sustainable development.