Lot 150
Page 109 of 150
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Some progress is being made with the provision of further amenity facilities. At Sai Ying Pun it is planned to convert half of the old market site into a children's playground during 1963/64. Between Lyttleton Road and Oaklands Path it is planned to make a small extension to West End Park. In the new multi-storey Sai Ying Pun Post Office Building it is planned to use the whole of the first floor as a public playground of some 5,000 square feet. This latter scheme is a novel attempt to help overcome the problem of lack of sites.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, was there not a suggestion, perhaps in the Report of the Central Area Redevelopment Plan, that a separate, special working party should be set up to look into this whole question of providing additional playgrounds and recreational space in the western section of Hong Kong Island?
CHAIRMAN:- Sir, my recollection is—and I think I made this point at the meeting of the Urban Council on 5th September, 1961—that my friend, the Director of Public Works, in Chapter 7, paragraph 8, of the Town Planning Board's Report on the Central Area Redevelopment, touched on the question of recreational areas in the Western District and recommended that Government should examine the problem as a separate issue.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- I am afraid that does not quite answer my question. I asked whether in having this problem examined as a separate issue, there was not a suggestion made in the Central Area Redevelopment Plan that a separate working party should be established to look into this whole question.
CHAIRMAN: I do not think, Sir, that the recommendation went beyond what I have already explained. That is, that Government should examine the problem as a separate issue.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to be so good as to follow up the question which I have proposed and when a reply has been received from Government to lay such information before the Urban Amenities Select Committee?
CHAIRMAN: Yes, Sir.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Thank you.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:—
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Will the layout of the reclamation along the waterfront of the Western District provide for playgrounds and other recreational amenities?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:—
Government has not yet taken a decision on possible reclamation along the waterfront of Western District and draft layouts for the waterfront area are still in process of preparation.
I can assure Members that Government will give sympathetic consideration to the setting aside of parts of any future reclamations for amenity purposes.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if my colleagues do not wish to ask any supplementary questions, may I do so?
CHAIRMAN: You may.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, would you be good enough to tell this Council whether in fact 1% of the total area of a district being reserved for public use as sitting-out areas and recreational playgrounds is in keeping with the established pattern elsewhere in the world in this respect? It is not an expression of opinion; it is a question of fact.
CHAIRMAN:- I think that Government is aware, Sir, of the deficiency in recreational space in the Western District of Hong Kong.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, by setting aside six acres for recreational purposes for a population of 345,000, of which about 90,000 are children, is that proportion in keeping with what is recommended for such amenities?
CHAIRMAN:- Sir, I can only repeat what I said in September 1961 in this Council—that I can assure Members that the fact that the Western District is heavily over-populated and gravely short of open space is fully appreciated by Government. I do not regard the present recreational areas as adequate.
MR. SALES: Disregarding the fact that the population may have increased tremendously because of the influx of refugees, but considering the relation of open space in terms of area to the total area of a district, would that, Mr. Chairman, be a proper yardstick in town planning, that is to say, setting aside six acres in an area of 600 acres?
May I frame my question differently? Mr. Chairman, is it consistent with good practice in town planning (this is a direct question) to set aside six acres for open space and recreational amenities in a district of 600 acres?
Page 109 of 150
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Lot 150
Page 109 of 150
202
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Some progress is being made with the provision of further amenity facilities. At Sai Ying Pun it is planned to convert half of the old market site into a children's playground during 1963/64. Between Lyttleton Road and Oaklands Path it is planned to make a small extension to West End Park. In the new multi-storey Sai Ying Pun Post Office Building it is planned to use the whole of the first floor as a public playground of some 5,000 square feet. This latter scheme is a novel attempt to help over- come the problem of lack of sites.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, was there not a suggestion, perhaps in the Report of the Central Area Redevelopment Plan, that a separate, special working party should be set up to look into this whole question of providing additional playgrounds and recreational space in the western section of Hong Kong Island?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, my recollection is-and I think I made this point at the meeting of the Urban Council on 5th September, 1961–that my friend, the Director of Public Works, in Chapter 7, paragraph 8, of the Town Planning Board's Report on the Central Area Redevelopment, touched on the question of recreational areas in the Western District and recommended that Government should examine the problem as a separate issue.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I am afraid that does not quite answer my question. I asked whether in having this problem examined as a separate issue, there was not a suggestion made in the Central Area Redevelopment Plan that a separate working party should be established to look into this whole question.
CHAIRMAN: I do not think, Sir, that the recommendation went beyond what I have already explained. That is, that Government should examine the problem as a separate issue.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask you to be so good as to follow up the question which I have proposed and when a reply has been received from Government to lay such information before the Urban Amenities Select Committee?
CHAIRMAN: Yes, Sir.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:—
203
Will the layout of the reclamation along the waterfront of the Western District provide for playgrounds and other recreational amenities?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:--
Government has not yet taken a decision on possible reclama- tion along the waterfront of Western District and draft layouts for the waterfront area are still in process of preparation.
I can assure Members that Government will give sympathetic consideration to the setting aside of parts of any future reclamations for amenity purposes.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if my colleagues do not wish to ask any supplementary questions, may I do so?
CHAIRMAN: You may.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, would you be good enough to tell this Council whether in fact 1% of the total area of a district being reserved for public use as sitting-out areas and recreational playgrounds is in keeping with the established pattern elsewhere in the world in this respect? It is not an expression of opinion; it is a question of fact.
CHAIRMAN:-I think that Government is aware, Sir, of the deficiency in recreational space in the Western District of Hong Kong. MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, by setting aside six acres for recrea- tional purposes for a population of 345,000, of which about 90,000 are children, is that proportion in keeping with what is recommended for such amenities?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, I can only repeat what I said in September 1961 in this Council-that I can assure Members that the fact that the Western District is heavily over-populated and gravely short of open space is fully appreciated by Government. I do not regard the present recreational areas as adequate.
MR. SALES: Disregarding the fact that the population may have increased tremendously because of the influx of refugees, but consider- ing the relation of open space in terms of area to the total area of a district, would that, Mr. Chairman, be a proper yardstick in town planning, that is to say, setting aside six acres in an area of 600 acres?
May I frame my question differently? Mr. Chairman, is it consistent with good practice in town planning (this is a direct question) to set aside six acres for open space and recreational amenities in a district
of 600 acres?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.