XN000022-1975-06-04 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 1975.

HAWKER PERMITTED AREAS INTERESTS OF

THOSE AFFECTED NOT FORGOTTEN

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THE GOVERNMENT AND THE URBAN COUNCIL HAVE NOT LOST SIGHT OF THE INTERESTS OF OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS OF PROPERTIES AFFECTED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL SCHEME ON ON-STREET HAWKER PERMITTED AREAS, THE HON. JAMES ROBSON, SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN REPLY TO A QUERY FROM THE HON. LO TAK-SHING, MR. RODSON SAID THE ARRANGEMENTS WERE CONSTANTLY UNDER EXAMINATION AND IF IT IS FOUND POSSIBLE TO FURTHER REDUCE THE IMPACT OF THE SCHEME UPON OCCUPIERS OF ADJACENT PROPERTIES, THIS WOULD OBVIOUSLY DE DONE.+

HOWEVER, HE NOTED THAT SOME SHOPKEEPERS IN THE PERMITTED AREAS WELCOMED THE SCHEME AS IT ATTRACTED MORE CUSTOMERS TO THEIR SHOPS.

MR. ROBSON SAID THAT BEFORE THE SCHEME WAS APPROVED, THE MOST CAREFUL AND SEARCHING CONSIDERATION WERE GIVEN TO THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES WHICH MIGHT ARISE.

+IT WAS FULLY APPRECIATED THAT THE PRESENT EXPERIMENTAL SCHEME WOULD CREATE SOME DIFFICULTY FOR OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS OF ADJACENT PROPERTIES, BUT IT WAS CONSIDERED THAT THE WIDER PUBLIC INTEREST REQUIRED THE EXPERIMENT TO BE CARRIED OUT.+

THE SECRETARY ADDED THAT EVERY ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO CHOOSE AREAS WHERE ON-STREET HAWKING WAS ALREADY A WAY OF LIFE AND WHERE THE STREETS WERE NOT NEEDED FOR GENERAL TRAFFIC CIRCULATION.

TO MINIMISE THE EFFECT OF CONCENTRATING HAWKERS INTO THE PERMITTED AREAS, SPECIFIC TRADING HOURS HAVE BEEN IMPOSED, AND THE EQUIPMENT OF ITINERANT HAWKERS, WHO FORM THE GREATEST NUMBER SO FAR, HAS TO BE CLEARED FROM THE STREETS SO THAT THESE CAN BE CLEANSED DAILY.

MR. ROBSON STRESSED THAT WHILE THERE HAD BEEN ENFORCEMENT DIFFICULTIES, THE SCHEME WAS BASICALLY OPERATING AS PLANNED.

ALL IN THERE ARE AT PRESENT 20 HAWKER PERMITTED AREAS, KOWLOON. THEY WERE CHOSEN FOR THE INITIAL EXPERIMENTAL STAGE OF THE SCHEME AS A ROUGHLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE VARIOUS TYPES OF HAWKER AREAS FOUND IN THE URBAN SETTING OF KOWLOON.

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