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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The present booking system has been found to be a great improvement on the previous telephone booking system. Any member of the public who wishes to play tennis on a weekday can go to the court, book, and play, immediately if a court is vacant, or the following hour if all the courts are taken. Depending on the time of day, he may have to await his turn to play, but he can see from the booking register who has booked, the number of people at the courts waiting to play, how many courts remain vacant, and so on. Booking up to a week in advance is allowed at weekends, but only in person, not by telephone, and steps are taken to ensure that a person does not book more than 1 hour a day nor play for more than 1 hour if there are others wanting to play.
No change is proposed to the booking system, although steps are being taken to amend the By-laws so that the Director of Urban Services can make ground rules for the better control, direction and information of the tennis playing public at the courts.
I am glad to say that the Council has plans well in hand to build more courts. At Wong Nai Chung Gap ten courts are to be built on the vacant site below the new Hong Kong Cricket Club ground during 1977-78; at Kowloon Tsai Park four courts are to be built during the current financial year in addition to the four existing courts; at Ma Tau Wai Service Reservoir playground four courts are to be built during 1977-78; and at Kowloon Park four courts are to be built during 1980-81 as part of the main park project. These latter courts cannot be built earlier as the site is occupied by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation.
In addition to the 22 new courts I have just mentioned, four existing substandard courts at the Victoria Park Extension are to be renovated in 1977-78, and three more courts will be built at Victoria Park itself when the present metered car park adjacent to the existing courts is handed over to the Council for development. The activity of professional tennis coaches on Council courts has in the past led to problems because they tended to monopolize the courts at the expense of other tennis players. These problems have now largely been solved
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
by the present booking system. A system of setting aside certain courts at certain times for professional coaches is a possibility, and I will ask the Department to consider the feasibility of such a proposal. I should however mention that the current shortage of courts might make it impracticable to set aside courts for professional coaches, especially at peak hours of play, because it could only be done by depriving other members of the public of the use of the courts set aside for coaches.
MR. MACKENZIE (in English):-Mr. Chairman, although there is the shortage of tennis court facilities, the Wong Nai Chung Gap site, where ten courts are to be built, has been vacant for some considerable time. Is there any reason why they should be delayed. Will the Committee please take action?
MR. Lo (in English):-Mr. Chairman, the Committee decided to go ahead with the development of Wong Nai Chung Gap courts sometime ago, certainly we would like very much to expedite the construction of the courts.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (in English):-Can any ground rules made by the Director be laid on the table for information of Members and possible comments later?
MR. Lo (in English):-Certainly Members could have a copy of the rules, but I am not sure it is the right procedure to lay them on the table.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-The procedure has been decided by the Recreation Sub-Committee and agreed to by the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee. Perhaps a copy of that agreement can be sent to Mr. BERNACCHI for his information. The ground rules concern, in fact, arrangements for specific courts at different times in different places. The general rules have also been approved by the Select Committee and ratified by the Council. It is only on specific occasions to meet changing circumstances or special requirements that the ground rules are made.
MR. Lo (in English):-In fact, for the information of Members, Mr. F. K. Hu, Chairman of the Sub-Committee, will be meeting on the 16th of this month and will look into the question of ground rules.
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