Tourism Board should have conducted more consultation with residents on new light installations at The Peak, lawmaker says

The Tourism Board should have consulted residents more before setting up light installations on a walking trail at The Peak, a lawmaker has said after the decorations were criticised as out of place.

Chan Hok-fung, who represents the Hong Kong Island West constituency, made the comments on an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday.

His remarks came after the Tourism Board said in a statement over the weekend that it “understands and values” the views residents have expressed, and that it would refine details and announce new arrangements “in due course.”

The Tourism Board, however, said that residents had been “informed of the project’s purpose and progress” via notices issued in May and September, and that it had briefed District Council members.

Chan said on the radio show that such a project could affect “the entire Central and Western District, or even all of Hong Kong.”

“I think the [consultation] scope could be broader, and more opinions could be considered,” Chan, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city’s largest pro-Beijing party, said in Cantonese.

“You could at least discuss it at the District Council meetings,” he added.

He also said that some residents were worried the project could attract crowds, which could lead to littering, traffic congestion, and noise pollution.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, a resident, Eddie, said that he passes through Lugard Road, along which part of the trail runs, once every two to three weeks and noticed the new installations – including lights tied around tree trunks.

He said that he had helped organise running events in the past where he had been told that objects should not be tied to trees. “Tying up the trees will affect their growth,” he added.

He also said that the environment should be a habitat for trees, birds and insects, and suggested relocating the project to places like the M+ museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District or to Tsim Sha Tsui.

The installations also attracted criticism online.

“There’s no limit to the tastelessness and lack of aesthetic judgement. Destroying the ecosystem, polluting the view, and creating garbage,” one social media user said last week.

‘Unique charm’

In its Sunday statement, the Tourism Board said the installations aimed to “further enhance the appeal of Hong Kong’s night-time tourism and showcase the city’s unique charm as an international metropolis.”

“The project adopts a soft, low-glare lighting design and is planned to operate from 7pm to 10pm, with the lighting installations located away from residential premises,” it said.

The board added that the project was meant to be launched as part of a new light show replacing the city’s “A Symphony of Lights” show, the nightly harbour display.

Authorities announced earlier this year that the show would be scrapped in favour of holiday-themed light shows at tourist attractions.

See also: Hong Kong to retire 22-year-old ‘Symphony of Lights’ show – but few tourists will miss it

The new lights at The Peak were slated for the Hong Kong Winterfest, a Tourism Board initiative planned for November and December encompassing Christmas decorations in different parts of the city.

The Tourism Board said it will “continue to maintain close communication with residents and relevant stakeholders and conduct broader consultation to review the overall arrangements of the project and refine its details, with a view to achieving a balance between tourism development, environmental protection and residents’ needs.”

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.