HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 16 of 126
29
It was as early as 1984 when stallholders of the Cheung Sha Wan Cooked Food Market jointly petitioned the Council for improvement of the ventilation system, but years have passed and the problem remains unsolved. I am very disappointed in this and stallholders there are even more dissatisfied and resentful.
In addition, the Market is also in lack of a refuse collection chamber, so there is no suitable place for refuse collection. Currently, dustbins are placed in the vacant stalls there. As they are too close to the operating stalls, they have brought about environmental and hygienic problems, and created an eyesore. In this connection, I would like to ask the following:
1. How long will it take before the poor ventilation problem of the Market is acknowledged and thoroughly addressed?
2. Can the Market be provided with a refuse collection chamber?
3. Will the Council promptly consider replacing the temporary, poorly designed and inadequately-equipped market (which will cease to occupy the present site in mid-1992) with a permanent site?
MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKET AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-The question concerns the Cheung Sha Wan Cooked Food Market and the difficulties encountered in its operation.
The problems of ventilation in this market have always been acknowledged but solutions satisfactory to all parties are not so easily achievable. The market is single storey and situated at the intersection of major roads. It is surrounded by elevated roads and high buildings and because of this, adequate cross ventilation is difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the cooking equipment generates large quantities of heat which is difficult to dissipate.
Since 1985, various improvements have been made to enhance better ventilation. These include installing large exhaust fans, oscillating fans and ceiling fans. The last improvement was completed in April 1990 when 14 ceiling fans were installed in the common passage way.
In June 1990, an assessment was carried out to determine the overall adequacy of ventilation in the market. It was found that if it was to remove the residue of the source of the problem, which generally stems from heat generated from cooking radiation from the roof and the environment, the immediate priority was the installation of a heat extract system (kitchen exhaust hoods in this context).
The Architectural Services Department has been undertaking an in-depth investigation on the load-bearing capacity of the roof structure to establish whether the roof can accommodate the additional load exerted by the ducting system and extract fans. This is necessary before any proposal is made because it may be the case that the present structure cannot accommodate the required building services installation.
Page 16 of 126