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22
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(5) The Hon. Li WAH-MING asked the following question (in Cantonese):- Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre, the only civic centre close to East Kowloon, has a seating capacity of just over 400 which cannot fully cope with the demands of the Kwun Tong Community. The civic centre provides neither parking facilities nor loading/unloading area for tour coaches. Does the Urban Council have plans to build a large multi-purpose civic centre in Kwun Tong? In fact, such demand has repeatedly been made by the Kwun Tong District Board and local residents over the past decade.
MR. PAO PING-Wing, Chairman of the Culture Select Committee replied as follows (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, this question concerns the provision of a large multi-purpose civic centre in Kwun Tong.
2. Under the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements signed between the Government and the Urban Council in 1973, the Government is responsible for the planning, financing, and construction of civic centres, and upon completion, the management and control of these facilities will be vested in the Council.
3. Taking into account the utilization levels of the civic centres constructed in the last decade and the need for proper co-ordination to ensure that performers and audiences are available to use the venues, the Director of Audit, in his Annual Report 1988-89 to the LegCo Public Accounts Committee, recommended that there should be a moratorium on the building of more civic centres, other than the Hong Kong Cultural Centre then under construction, until the utilization of existing centres increased to a satisfactory level. This recommendation was subsequently accepted by the Government. In other words, the position is now still in effect.
4. At that time, the Urban Council had in train the provision of a number of small civic centres, namely the Ngau Chi Wan, Sheung Wan, and Sai Wan Ho Civic Centres, from its own funds. But the Council decided independently and prior to the Director of Audit's recommendation that pending further experience with the usage of these centres, additional civic centres should not be built.
5. The Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre, which was opened in 1987, is the first community arts centre of its kind. It aims to serve the Kowloon East region, including the Kwun Tong District. The Centre comprises a Theatre of 443 seats, a 350 m2 Exhibition Hall, a Lecture Room, a Dance Practice Room, two Music Practice Rooms, and two Art Studios. Although only a few parking spaces are available at the lay-by areas of the Centre for temporary parking and loading and unloading, the Centre is easily accessible by public transport and special arrangements can be made for parking of coaches for students or the elderly at the nearby Home for the Aged.
6. The Council has over the years strived to promote better utilization of the Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre both by putting on programmes of its own and undertaking joint presentations with district organisations. As a result, the
£185
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