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within the areas still to be reclaimed. I regret very much indeed that it will be sometime before the people of Chai Wan will be able to enjoy all the open space which will eventually be available to them.
Members may be encouraged to note nevertheless that an item entitled Chai Wan Park has already been included within Category C of the Public Works Programme and I understand that the Urban Services Department intends to recommend the inclusion of one or two soccer pitches in the layout for this park.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask Mr. SALES one or two supplementary questions on his nevertheless very clear answer. First supplementary question deals with the development of an extension to the resettlement estate's commercial area which unfortunately required the Council to vacate the games pitch last February. The supplementary is for whom was it developed and why?
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point).
MR. SALES: - Mr. Chairman, perhaps that answer should be given by the Director of Public Works.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- I think I can answer that Mr. Chairman. I think again it is not the resettlement estate's commercial area. It is a commercial area for private development adjacent to the estate and on it will be a cinema, a community centre and proper shops and a park.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Thank you very much. In other words, the commercial area is in fact more of a welfare area?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: - Indeed, and I think that would add quite a lot to the life of Chai Wan.
MR. BERNACCHI:- The next supplementary is where Mr. SALES remarks "I regret very much that it will be sometime before the people of Chai Wan will be able to enjoy all the open space" and the reason is because it lies largely within areas still to be reclaimed. How many, in terms of years, does "some time" mean?
MR. SALES: - Mr. Chairman, that again is a programme for the reclamation that is being carried out by the Public Works Department and I would like to suggest that my Colleague should give the answer.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- I am afraid that I can't give a definite answer Mr. Chairman because following the recession in private development in 1965, as I've said before on this Council, there's very little public dumping going on and what there is is now going into the Wan Chai reclamation and the Central reclamation in order to fill up that hole which Mr. RAFEEK spoke so much about in his speech at the annual debate. We are in fact taking surplus material from as far away as Aberdeen to Wan Chai and very little is going to Chai Wan now. So until we do get more development going it will I am afraid be a very slow business in Chai Wan. Could I add one more thing Sir, the Town Planning Board which comes in for quite a lot of kicks in this Council has itself been trying very, very hard and is considering the possibility of amending the Chai Wan plan in order to get some additional open space on level land which has already been reclaimed.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Thank you very much, and the last question is what does Category C of the Public Works Programme mean in terms of when will it be done?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- This is again rather an open question and depends on the Council or the Urban Services Department asking for this to go up to Category B. This is a matter for the Department to ask for. Once in Category B, the Public Works Department get in and the detailed planning can be done.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Then another supplementary, this time directed to Mr. SALES, as Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. Would his Select Committee consider this with a view to recommending it to be elevated to Category B?
MR. SALES:- Sir, in my main reply I suggested that this matter had already been discussed with the Public Works Department and the representative of the Public Works Department on the Select Committee was very keenly impressed with the urgency of this matter and he was in point of fact going to see whether it would be possible to secure a piece of land as an alternative soccer pitch, presumably in the area about which the Director of Public Works was talking just now.
MR. BERNACCHI:- I think that is not really my question. I appreciate that and that is your main answer but when will the Chai Wan park be raised to Category B, has the Select Committee considered it, if not will they please consider it?
MR. SALES: The Select Committee will be glad to push this project for Mr. BERNACCHI's ward but unlike the Hawkers Select Committee the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee must consider the claims of all wards. Every other Councillor is likewise pressing me to upgrade the projects within his ward and there are heavily populated areas
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within the areas still to be reclaimed. I regret very much indeed that it will be sometime before the people of Chai Wan will be able to enjoy all the open space which will eventually be available to them.
Members may be encouraged to note nevertheless that an item entitled Chai Wan Park has already been included within Category C of the Public Works Programme and I understand that the Urban Services Department intends to recommend the inclusion of one or two soccer pitches in the layout for this park.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask Mr. SALES one or two supplementary questions on his nevertheless very clear answer. First supplementary question deals with the development of an extension to the resettlement estate's commercial area which unfortunately required the Council to vacate the games pitch last February. The supplementary is for whom was it developed and why?
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point).
MR. SALES: - Mr. Chairman, perhaps that answer should be given by the Director of Public Works.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- I think I can answer that Mr. Chairman. I think again it is not the resettlement estate's commercial area. It is a commercial area for private development adjacent to the estate and on it will be a cinema, a community centre and proper shops and a park.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Thank you very much. In other words, the commercial area is in fact more of a welfare area?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: - Indeed, and I think that would add quite a lot to the life of Chai Wan.
MR. BERNACCHI:- The next supplementary is where Mr. SALES remarks "I regret very much that it will be sometime before the people of Chai Wan will be able to enjoy all the open space" and the reason is because it lies largely within areas still to be reclaimed. How many, in terms of years, does "some time" mean?
MR. SALES: - Mr. Chairman, that again is a programme for the reclamation that is being carried out by the Public Works Department and I would like to suggest that my Colleague should give the answer.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- I am afraid that I can't give a definite answer Mr. Chairman because following the recession in private development in 1965, as I've said before on this Council, there's very little public dumping going on and what there is is now going into the Wan Chai reclamation and the Central reclamation in order to fill up that hole which Mr. RAFEEK spoke so much about in his speech at the annual debate. We are in fact taking surplus material from as far away as Aberdeen to Wan Chai and very little is going to Chai Wan now. So until we do get more development going it will I am afraid be a very slow business in Chai Wan. Could I add one more thing Sir, the Town Planning Board which comes in for quite a lot of kicks in this Council has itself been trying very, very hard and is considering the possibility of amending the Chai Wan plan in order to get some additional open space on level land which has already been reclaimed.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Thank you very much, and the last question is what does Category C of the Public Works Programme mean in terms of when will it be done?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- This is again rather an open question and depends on the Council or the Urban Services Department asking for this to go up to Category B. This is a matter for the Department to ask for. Once in Category B, the Public Works Department get in and the detailed planning can be done.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Then another supplementary, this time directed to Mr. SALES, as Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. Would his Select Committee consider this with a view to recommending it to be elevated to Category B?
MR. SALES:- Sir, in my main reply I suggested that this matter had already been discussed with the Public Works Department and the representative of the Public Works Department on the Select Committee was very keenly impressed with the urgency of this matter and he was in point of fact going to see whether it would be possible to secure a piece of land as an alternative soccer pitch, presumably in the area about which the Director of Public Works was talking just now.
MR. BERNACCHI:- I think that is not really my question. I appreciate that and that is your main answer but when will the Chai Wan park be raised to Category B, has the Select Committee considered it, if not will they please consider it?
MR. SALES: The Select Committee will be glad to push this project for Mr. BERNACCHI's ward but unlike the Hawkers Select Committee the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee must consider the claims of all wards. Every other Councillor is likewise pressing me to upgrade the projects within his ward and there are heavily populated areas
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