Going green: Since 2001, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department has turned vacant Government lots into lush oases, like this one in Tuen Mun's Area 44.

The Leisure & Cultural Services Department started a scheme to beautify vacant Government land in 2001. Since then, it has planted more than 27,000 trees and about 600,000 shrubs on 40 lots, creating islands of green amid the concrete jungle.

The department plants flowering trees such as Queen Crape Myrtle, African Tulip Tree, Flame of the Forest and Golden-shower and shrubs that flower in all seasons, such as Chinese Ixora, Chinese Hibiscus and Allamanda. It then surrounds them with green lawn.

The vacant land on Man Tung Road near Caribbean Coast in Tung Chung, on Lantau Island, is a good example.

To make the best use of this big plot, more grass was grown to give it an even more spacious feel. Decorative flowering climbers and ground covers were added to make the lawn more interesting.

The beautification project transformed the land from a weedy ground into a scenic garden.

The department stressed that greening work in the urban area must make full use of scarce available space.

For example, the vacant land on Hoi Tai Street near Canossa School in Quarry Bay is a long, narrow strip squeezed between the school and the roadside. Rows of flowering trees and shrubs have helped to make it more tidy and pleasant.

Before the beautification scheme, most vacant lands were just weeds and mud.

The department changed them into pleasant and tidy gardens that add beauty to the environment, and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in the process.

The project has won the support and praise of residents of the various districts.

The vacant lands involved - defined as those to which no development plans apply in the next three years - are scattered throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.

Most are located in town centres and places with heavy pedestrian traffic, such as waterfront plazas.

In 2002/03, the department converted 25 vacant Government lots into gardens in 10 districts.

The total area affected - 11 hectares - is almost the size of two Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens.