Page 117 of 126
T
286
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):--Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, may I call the meeting to order.
MINUTES
The minutes of meetings held on 11 February 1992 were confirmed.
PAPER
The following paper was laid on the table:
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of February 1992.
QUESTIONS
1. MR. STEPHEN LAU MAN-LUNG on behalf of MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question (in Cantonese):-At Deep Water Bay there used to be some wooden benches put there by the Urban Council, and screwed into the concrete, but some people unscrewed them and flung them into the sea. They have now been replaced by concrete bench-seats cemented into the concrete. Recently, however, some people broke the cement and again flung these seats into the sea. What is being done about these acts of vandalism?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-This question concerns vandalism of benches at Deep Water Bay Beach.
The area in question is a footpath between Deep Water Bay Beach and Repulse Beach which is known as the 'Seaview Promenade' and which in fact is outside the boundary of the gazetted beaches. The benches are placed at a suitable location along the promenade.
The Department is aware of the problem of vandalism in this area. It was noted that some wooden benches were flung into the sea by mischievous people presumably in the night time. The wooden benches were then replaced by concrete ones which unfortunately also suffered from acts of vandalism. The broken concrete benches are repaired or replaced by USD staff at regular intervals.
As the degree of vandalism is becoming more serious, the Department has requested the Police to increase the frequency of patrol in the area, especially at night time. USD staff will also increase the frequency of inspections and carry out repair work as quickly as possible.
The Department will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with the Police to curb vandalism in this area.
2.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
287
MR. YIM KWOK-ON asked the following question (in Cantonese):—This question concerns the impacts of the redevelopment of Hong Kong Stadium on Mong Kok Stadium.
It is recently learnt from the newspaper that immediately after the staging of the International Rugby Sevens Tournament on 4 and 5 April this year, the Stadium would be handed over to the Jockey Club for management and a series of redevelopment works. Owing to such redevelopment, many soccer events will have to be staged at Mong Kok Stadium. The question whether Mong Kok Stadium can genuinely meet the needs of soccer fans warrants our examination.
At present, Mong Kok Stadium can only accommodate about 8,000 spectators, which is really very limited in terms of capacity. However, soccer tournaments have all along been the most popular sports among the people of Hong Kong. Whenever spectacular soccer matches such as those played by foreign teams are to be staged in Hong Kong, insufficient provision of seats will be the most serious problem. The fact that soccer fans are keen to watch matches while the provision of seats fall short of demand has always given rise to and encouraged 'scalping'. In order to watch matches some soccer fans would even trespass on the rooftops of buildings near the Stadium or climb up the lamp-posts nearby. The risky situation does indeed give cause for concern. In this connection, I would like to ask:
(1) In view of the expected attendance of 13,000–15,000 spectators for popular soccer matches as against a limited provision of about 8,000 seats at Mong Kok Stadium, what remedial action or measure will be taken to satisfy the demand of soccer fans after the handover of Hong Kong Stadium to the Jockey Club for management on 6 April 1992?
(2) In the case of popular and exciting matches, the number of spectators will soar substantially to more than 10,000 inside and outside the Stadium. What measure will be taken to cope with the security problem?
(3) As the first phase of the redevelopment project for Mong Kok Stadium has already been completed and with the knowledge of the proposed redevelopment of Hong Kong Stadium, do we have any reasons for not carrying out the second phase of works for Mong Kok Stadium when time still allows, in order to alleviate the heavy seats demand during the staging of soccer matches? Is there any intention to implement the second phase of the redevelopment project for Mong Kok Stadium? If so, when will works commence?
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question, concerning the impact of the redevelopment of the Hong Kong Stadium on the use of Mong Kok Stadium, is divided into three parts and asks:
(a) what remedial action or measures will be taken to meet spectator demand which is likely to exceed the existing seating capacity;
(b) what measures will be taken to cope with associated security problems;
and
Page 117 of 126