City Hall
City Hall, Star Ferry Concourse and Three Tiered Car Parks. 16. The City Hall project has been described in previous reports. The reclaimed site upon which the buildings will stand was put into temporary use as a central public car park pending construction of the City Hall. The extent to which the car park was used made it clear that alternative car parking facilities would have to be provided before the City Hall site could be closed again for development. Schemes for the provision of alternative parking facilities were investigated, and a decision was made to build two separate three-tiered car parks, one for 400 cars in front of the Star Ferry Piers and Concourse, and a smaller one for 189 cars on a portion of the City Hall site.
17. Because of the need to correlate these various schemes it was necessary for the City Hall architects to deal with these additional structures and to proceed first with the design of the Ferry Concourse, the Three-Tiered Car Parks, and covered pedestrian ways. A scheme for alterations to parts of Statue Square, which include a forecourt to the Supreme Court, was also prepared.
18. Construction was ordered on the Maintenance Contract in November of the first portion of the covered ways, and the work was nearing completion by the end of March. Designs were also prepared for the covered ways and paved areas leading from the Ferry Piers to Connaught Road Central, including a footbridge across the road to afford shelter to pedestrians, and to regulate pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area.
19. Working drawings for the larger tiered car park were virtually completed by the end of March, and piling tenders were invited.
20. Work on these other projects has slowed but not stopped progress on the City Hall scheme, and agreement has been reached with the acoustic consultant on the design of the Theatre and the Concert Hall. The preparation of working drawings was in progress.
Argyle Street Flats.
Residential Buildings
21. As described in last year's report, forty flats were built in Kowloon at the junction of Argyle Street and Waterloo Road.
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