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74. Whereas the Naval exodus from the Hong Kong & Kowloon Dock- yards would be complete, the Military authorities stated that headquarters on a reduced scale would be required at Victoria or Garden Road Barracks and at Gun Club Hill in Kowloon, as well as access to water at Wellington Barracks and Sham Shui Po. But Whitfield Barracks and the major area overlooking Queen's Road could be given up. The Naval Establishment on Stonecutters Island could also be abandoned if this scheme for removal went through.
75. The use to which these vacated lands could be put will be described in later sections. It has already been stated (in Section 3) that a New Town of about 30,000 would be required for the workers in the Naval Dockyard and Barracks: this could be located somewhere in the neighbour- hood of the existing village of Stanley (whose present residential character would be completely changed). This new town should combine with the workers quarters a joint recreational area, properly separated for the personnel of the Navy and Army.
76. The Stanley Prison would have to be removed: but its new build- ings could be put to some useful purpose. A similar agreement for a permanent Services aerodrome was not reached. The Kai Tak site is agreed to be a bad one and even worse was that selected sometime ago in the New Territories. If the Naval and Military arms go to Tai Tam Bay, the Kai Tak site would be useless for combined action.
10. THE CENTRAL AREA.
77. The central area of Hong Kong should provide space for three broad uses administration ", general business and shopping. In addition, but of less zoning' importance, is space for hotels. The extent to which these three uses can be intermingled or should be kept distinct is a matter of public convenience and of planning technique: but it must never be forgotten that they represent distinct uses of the land. It is generally agreed that of the two, shops and offices make the worst combination though, of course, complete segregation is not possible. In Hong Kong there is really no central shopping centre at all; shops are squeezed amongst office buildings, often invading their upper floors. One other general point may be made the town centre should not be invaded by streams of traffic passing through it; and at the same time approach traffic should be given every facility for parking. The official, the business man, or the shopper should not be regarded as a criminal because he or she wishes to leave a car near his central destination.
78. If the Service lands can be taken into the central area, there will be an opportunity for a complete plan including most of the existing office blocks. These so-solid looking and in some cases ornate buildings are really obsolescent and are ripe for rebuilding. Their surrounding arcades and lofty rooms were the solution of the problem of high temperatures: to-day air conditioning has supervened and it will be found that with very little increased height, the same ground space will provide considerably more floor area. A careful survey of the present office floor area, its existing inadequacy (put at 300,000 square feet) and the probable demand with the growth of the Colony should be made. The recently published Manual on the Redevelopment of Central Areas (2) should prove of great use with its advocated policy of Floor Space Indices for the regulation
+
of rebuilding town blocks, width of streets, height of buildings, open space and car parks, etc., are all included in the requirements. A Floor Space
(1) Using this word in the widest sense to include certain cultural buildings. (2) H.M. Stationary Office 12/6.
Index should be prescribed for each street block and the developee required to keep within it.) It is fortunate that a large part of the central business area is in the hands of a single Estate company: this should facilitate a unified scheme of re-development. The new land which will be freed from the Services will be Government property,
79. It may not seem to be necessary to emphasise that the leasing of this newly acquired Government land should be on the basis of a considered plan: but quite recent examples of the Government leasing the most valuable land without regard to its best use both from the point of view of public buildings and traffic-make it necessary to give this warning.
80. In spite of the great increase of land which may become available from the Services, it is probable that most of the level ground will be wanted for shops and offices and it is suggested that some of the new public build- ings could be placed between Albert Road and Queen's Road, including the Murray Barracks and Parade Ground. There is a considerable area of ground here which might lend itself to picturesque treatment.
81. It must be remembered that Hong Kong is perhaps more deficient in public buildings than any other town of comparable size in the world: there is no Town Hall, Civic Hall, Art Gallery, Museum, Public Library, Theatre or Opera House. The comparison with towns in India is remark- able: there, there is perhaps an excess of public buildings, Hindu, Mohammedan, Parsee and British donors have vied with each other and state and municipality have been equally lavish in providing noble build- ings. Alone, almost, the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank has realised its responsibilities to the Colony and led the way with a worthy building. There is, it is true, the Supreme Court and a Post Office.
82. The reconstruction and creation of a great city centre should give the opportunity for a fine and coherent architectural treatment which these private buildings should exhibit without attempting to rival the splendour of the public ones. A comprehensive scheme for the rebuilding of central Hong Kong should be got out at once, in order that any part that is carried out in the near future may fall into the completed Plan: this refers particularly to the heights of buildings and the volume of traffic which they will produce.
11.
OPEN SPACES.
83. In no section of planning work must the short and long term policies be more closely combined than in the provision of open spaces.
While a broad scheme for a park system is being considered and prepared, there must be no delay in snatching at any small play space or local park that can be preserved from being over-run by the hundred users who in a town are ever ready to grab any vacant plot.
84. The following is a rough list of the types of open spaces that go
to make up a park system for Hong Kong and Kowloon.
1. Dispersed small playgrounds: these should be proportioned to the population on a target basis of acre per thousand, but in the meantime, every opportunity for a play space should be seized— even to the extent of demolishing obsolete houses, and keeping the site open for a playground. This would incidentally be the beginning of a reduction in site density.
2. Playing Fields: these are difficult to obtain because they need large areas of level ground. The Race Course is so used at
(1) See Page 37 of Manual.
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