THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1983
7
SIR PHILIP HEARS ABOUT MARKET WORKS
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THE OLD MARKET ON HAU WONG ROAD KOWLOON IS TO BE REDEVELOPED INTO A MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING WITH SPORTS AND MARKETING FACILITIES.
SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE WAS BRIEFED ON THE PROJECT DURING A TWO-HOUR TOUR OF THE KOWLOON CITY DISTRICT THIS AFTERNOON - ONE OF A SERIES OF WEEKLY VISITS WHICH HE MAKES, AS CHIEF SECRETARY, TO DEPARTMENTS AND DISTRICTS TO KEEP HIMSELF UP TO DATE.
THE NEW BUILDING WILL COMPRISE INDOOR GAMES AREAS, SQUASH COURTS, READING ROOMS, COOKED-FOOD STALLS AND A MARKET.
SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED IN 1986, IT WILL ACCOMMODATE STALL OPERATORS FROM THE EXISTING MARKET AS WELL AS COOKED-FOOD STALL OPERATORS IN THE VICINITY. THE COMPLEX WILL BE BUILT AND MANAGED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL.
ACCOMPANIED BY THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, MR LAWRENCE HILLS, AND THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR LEE LAP-SUN, SIR PHILIP WENT TO THE ROOF OF THE HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL FOR A VIEW OF THE SAI TAU VILLAGE WHERE A CLEARANCE WAS CARRIED OUT LAST YEAR.
HE WAS TOLD THAT A SECOND CLEARANCE, INVOLVING THE RE-HOUSING OF SOME 4 000 PEOPLE, WOULD TAKE PLACE LATER THIS YEAR TO MAKE WAY FOR A PARK, AND TO FACILITATE THE FUTURE WIDENING OF CARPENTER ROAD.
SIR PHILIP THEN PROCEEDED TO PAK TA! STREET AND WAS JOINED BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, TO INSPECT BACKLANES RECENTLY CLEARED BY THE KOWLOON CITY DISTRICT BOARD.
THERE ARE SOME 200 BACKLANES WITH UNAUTHORISED STRUCTURES IN THIS AREA, AND A PROGRAMME HAS BEEN DRAWN UP BY THE BOARD TO CLEAR THEM WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
SIR PHILIP ALSO TOURED SEVERAL PRIVATE STREETS IN TO KWA WAN.
HE WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THESE WERE PRIVATE STREETS, IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO CARRY OUT PUBLIC SERVICES SUCH AS RESURFACING, REMOVAL OF ABANDONED VEHICLES, AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS A PROGRAMME TO RESUME SOME OF THESE STREETS TO TURN THEM INTO PUBLIC ROADS SO AS TO FACILITATE REPAIRS AND STAFF MANAGEMENT.
AT THE END OF THE TRIP, SIR PHILIP TOLD REPORTERS THAT HE WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH THE EFFECTIVE MANNER THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND DISTRICT BOARD WERE TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF BACKLANES.
+ HAVE BEEN BRIEFED ALSO ON WHAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO DO IN THE NEAR FUTURE ABOUT SOME OF THESE PRIVATE STREETS WHICH DO REPRESENT A COMPLICATED LEGAL PROBLEM AND, OF COURSE, THEY ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY MOST UNSATISFACTORY, HE SAID.
/SIR PHILIP