Hong Kong’s housing authorities have suspended a 8,300 public flat development in a northern town due to the suspected high costs of building on deep rock strata, a move lawmakers said showed serious failure at the initial planning stage.

The legislators urged authorities on Sunday to invest more resources in land exploration to avoid such unexpected disruptions to housing goals that would only leave the public disappointed.

The suspension of the development, including its site formation and infrastructure works, in Fanling was revealed in a document the Housing Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department submitted to the North District Council, a day before a meeting to discuss the matter on Monday.

The Fanling Area 17 site, spanning about 5.47 hectares (13.5 acres) of both government and private land, is located to the east of Ling Shan Road and Jockey Club Road, south of Ma Sik Road and west of Fan Leng Lau Road. It currently houses the Fan Garden Police Driving and Traffic Training Centre.

The document did not mention the exact reasons for the suspension but said: “To align with the government’s principle of maintaining sustainable public finances, the Housing Bureau has adjusted the development plan for the Fanling Area 17 public housing project after reviewing the cost-effectiveness of public housing initiatives over the next 10 years.”

Authorities said they had “more flexibility to prioritise sites that are more suitable and cost-effective for construction” with sufficient land supply for public housing in the next decade.