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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Island to serve the requirements of a population of over 370,000. The District covers 4,828 acres and there are only 31.86 acres of public open space consisting of:
24 public gardens
19 children's playgrounds
3 grass games pitches
9 mini-soccer pitches
12 basketball courts
1 volleyball court
and 1 running track
This District has been sadly neglected in this matter even though, repeatedly over the years, this Council has called for much more open space for public use there. Mr. Hu may rest assured that we will continue to press for action on the two projects he has mentioned and for more open space development in this area.
MR. HU:- Mr. Chairman, only one supplementary. I would ask Mr. SALES why the Pok Fu Lam Road Playground has to wait for five years and it is still in Category B?
MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, I think that answer could best be given by the Director of Public Works.
THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:- Mr. Hu, I think you will realize that, even when these projects have no obstruction to their progress, they still take a certain amount of time as there is a large public works programme. I think that one must just expect that a certain amount of time has to be spent on planning these projects.
MR. HU:- Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Mr. ROBERTSON. I would ask Mr. SALES how sure he is that the Pok Fu Lam Road Playground will be completed by the end of July 1973—how sure is he?
MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, I am as sure of this as the statement reads. It is anticipated that the site will be made available to the Architectural Office by the end of 1972. In the event, the project could be upgraded to Category A in this financial year and completed about the end of July 1973.
MR. HU:- So Mr. SALES is quite sure of that?
MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, there is no question of degree of certainty on my part. It is all predicated upon the completion of certain works by the Highways Office.
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MR. HU:- Yes, and also, Mr. Chairman, how sure is Mr. SALES about the Smithfield Park project which he says will be completed by late 1974?
MR. SALES:- Again, Mr. Chairman, there is a presumption clause here. Should this be the case, the park could be upgraded to Category A and completed by late 1974. So it is again predicated upon certain factors in the hands of the Public Works Department rather than in the hands of the Urban Services Department.
MR. HU:- I only express my hope that the word here can be kept. MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I would like to echo that hope.
(2) MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN asked the following question:
(a) Are there any plans to re-develop existing market sites into multi-storey buildings to provide facilities for marketing, hawking and operation of cooked food stalls, thereby making more economical use of the land of the existing market sites?
(b) A recent visit by Members of the Hawkers Select Committee showed that a number of streets in the Central District of the island are congested with hawkers and cooked food stalls. Are there any plans to centralize or resite these hawkers off the streets in any future market development in the area?
MR. R. H. LOBO, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND ABATTOIRS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
Sir, with regard to part (a) of the question, I can assure Mr. SIN that the need to make more economic use of the valuable land occupied by retail markets is fully recognized. A market is generally located at the focal point of the district it serves, in the very place where land is difficult to obtain. Therefore, in nearly every case where a market is scheduled for redevelopment or an entirely new market is planned, the intention is to construct a multi-storey building which will contain, in addition to modern, hygienic facilities for the sale of market goods, hawker commodities and cooked food, such other community facilities as may be required by residents of the area. These additional facilities will vary from one market building to another according to the needs of the area and the size of the site, but may
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