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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
While the Hong Kong Museum of Art stages static exhibitions as a way of promoting visual arts in Hong Kong, it is also active in ensuring that art is appreciated. Working through its education and extension service the Museum organizes guided tours and talks on the various exhibitions for groups of school children. Regular film shows are held and travelling exhibitions are sent to public libraries and educational institutions in various districts of Hong Kong. With the expansion of interest and work in the field of visual art, the need for a larger and permanent Museum of Art has become more apparent and pressing. Already, a schedule of accommodation for a new museum has been formulated and an architectural consultant appointed to advise on the design and construction. I very much hope that this project will receive a high enough priority from Government to enable it to be completed at about the same time as the performing arts venues of the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Complex which are expected to be ready for occupancy end 1986/early 1987.
PAPERS
The following papers were laid on the table:-
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the months of July and August 1983.
QUESTIONS
1. MRS. GRACE Ho asked the following question (in Cantonese):—What is the number and percentage of stalls:-
(a) unlet at each of the Council's markets; and
(b) Which are let out but not used for retail over-the-counters sales and instead are used for other purposes such as storage areas?
If there are many instances of (a) and (b) then is the Council experiencing difficulties in reducing the number of on-street traders?
MR. SHUM CHOI-SANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET Traders SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question concerns the vacancy situation and utilization of stalls in the Urban Council's markets and their effects on reducing the number of on-street traders.
The Urban Council currently operates 50 markets in the urban area, providing a total of 6,378 market stalls for retail business. A detailed breakdown on the occupancy situation of individual markets has separately been tabled before Members for information, and from which a few significant features can be observed.
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First, there is, at present, a total of 277 vacancies in all the markets (i.e. an overall average of 4.3%), which is, by any standard, a low vacancy rate.
Second, most of the markets have maintained a very high occupancy rate. 41 of the 50 markets (i.e. 82%) have less than 5% vacancies; it is only in a few very old and small markets, sited in rather poor locations, that vacancy rate is at a relatively high level.
Third, incidences of stalls being misused for storage purpose, while averaging approximately 7.2% overall, are not widespread in all the markets, but are mainly confined to a relatively small number of markets which have become non-viable for retail business for a variety of reasons, e.g.
---poor location of the markets;
—lack of business as a result of shift of population;
—competition from retail outlets in the vicinity;
—inappropriate market designs and layouts
Furthermore, apart from the Central Market which has developed into a predominantly wholesale market over the years in addition to catering for retail needs, evidence of stalls being exclusively used for wholesale purpose is not apparent.
All in all, it is not considered that the number of market stalls currently remaining unlet or used for alternative purposes would have a significant effect on the pursuit of Council's objective in resiting on-street hawkers into markets. While technically the Council is in a position to recover stalls which are misused for storage under their tenancy agreements and then re-allocate them for the resiting of on-street hawkers, I can see no advantage in adopting this course of action indiscriminately unless and until the central problem of their viability is resolved. To this end, where practicable, Council is taking positive steps to improve the viability of affected markets by reprovisioning and modernizing them, redeveloping the old markets into modern market complexes and improving access to upper floors through the installation of escalators. At the same time, General Duties Teams continue to take enforcement action to control hawking in the vicinity of markets to minimize unfair competition to stall holders.
It is hoped that with the successful implementation of all the improvement and remedial measures, market stalls affected will in due course become viable retail outlets again.
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