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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1977
PRE-WAR TENEMENT BUILDINGS TAKEN OVER BY GOVERNMENT
TO MAKE WAY FOR MAJOR PUBLIC PROJECTS
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TWO BLOCKS OF EIGHT PRE-WAR TENEMENT BUILDINGS IN WAN CHAI WERE TAKEN OVER BY THE GOVERNMENT THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON AFTER THE OCCUPANTS HAD COMPLETELY VACATED THE PREMISES.
THE BUILDINGS, NOS. 250-256 AND NOS. 262-268 WANCHAI ROAD, ARE TO BE DEMOLISHED IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO MAKE WAY FOR TWO MAJOR PUBLIC PROJECTS THE EXTENSION OF THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER TO WONG NAI CHUNG ROAD AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW MARKET TO REPLACE THE EXISTING ONE IN CANAL ROAD.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE OCCUPANTS OF THESE BUILDINGS HAD ALL ACCEPTED THE OFFER OF EX-GRATIA COMPENSATION AND
ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION MADE TO THEM BY THE GOVERNMENT.
OVER $400,000 HAD BEEN PAID TO THE 97 DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL TENANTS AS EX-GRATIA COMPENSATION UNDER THE ADVANCE PAYMENT SCHEME INTRODUCED LAST YEAR, HE POINTED OUT.
IN ADDITION, HE ADDED, 66 FAMILIES COMPRISING 276 PERSONS HAD ALREADY MOVED, UNDER ARRANGEMENT MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT, TO THE IR NEW HOMES IN VARIOUS PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES.
WORK ON THE EXTENSION OF THE CANAL ROAD FLYOVER WHICH IS TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROPOSED ABERDEEN TUNNEL, HAS ALREADY STARTED. WHEN COMPLETED, IT WILL PROVIDE A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN THE CROSS-HARBOUR AND ABERDEEN TUNNELS AND WILL FORM PART OF A MAJOR ROUTE LINKING KOWLOON AND ABERDEEN.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CANAL ROAD MARKET IS A PART OF THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR WAN CHAI, WHICH AIMS TO COPE WITH THE INCREASE OF POPULATION IN THE AREA.
BOTH PROJECTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF WAN CHAI,
IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THESE PROJECTS, ANOTHER 21 BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO BE CLEARED. NINE OF THESE, SITUATED AT NOS. 255-261 WANCHAI ROAD, NOS. 1 AND 2 CHAN TONG LANE AND NOS. 21-25, BOWRINGTON ROAD, ARE BUILDINGS ON NON-RENEWABLE LEASES AND HAD ALREADY BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE GOVERNMENT ON THE EXPIRATION OF THEIR LEASES MORE THAN THREE YEARS AGO.
THE REMAINING TWELVE BUILDINGS, SITUATED AT NOS. 1-9 AND NOS. 2-8, CHI SHING LANE, NO. 3 CHAN TONG LANE AND NOS. 19A AND 19B BOWRINGTON ROAD, WERE RESUMED BY THE GOVERNMENT UNDER THE CROWN LAND RESUMPTION ORDINANCE IN JULY LAST YEAR. THE OWNERS OF THESE BUILDINGS HAD BEEN OFFERED COMPENSATION AT THE CURRENT MARKET VALUE OF THEIR PREMISES.
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