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MR. SALES: --Well, to the extent that the rocks might be considered to have been oriental in composition (Laughter). The island is not so big as to permit extensive development, but the island could in fact be improved by having benches installed, grass planted and paths cut. But it is a very small area.
(4) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:-
When is the Cheung Sha Wan reclamation likely to be completed and when can clearance and resettlement take place to make way for the removal of the timber and boat yards to make this area a more sanitary district?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
Reclamation is at present proceeding in the south and south-west sector of Cheung Sha Wan Bay. The seawall across the mouth of the bay will be closed at the end of the year but, until then, limited marine access will have to be maintained for the boat yards fronting onto Un Chau Street and Cheung Sha Wan Road. Once the seawall has been closed it is expected that the reclamation of the remaining portion of the bay will follow shortly thereafter. Domestic structures, shops and small scale workshops in the Cheung Sha Wan Bay area have now been cleared and their occupants resettled. The clearance of the industries in this area, including the saw-mills and boat yards, will be carried out in stages over the next 6 months or so. Any industrial undertaking with an enclosed and self-contained working area of not less than 50 sq. ft. and not more than 5,000 sq. ft., which was in operation in the clearance zone at the time of the screening survey, will be eligible for accommodation in a Government flatted factory, subject, in certain cases, to a change of trade. It may not be possible to offer flatted factory accommodation immediately to all those concerns required to change trade due to the supply and demand for such accommodation and, in such cases, their names will be held on a waiting list.
DR. LEE: When this reclamation is completed, Mr. Chairman, will the extension of Lai Chi Kok Road be possible to reduce the saturation of traffic in that neighbourhood?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-This, Mr. Chairman, is the main reason for pressing on against quite a lot of opposition from the boat yard operators at the reclamation, and we intend to go out to tender for the road on 24th September.
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MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, first of all, perhaps let me declare I seem to remember that I had something to do with a petition on behalf of the Cheung Sha Wan Timber and Boat Yards some years ago to delay their clearance. The Commissioner says that they would be provided with resettlement accommodation, subject to a change of trade in certain circumstances. I think that timber yards and boat yards are not permitted trades in resettlement areas?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-That is correct.
MR. BERNACCHI:-So, in fact, is it any real good our offering the boat yards and timber yards a change of trade? Could a suggestion be advanced that they be offered some other form of compensation, not necessarily monetary compensation, but some other form of compensation?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-When this matter of the reclamation of Cheung Sha Wan first came up in 1959 under the Public Reclamations and Works Ordinance, objections were made to which Mr. BERNACCHI now refers and, as a result of those objections, Government decided to sell a number of seafront sites at Cheung Sha Wan and also on Tsing Yi Island especially for the reprovisioning of the boat yards and timber yards in this area. Nevertheless, under the resettlement policy, smaller yards that are less than 5,000 sq. ft. have an opportunity also of taking resettlement space or on change of trade.
MR. BERNACCHI:-My point is that obviously, due to supply and demand for such accommodation, in some cases names will be held on a waiting list. Surely it is no longer possible to put all the names of all the industries in a clearance area as eligible for resettlement? Perhaps a policy decision must be taken as to those that will be eligible and those that will not. I mean I cannot myself imagine that a timber yard or a boat yard could conceivably change trade effectively and be eligible for resettlement. I should have thought that it is just a fact of 'Well, Government has this for you, you have not taken advantage of it so, with fair warning, you must get out and that's the end of it'.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I would be happy to put that particular point to the Policy Select Committee for consideration. As the Director of Public Works pointed out, the boat yards and timber yards had, in fact, 6 years warning of the pending clearance of this area.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a supplementary on the question of the Cheung Sha Wan reclamation as well? In addition to timber yards and boat yards there are a number of squatters living part afloat, part ashore. A recent survey of my own disclosed this fact, and I am most concerned that they are not allowed to move into another shelter, into the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter for instance,
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MR. SALES: --Well, to the extent that the rocks might be considered to have been oriental in composition (Laughter). The island is not so big as to permit extensive development, but the island could in fact be improved by having benches installed, grass planted and paths cut. But it is a very small area.
