Thirteen years after it was first proposed, a HK$335 million special needs school is finally going ahead in Tung Chung.

Thelloy Development Group has won a HK$268 million contract to build the school for moderately and severely intellectually disabled children.

It was originally slated to be built on the then-vacant block opposite Lantau North Hospital, but was forced to move after local residents rejected it on grounds of noise pollution, traffic congestion and because it was “not supported.”

The school on Chung Mun Rd will have 18 classrooms and boarding facilities for 60 children. The first classes are expected to be held in 2019.

According to Education Bureau figures from 2014, 130 special needs children live in Tung Chung and the outlying islands.