Work on the Tung Chung East housing development will start by year-end and take six years to complete, according to a government tender document.

The Civil Engineering and Development Dept yesterday issued a tender for the reclamation of 130 hectares from Tung Chung Bay and the construction of 4.9km in seawalls and infrastructure.

It is the biggest part of what is officially known as the Tung Chung New Town Extension, which the government says is one of its most important land supply projects.

Under the project, the CEDD will build 49,400 new apartments and 877,000 sq metres of commercial space in developments in east and west Tung Chung in the next seven years.

Tung Chung east extension.  Source: CEDD

The new apartments will house approximately 144,000 people, CEDD says. Combined with other developments underway, they expect Tung Chung’s population will increase from approximately 80,000 today to 268,000.

The first residents are expected to move in in 2023.

The issue of the tender follows Legco’s approval of HK$20.5 billion for the first funding tranche last month.

A new MTR station is planned for Tung Chung East, but is not likely to be completed until 2026.