Before the reclamation of the bay, Cheoy Lee Shipyard operated in the bay from 1964 to April 2001. The Government acquired the land from the owners for the sum of HK$1.48 billion, and paid HK$22.7 million in additional compensation, according to a Public Works Subcommittee paper from May 2002.
The Government had not realised that its operations accumulated 30,000 m3 (1,100,000 cu ft) of soil contaminated with dioxin, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. The solid waste was dug up and transferred to To Kau Wan on the north shore of Northeast Lantau for temporary processing, and finally incinerated at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on the Tsing Yi Island amid protests by residents. The total cleanup cost not taken into account at the time of acquisition was estimated at HK$450 million.[3]
Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre (PBQC)
Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre (PBQC, 竹篙灣檢疫中心) has a total capacity of 1916 people. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, in 2021 it was used to house US arrivals to Hong Kong for one week as part of a mandatory quarantine applicable to travellers regardless of testing or vaccine status.[4] In 2022, it was changed to a quarantine facility for mild-symptom cases.[5]
Hong Kong's last remaining community isolation centre for Covid patients, Penny's Bay on Lantau, officially closed its doors on 1st March, 2023.
Hong Kong's last remaining community isolation centre for Covid patients, Penny's Bay on Lantau, officially closed its doors on Wednesday (01.03.2023).