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2.
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(e) That the recommendations of the Hon. Dr. Fehily's Committee required the removal of the Indian Recreation Club, one of the oldest established Clubs in the Colony, to an alternative site. After consideration of all the factors involved, Government had decided that this Club should not be moved from its present site.
Evidence was given that there was no additional space available for grass covered grounds in the Urban area. It was therefore clear that some publicity must be given to our appointment as a Committee, and all opportunity given to those not already in possession of grounds to make applications for grounds, in order that we might make an adequate survey of the present demand.
3. With the proviso made above, we decided that each and every Club, Asso- ciation, and any new application, including the case of each Service ground listed in the Table, should be considered in turn on its merits.
4. Government was pleased to give publicity to our Committee by the publish- ing of Gazette Notice No. 1230 in Supplement No. 70 dated 23rd December, 1949, the final paragraph of which invited applications from interested parties to be made to the Committee. Additional publicity was given to this notice by a release by the Press Relations Officer to the English and the Vernacular Press.
5. Meetings were held on December 12th, December 19th, February 6th, March 6th, March 20th, and April 3rd.
6. Oral evidence was heard from Members of the Committee, and where con- sidered desirable, from Representatives of Clubs invited to appear before us. Where written evidence was considered sufficient, Representatives of Clubs were not asked to appear. All Clubhouses and grounds were inspected by the Secretary and their condi- tion reported to us.
II.
Old Established Clubs.
7. It was shown in the case of all these Clubs which had rehabilitated Club- houses and ground, that this had involved expenditure of sums varying from $20,000 to well over $100,000. Representations were made by certain Clubs that the fullest development of their clubhouses and grounds had not been reached; that, although the matter had been considered, fullest development could not be proceeded with owing to the difficulty of reconciling the necessary expenditure with the uncertain tenure of an annual allotment only of the ground. In almost every case testimony was given that Clubs were prepared to embark upon considerable improvements and development, were they awarded a reasonable lease of the ground. Having due regard to the fact that these Clubs had maintained their grounds prior to 1941 and had rehabilitated them since 1945; and bearing in mind that a precedent had been created by the deci- sion in regard to the Indian Recreation Club; we were agreed, that since no alterna- tive accommodation could be made available, it was not possible to recommend that any such Club be dispossessed of their ground. Since, therefore, the fullest development of these grounds was to the benefit of the Community and would be at no cost to Govern- ment, we were unanimous in resolving to make the following recommendation in respect of these Clubs.
(a) “That an old established Club providing reasonable accommodation for the number of its members and maintaining its grounds to the approval of the Government be offered a ten-year lease of their ground."
(b) "That any such lease contain a clause to the effect that no Club be entitled to compensation in respect of such accommodation and ground should circumstances be such that the lease is not renewed."
Clubs which in our opinion qualify under this Head are listed in Appendix IV.
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Hong Kong Football Club and South China Athletic Association.
8. Of the old Established clubs referred to above, the Hong Kong Football Club and South China Athletic Association had submitted certain proposals regarding the provision of permanent stands to provide accommodation for spectators at football matches. Football is the leading game in the Colony and extremely large crowds were attending football matches and, in many instances, crowding in dangerous positions on hillsides and buildings overlooking the grounds. The provision of adequate and safe accommodation, with efficient arrangements for the control of such crowds, had been a cause of considerable concern to the Commissioner of Police and to the Football Association, and has become, in our opinion, a matter of public urgency.
9. The schemes proposed involved expenditure of sums in excess of three million Hong Kong dollars. It is clear that no private agency would consider such a scheme without a lease of sufficient length as would ensure recovery of the additional capital outlay.
10. However, the extent to which such accommodation would need to be developed depended directly upon Government's intentions regarding a Colony Stadium. It was known that Government had agreed in principle, that a Colony Stadium should be erected from public funds, but it was also known that the scheme had been tem- It seemed to us that in the porarily shelved, primarily, owing to lack of steel. immediately foreseeable future, there could be little likelihood of Government under- taking a project involving such heavy expenditure and that, therefore, the scheme had been shelved indefinitely.
11. Moreover, even should such a Stadium be erected we consider that such is the danger from fire, and from lack of proper controlling barriers, entrances and exits, inherent in the existing bamboo stands and enclosures, that a degree of permanent accommodation is still necessary for ordinary league games. We, therefore, unanimous- ly recommend that:
(a) That the Hong Kong Football Club, and the South China Athletic Asso- ciation, be offered a lease of twenty-one years in respect of their existing grounds provided that—
(i) The proposals for development be co-related with the intentions of Government regarding a Colony Stadium, and that the extent of development approved by Government be dependent upon these intentions.
(ii) That the lease contains a clause stating that no Club be entitled to compensation in respect of any such development should condi- tions be such that the lease is not renewed.
12. We considered the problem a matter of sufficient urgency to make it the subject of an early interim report in the hope that some degree of such permanent ac- A commodation could be made ready in time for the opening of the 1950-51 Season. contributory argument in favour of this recommendation is the fact that Football Gates are already a considerable source of revenue to Government in the form of tax, and that the erection of such accommodation should produce a far from negligible increase in that revenue.
Hong Kong Football Club.
13. Further consideration, however, of detailed plans submitted by the Hong Kong Football Club had made it clear to us that to implement the plans proposed would either :-
(a) result in a pitch smaller than would justify the expenditure of such a
sum, or
(b) would encroach to an undesirable extent on adjacent grounds.
14. We therefore further recommend, without prejudice to our initial recom- mendation, that we consider, in view of the heavy expenditure involved, a far more effective long-term plan would be to move the Hong Kong Football Club, in toto, to Causeway Bay, when this becomes possible.
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