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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
However, in addition to the successes which we can claim, there are also frustrations and disappointments. To me, the greatest disappointment has been the loss of land the Council sustained at the Aberdeen Sports Ground, near Brick Hill. To take the story back to the beginning, we had originally hoped to develop Brick Hill as a park. However, the Jockey Club also offered to develop the area as an oceanarium. It was obvious that the amount of money which Government, through the Urban Council, could spend on this project was far less than what the Jockey Club was prepared to put up. Accordingly we, rightly in my opinion, agreed to the site being allocated to the Jockey Club, through the corporation they formed, called Ocean Park Ltd. From time to time, there were negotiations as to the allocation of particular bits of land but I will not weary members with the details of these. There was one particular site of about 31 acres which was agreed to be developed jointly by the Urban Council and the Jockey Club. In addition, there was another area which was zoned as public open space, and it was the general understanding that this area would be allocated to the Urban Council. I have heard it said that although there was an item in the Public Works Programme and although it was zoned as open space, nevertheless, it had never been formally allocated to us. This is mere hair splitting, and there is no doubt that this area was intended to be and should have been allocated to us.
However, next door, there was the Ocean Park of the Jockey Club. In Government's grant of land to them, which incidentally is a vast area of over 100 acres, there was a condition that parking for 60 coaches and 500 cars should be provided within their lot. You would have thought that with the area at their disposal, this would have presented no particular problem. In any case, even if there was a problem, it was one in which they were aware of from the beginning.
However, instead of providing the parking facilities within their own lot, the Jockey Club cast their eyes around and saw that the areas outside their lot which I have mentioned, would suit them admirably. They asked for the land from Government for use as their car park. We were asked to consider the proposal and were told of their difficulty in providing the parking within their own lot. We were told that the parking would either have to be on a lake of great scenic beauty which would have to be filled in or by means of a multi-storey car park.
The Recreation and Amenities Committee visited the site. The scenic lake turned out to be a flooded field which had not yet been filled in with a few sorry bits of wood and litter bobbing about. No doubt by the expenditure of money it could be made into a lake of great beauty. However, it was no such thing when we saw it.
As for the multi-storey car park, we were simply told that money would not be made available for this. Also it was said to be aesthetically unpleasing, though personally, I would prefer a three or four storey car park rather than 500 odd vehicles sprawling all over the countryside.
We strongly objected to the Jockey Club's proposal, but members will not be surprised to hear that our pleas fell on deaf ears.
The area of 3½ acres, which was to have been jointly developed by the Jockey Club and ourselves as public open space, has been granted to them for their car park without payment of any premium, and a major portion of the site for the Aberdeen Sports Ground Extension has been leased to them for five years, at a nominal rent for the same purpose. This means that the 3½ acres site has been permanently lost as public open space. In addition, the full development of the Aberdeen Sports Ground Extension will be delayed for five years or until the area has been handed back by the Jockey Club.
What worries me is that although the intention at the time of the decision I have mentioned above was that the Sports Ground Extension area will be leased for five years only, intentions may well change. Will the area in question in fact be given up at the end of five years? Or will reasons for delay be put forward at that time? Time alone can tell. One cannot be sure, but I believe that if the matter is publicly aired, it may help intentions to remain constant so that we may indeed obtain this area after the five years lease period.
Mr. Chairman, it is not particularly my wish to talk of the Jockey Club. However, there is another aspect of their activities which I have to mention as they impinge on our own affairs. The Hong Kong Stadium at So Kon Po is the main stadium in Hong Kong and it is mainly used for football. It will astonish many people who come from abroad to learn that this stadium cannot be used on most Saturday afternoons during the football season. To those of us who are old residents, it will come as no surprise, because we will know that the Jockey Club hold their Races at Happy Valley on these days and the Police will not allow a major event at both venues at the same time. It goes without saying that the Jockey Club takes precedence. No football matches are fixed for those Saturday afternoons when there is Racing.
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