(4) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:-
When is the Cheung Sha Wan reclamation likely to be com- pleted and when can clearance and resettlement take place to make way for the removal of the timber and boat yards to make this area a more sanitary district?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
Reclamation is at present proceeding in the south and south- west sector of Cheung Sha Wan Bay. The seawall across the mouth of the bay will be closed at the end of the year but, until then, limited marine access will have to be maintained for the boat yards fronting onto Un Chau Street and Cheung Sha Wan Road. Once the seawall has been closed it is expected that the reclamation of the remaining portion of the bay will follow shortly thereafter. Domestic structures, shops and small scale workshops in the Cheung Sha Wan Bay area have now been cleared and their occupants resettled. The clearance of the industries in this area, including the saw-mills and boat yards, will be carried out in stages over the next 6 months or so. Any industrial undertaking with an enclosed and self-contained working area of not less than 50 sq. ft. and not more than 5,000 sq. ft., which was in operation in the clearance zone at the time of the screening survey, will be eligible for accommodation in a Government flatted factory, subject, in certain cases, to a change of trade. It may not be possible to offer flatted factory accommodation immediate- ly to all those concerns required to change trade due to the supply and demand for such accommodation and, in such cases, their names will be held on a waiting list.
DR. LEE: When this reclamation is completed, Mr. Chairman, will the extension of Lai Chi Kok Road be possible to reduce the saturation of traffic in that neighbourhood?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-This, Mr. Chairman, is the main reason for pressing on against quite a lot of opposition from the boat yard operators at the reclamation, and we intend to go out to tender for the road on 24th September.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
247
MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, first of all, perhaps let me declare I seem to remember that I had something to do with
my past interest.
a petition on behalf of the Cheung Sha Wan Timber and Boat Yards some years ago to delay their clearance. The Commissioner says that they would be provided with resettlement accommodation, subject to a change of trade in certain circumstances. I think that timber yards and boat yards are not permitted trades in resettlement areas?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-That is correct.
MR. BERNACCHI:-So, in fact, is it any real good our offering the boat yards and timber yards a change of trade? Could a suggestion be advanced that they be offered some other form of compensation, not necessarily monetary compensation, but some other form of compen- sation?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-When this matter of the reclamation of Cheung Sha Wan first came up in 1959 under the Public Reclamations and Works Ordinance, objections were made to which Mr. BERNACCHI now refers and, as a result of those objections, Govern- ment decided to sell a number of seafront sites at Cheung Sha Wan and also on Tsing Yi Island especially for the reprovisioning of the boat yards and timber yards in this area. Nevertheless, under the resettle- ment policy, smaller yards that are less than 5,000 sq. ft. have an op- portunity also of taking resettlement space or on change of trade.
MR. BERNACCHI:-My point is that obviously, due to supply and demand for such accommodation, in some cases names will be held on a waiting list. Surely it is no longer possible to put all the names of all the industries in a clearance area as eligible for resettlement? Perhaps a policy decision must be taken as to those that will be eligible and those that will not. I mean I cannot myself imagine that a timber yard or a boat yard could conceivably change trade effectively and be eligible for resettlement. I should have thought that it is just a fact of 'Well, Government has this for you, you have not taken advantage of it so, with fair warning, you must get out and that's the end of it'.
COMMISSIONER for ResettlEMENT:-I would be happy to put that particular point to the Policy Select Committee for consideration. As the Director of Public Works pointed out, the boat yards and timber yards had, in fact, 6 years warning of the pending clearance of this area.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a supplementary on the question of the Cheung Sha Wan reclamation as well? In addition to timber yards and boat yards there are a number of squatters living part afloat, part ashore. A recent survey of my own disclosed this fact, and I am most concerned that they are not allowed to move into another shelter, into the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter for instance,
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