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the existence of the Urban Amenities Block Vote has made it easier to finance such projects. In my view, this emphasis is rightly placed since one of the major aims of this Council is to improve the quality of life in Hong Kong. This is also in line with both Government policy and public demands, which are to provide for recreational and sports facilities, which the Council has advocated for so long.
In this regard, I would like particularly to draw attention to the 3 indoor games halls (in Boundary Street, Cheung Sha Wan and Morse Park) and the Indoor Games Centre at Morrison Hill. These games halls will provide an all-weather indoor facility in the district and will also serve as community halls for social gatherings.
On the environmental hygiene side, attempts have been made to put refuse collection points off-street into properly designed buildings so as to reduce the nuisance which this essential service creates. 8 such R.C.P.'s have already been completed and 3 more are under construction, but the difficulty in finding suitable sites for this facility has been hampering progress.
On the markets and hawkers front, the clear aim of the Council is to put hawkers into off-street bazaars and markets in order to improve the general environment and particularly public hygiene in the sale of food-stuff is also vigorously pursued; 6 cooked food bazaars have been completed so far this financial year with 3 markets and a further 2 hawker bazaars under construction.
Unfortunately, the market building programme has met with considerable problems. To achieve a more economic use of land, this Council has agreed to Government's proposal to house future markets in joint-user buildings which will include other Government and community facilities. The financing of which will be done jointly by this Council and the Government. However, since the Government has been unable to make funds available for these joint-user projects to proceed in a time acceptable to this Council, it is now agreed that pending the Government's decision, this Council will proceed with the market building programme by constructing a series of temporary markets on the sites earmarked for the joint-user buildings and I hope 1976 will see some of these markets off the ground.
What do we hope to achieve?
If 1975 has been a particularly good year for projects for this Council, looking forward to 1976/77, I can see this rosy picture continuing.
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We will spare no effort to pursue continuous progress in providing more physical facilities in all fields of the Council's responsibilities.
We will push ahead those items which cannot be completed within this financial year and see to it that at least an additional 18 new items which will include 8 recreational and amenities projects, 3 markets and hawker bazaars, 4 projects on the environmental hygiene field and 4 projects of a general nature will go forward.
The projects which are of special interest are:
(a) the Planetarium to be built on the old railway site at Tsim Sha Tsui;
(b) the Chater Road Garden to be developed on the site vacated by the Cricket Club;
(c) the Swimming Pool Complex in Chai Wan; and
(d) two single storey temporary markets at Sham Shui Po and Wong Tai Sin.
The total estimates for capital works approved by this Council for 1976/77 is in the order of $39.85 million.
One other project currently under construction worthy of special mention is the new Council Chamber and offices situated in Edinburgh Place, next to the City Hall, which when completed next year will provide the Council, for the first time, with its own home.
What is needed?
Because the planning of these many and varied projects is not an easy task and both the Departmental Planning and Development Unit and the Works Planning Select Committee often find difficulties in determining priorities and deciding on the design and nature of projects, a constant feed back on district needs and public demands and aspirations from a wide range of sources is important. This feed back is at present obtained from the District Offices of a decentralised Urban Services Department, which reflects the attitudes and desires of the man-in-the-street in those areas.
Both U.S.D. and individual councillors who are in constant touch with interest groups and organizations such as the many sports and recreational associations, the market guilds, the meat trades, obtain valuable information and advice on the design, layout, distribution and general provision of facilities. Indeed much improvement to the facilities provided by this Council is achieved through this line of consultation and dialogue.
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