Source: Corbis

Unexpected reversal: university¡¯s plans to build on Queen¡¯s Hill site were holed when protests deterred investor

The financial backer of an Edinburgh Napier University branch campus in Hong Kong has withdrawn its support for the institution¡¯s development plans after opposition from protesters who believe the proposed site should be used for housing instead.

The decision casts doubt over the future of the 25-acre Queen¡¯s Hill site in the city, which the Hong Kong government has earmarked for development by private or foreign universities.

Edinburgh Napier has been discussing a Hong Kong outpost for at least a year and a half, but its most recent say that its financial backer, the identity of which is unknown, would be ¡°uncomfortable¡± being linked to such a ¡°contentious¡± development.

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The bidding process for the site has been delayed ¡°as a result of political pressure surrounding the allocation of the land at this site for education purposes, with protest groups concerned with housing shortages campaigning for the land [to] be re-allocated for housing¡±, the minutes state.

According to the minutes, from a meeting on 25 March but released only recently: ¡°the university would be exploring and assessing other opportunities and options to establish a physical presence in Hong Kong, using the market analysis and due diligence work already undertaken¡±.

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In January, local media reported rumours that the city government was going to scrap plans to turn Queen¡¯s Hill into a private university and develop housing instead, although there have been no reports of a definite decision.

But the declaration by Edinburgh Napier¡¯s backer suggests that even if the government still hopes to attract a private university, the controversy over the site - in a city with some of the highest rents and house prices in the world - is already deterring potential partners.

Steve Tsang, professor of contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham, said the current Hong Kong administration was ¡°remarkably weak and risk-averse¡±. ¡°It is therefore likely to try to avoid taking actions that could cause local protests,¡± he said.

Minutes from an earlier meeting suggest that the university hoped to benefit financially from the new campus. In response to a query as to whether Chinese restrictions would hamper the repatriation of profits, the court was assured that ¡°Hong Kong was not subject to the same restrictions and was more flexible in this area¡±.

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They also show that the board discussed the prospect of opening a joint campus with the University of Aberdeen. Local media reported that Aberdeen had been in the running for the Queen¡¯s Hill site, but the institution said that it was no longer interested in January this year.

Edinburgh Napier already offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees through two of the city¡¯s institutions. About 3,000 students each year in Hong Kong are on Edinburgh Napier programmes.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Napier said that the possibility of a new campus in Hong Kong would be reviewed ¡°in the coming months¡± by Andrea Nolan, who took up the post of principal earlier in July.

¡°As a university with growing international ambitions, we remain very much committed to our current partnership model and expanding our presence in Asia and beyond,¡± he added in a statement.

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david.matthews@tsleducation.com