1964 — Page 67

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Page 67 of 312

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MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question :-

(a) Will the Chairman please tell this Council what public recreational facilities there are in Kowloon south of Boundary Street and west of Nathan Road?

(b) What is the population estimated to be?

(c) What plans are there to provide the people with such badly needed amenities as gardens and playgrounds?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

Taking the second part of the question first, the area con- cerned does not coincide with any of the districts covered by the 1961 Census. However, it has been estimated that the population of the area in 1961 was of the order of 310,000. No accurate indication is available of the popu- lation at present.

On the first part of the question, existing recreational facilities in the area cover a total of 43 acres. These include the King George V Memorial Park which comprises 1 mini- soccer pitch, 2 basketball pitches, a rest garden and a children's playground; and the Willow Street playground which has 1 mini-soccer pitch, 2 basket ball pitches and a children's playground. These two account for 32 acres. The balance represents mainly rest gardens, sitting-out areas and children's playgrounds of varying sizes and at various places.

On the third part of the question, proposed amenity develop- ment includes the provision of 3 playgrounds at sites off Fuk Tsun Street, Anchor Street and Reclamation Street which together cover about 5 acres. None of these sites is as yet available for development but the plans for the sites will be put to the Urban Amenities Select Com- mittee in due course for consideration. In addition to these areas, there is of course the possibility that a sub- stantial area at Whitfield Barracks will be made available for public recreational purposes. My friend, the Director of Public Works, informed Members of the position on the redevelopment of this area at the meeting of this Council on 5th May. There is one further project cover- ing the provision of a swimming pool and some open space in Yau Ma Tei. This is still in the planning stage and it is not yet possible to say when it will be completed. However, certain preliminary proposals were made known to the Urban Amenities Select Committee earlier this year

and the views of the Committee on this matter have been conveyed to the Planning Division of the Public Works Department.

MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, is it not intended to include as an open space the site presently occupied by the Marine Police?

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-If I may answer that question, Mr. Chairman, that is part of the Tsim Sha Tsui Planning Area, and although it is perhaps premature to discuss the planning of that area, I believe I am right in saying that there is an open space shown in that vicinity. Whether it is actually on the Police Station site itself or just adjacent to it I cannot be sure, but my recollection is that there is definitely an open space in that area.

MR. SALES-Thank you for that reply. Mr. Chairman, has it been made known to Government that this Council has recommended that all the land south of Salisbury Road at present occupied by the Railway should be kept as an open space when the Railway is resited?

CHAIRMAN: -I cannot recollect that offhand, Sir, but I will certainly look into the matter. If it has been suggested by the Urban Amenities Select Committee, I am sure it has been put to Government.

MR. SALES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:

(a) What progress has Government made in recruiting the senior staff the Council requires for the Amenities and General Division of the Urban Services Department? (b) Have you advised Government that the Council considers that without such expert staff the proper development of amenity projects including recreational facilities for the public would be seriously handicapped?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:

I think the question relates essentially to the Amenities side of the Division's activities, with particular reference to the recruitment of a successor to the present Superin- tendent of Gardens who is due to retire next year. This matter is still under discussion with Government. How- ever, the Department is fully seized of the importance and the urgency of the question and, in particular, the point covered by the second part of the question has been and will continue to be emphasised to Government.