HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Governor in Council, the Town Planning Board does not intend to let the public know whether points made by the public generally, which includes this Council, have been accepted or have not been accepted, and if not, why not? Does the Town Planning Board feel in any way that it owes the public an explanation? That is my question.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-I can only say that I will take notice of your question and will endeavour to give you a reply as soon as possible.
MR. SALES:---But if my understanding of the refusal of the Director of Public Works to reply to my question is correct, then am I also to understand that the attitude is l'etat c'est moi, I don't owe anyone an explanation. Is that the attitude the public is expected to imply from this refusal to reply to a member of the Urban Council in a public session? May I add that my statement would seem to interpret the attitude for the refusal to reply to a member of the Urban Council acting in his capacity as the Chairman of the Select Committee involved in such matters. Is that correct?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-Mr. Chairman, I think Mr. SALES knows very well that the Town Planning Board goes out of its way, and has gone out of its way for a long time, to co-operate with this Council whenever a plan is published or before it is published or after it is published, as the case may be. The Secretary of the Town Planning Board appears before the Council in Select Committee and discusses the plan with the Council and answers questions. I think Mr. SALES is fully aware of that fact.
MR. SALES: Sir, I am aware of that fact, but my point is not about the co-operation that we have undoubtedly received from the Town Planning Board. My question is this. If these proposals we as a body have made are not accepted by the Town Planning Board, we should be given the reasons for their rejection, and likewise the same reasons should be given to other organizations which have put forward proposals, and persons who have done likewise, so that a clear knowledge can be had as to why proposals have not been accepted. That is my point. It is a very simple one, that's all.
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, I would merely like to point out that, when these matters were referred to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board, a request was made in polite terms asking if the Secretary would reply to the Urban Council, or put forward reasons, if any, if the proposals are unacceptable. I can only say that we await a reply from the Secretary.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, do you realize I am very seriously concerned about these proposals which have been made by this Council. I live in Kowloon. I belong to an organization which has been in existence for forty years for promoting amenities in Kowloon, and we are interested, and I believe Government owes it to the taxpayer, and I will not brook any other attitude. May I carry on with my question?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, your indulgence before I put my supplementary. May I say I do share to some extent and sympathize with the views of Mr. SALES, particularly since both he and I are responsible for the Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei ward. Sir, since this Council is a Government body, and it is the only body in this Colony where there are unofficial members whose views appear to the public to represent the views of the public, whether the unofficials are appointed or elected, and since Mr. Chairman, you are Chairman of this Council and you are a member of the Town Planning Board, can you tell this Council to what extent your views, when you put them forward as the views of the Council, are accepted by the Town Planning Board?
CHAIRMAN:--Sir, I sit on the Town Planning Board as Director of Urban Services, but I would expect a reply to this letter which, as I have said, is couched in polite terms, asking for an explanation. If the Board finds these proposals unacceptable, personally I would expect a reply. If the reply comes, then I would certainly convey it to the Council. member of the Council itself wishes to appeal in any way, I think I am right in saying they can appear, as Mr. SALES once did, in front of the Town Planning Board and he could make a strong protest and advance whatever propositions and ideas he has to advance at that time on behalf of the Council.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-I think, Mr. Chairman, on a point of explanation, when the plan is published-as it has been published now for two months-objections are called for. This is perhaps rather a nasty way of putting it, but I think it is the legal phraseology used in the Ordinance. Objections are called for; and any member of the public as well as the public bodies to whom we circulate the plan may, in writing, submit any criticisms or counter-proposals which they wish to make on the plan, and the more the better. We seek these comments and they are gone through very carefully by our own permanent staff who are working on the plans, and they may amend the plans. They cannot meet the wishes of everybody because we very often get conflicting requests; and no competent body can try to meet everybody's wishes because they end up by pleasing nobody. But they do study these requests, these criticisms, these objections, as fully as possible; and they are then considered by the Board after the permanent staff working on the plans have been in touch with the various objectors and discussed the possible ways of meeting their objections or criticisms. In many cases we find the objectors withdraw their objections, but if they wish, each one can personally appear before the Town Planning Board either in a very informal discussion...
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