MONDAY, JULY 16, 1984
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NEW MARKET OPENS
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THERE HAS BEEN A MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF TO KWA WAN FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF A MARKET COMPLEX IN AN AREA ONCE CLUTTERED WITH HAWKERS.
THE URBAN COUNCIL'S TO KWA WAN MARKET, BOUNDED BY LOK SHAN ROAD, KOWLOON CITY ROAD AND MA TAU WEI ROAD, OPENED FOR BUSINESS A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND NOW PROVIDES CENTRALISED RETAIL MARKET FACILITIES FOR THE 137 000 RESIDENTS OF THE AREA.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COUNCIL SAID THE NEARBY STREETS, PARTICULARLY LOK SHAN ROAD AND KOWLOON CITY ROAD, WHICH WERE ONCE CLUTTERED WITH HAWKERS, NOW HAD A CLEAN AND FRESH LOOK.
+ THE OLD TO KWA WAN MARKET WAS BUILT IN 1928 AND HAD ONLY 13 STALLS, SAID THE SPOKESMAN. +BECAUSE OF CONSTANT COMPLAINTS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CAUSED BY THE THOUSANDS OF HAWKERS IN THE AREA, PLANNING BEGAN IN THE 70'S TO REDEVELOP THE SITE.+
THE NEW MARKET OCCUPIES THE BASEMENT, GROUND AND FIRST FLOORS OF THE TO KWA WAN MARKET AND GOVERNMENT OFFICES BUILDING.
THERE ARE 406 MINI-STALLS, 20 MEAT STALLS, EIGHT POULTRY STALLS, 30 FISH STALLS, ONE ICE STALL, TWO NEWSPAPER KIOSKS AND 18 COOKED-FOOD STALLS, WITH THE GROUND AND FIRST FLOORS OF THE MARKET INTER-CONNECTED BY ESCALATORS.
FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF SHOPPERS, THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE ENTRANCES TO THE MARKET FROM LOK SHAN ROAD, MA TAU WEI ROAD AND KOWLOON CITY ROAD.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING, COSTING ABOUT $45 MILLION, BEGAN IN JANUARY 1982 AND WAS COMPLETED LAST DECEMBER.
APART FROM THE MARKET, OTHER URBAN COUNCIL FACILITIES IN THE BUILDING INCLUDE A CHILDREN'S PLAY AREA, A VOLLEYBALL COURT,
THE TWO BASKETBALL COURTS AND AN INDOOR BADMINTON COURT. BUILDING ALSO HOUSES THE URBAN COUNCIL'S TO KWA WAN PUBLIC LIBRARY ON THE FIFTH AND SIXTH FLOORS.
THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MARKET WILL BE HELD AT 11 AM ON FRIDAY, JULY 20, AND WILL BE PERFORMED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL'S MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, MR SHUM CHOI-SANG.
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