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of Wan Chai and Chai Wan. First, the provision of open space is almost entirely dependent on completing the reclamations. At Wan Chai we have recommended to the Town Planning Board, when I say we I mean the Public Works Department has recommended to the Town Planning Board, the provision of 30 acres of public open space on the reclaimed areas, and at Chai Wan the approved Town Plan makes provision for some 17 acres of public open space. To give Members an indication of what this means, the Hong Kong Cricket Club ground measures about 34 acres. So Wan Chai would get ten Cricket Club grounds and Chai Wan five and a half, once we can get the reclamation completed. Surely open space at these two places, serving populations of 200,000 at Wan Chai and 240,000 at Chai Wan when they're fully developed, must have a far higher priority than the reprovisioning of the Hong Kong Cricket Club at Wong Nei Chong Gap.
Even so, the needs of the Central area have not been overlooked. Very soon I shall be proposing to the Town Planning Board the setting aside of a considerable area of public open space on the Central Reclamation between the Star Ferry Pier and the Vehicular Ferry Pier. This open space will incorporate both a covered promenade linking the two ferry concourses and, to the south of it in the open, a Statue Square type garden stretching the whole length of the promenade. I believe that it is this type of open space rather than a large recreation area, or one which is filled up with a museum, which is required in the Central District. This open space, I might add Mr. Chairman, will be in addition to the considerable areas of public open space shown on the earlier Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan for the Central Area.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-On a point of personal explanation, Mr. Chairman, in my particular reference to the paragraph which has been alluded to by the Director of Public Works, I had in mind open space such as may be found in places like Causeway Bay as has already been suggested by the seconder of this Motion, Mr. BLAKER.
MR. SALES: -I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman, I stake a claim for that land in Causeway Bay. For years I have asked Council to urge the Government that that particular open space be reserved and developed as an extension of Victoria Park. (Laughter).
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, like Mrs. ELLIOTT, I did not prepare to say anything on this Motion. I was not at all clear as to what it implied. On the face of it, "that this Council urges Government to provide more open space in the Central district" one can find no fault with that. As has been said, the Central district is like every other district in Hong Kong, relatively short of open space. The Cricket Club, which has been referred to specifically, is open space and is very pleasant open space. In fact, it is an oasis, because even the Statue Square garden is not as green as the Cricket Club. I would like to
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further quote from the report of the Advisory Committee on Private Recreational Leases, and go on to the paragraph subsequent to what Mr. Lo was reading. He was reading paragraph 9 out of context and therefore I shall follow on and read paragraph 10 with your permission, Mr. Chairman, so that it is in context "we think that these clubs still have a part to play in the sporting life of Hong Kong. But they must recognize that conditions have changed since they were formed and their leases originally granted. They ought therefore to consider whether the scope of their membership and the extent of the use to which their grounds are put can be further expanded in the interests of a wider section of the community. As demand for public open space in the urban areas is likely to increase with growth of the population and rising aspirations, we think the Government must review their position from time to time to ensure that the public interest is served." I find that a most important paragraph Mr. Chairman, and I think that it may well be likely that in 1971 the exclusive use of the Cricket Club should be discontinued. I do not think that anything should be built on that wonderful patch of green, I think it should be left for anybody to go there to play, to sit, to enjoy.
The Director of Public Works has told us that there is to be a very big garden or area between the two ferry terminals, the Star Ferry and the Vehicular Ferry. I hope that this will be a good area. It has been interesting to note that Blake Pier, which has had facilities for recreation and sitting out, has never been popular, albeit for the Pop-In dances that Mr. SALES has organized there. Perhaps that has popularised it a bit more, but that has never been a popular area, and it will be interesting to see whether this area, which the Director of Public Works has told us about, will in fact be popular or whether it would not be better to have an area to the other side beyond the City Hall to expand the actual cultural centre in that section, in other words on the Dockyard land which has not yet, as far as I know, been put to any use.
I would like to see some further investigation into that and
I am sorry to say that I neither support nor disagree with this Motion.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if no other Member of the Council wishes to speak on this Motion I would now like to do so, not only as the Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee, in which capacity I was a member of the Rodrigues Committee, but also and more importantly at this time on the comments which Members have made both in support and against the Motion. I think the matter of more public open space in the Central District, in point of fact in every district in Hong Kong, is one which must always exercise the attention of this Council. For a decade or so the Council has been agitating for more open space and in the intervening period the amount of open space in Hong Kong has grown tremendously, so much so that His Excellency the Governor was able to say last year, I believe at the
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of Wan Chai and Chai Wan. First, the provision of open space is almost entirely dependent on completing the reclamations. At Wan Chai we have recommended to the Town Planning Board, when I say we I mean the Public Works Department has recommended to the Town Planning Board, the provision of 30 acres of public open space on the reclaimed areas, and at Chai Wan the approved Town Plan makes provi- sion for some 17 acres of public open space. To give Members an indication of what this means, the Hong Kong Cricket Club ground measures about 34 acres. So Wan Chai would get ten Cricket Club grounds and Chai Wan five and a half, once we can get the reclamation completed. Surely open space at these two places, serving populations of 200,000 at Wan Chai and 240,000 at Chai Wan when they're fully developed, must have a far higher priority than the reprovisioning of the Hong Kong Cricket Club at Wong Nei Chong Gap.
Even so, the needs of the Central area have not been overlooked. Very soon I shall be proposing to the Town Planning Board the setting aside of a considerable area of public open space on the Central Reclamation between the Star Ferry Pier and the Vehicular Ferry Pier. This open space will incorporate both a covered promenade linking the two ferry concourses and, to the south of it in the open, a Statue Square type garden stretching the whole length of the promenade. I believe that it is this type of open space rather than a large recreation area, or one which is filled up with a museum, which is required in the Central District. This open space, I might add Mr. Chairman, will be in addition to the considerable areas of public open space shown on the earlier Comprehensive Redevelopment Plan for the Central Area.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-On a point of personal explanation, Mr. Chairman, in my particular reference to the paragraph which has been alluded to by the Director of Public Works, I had in mind open space such as may be found in places like Causeway Bay as has already been suggested by the seconder of this Motion, Mr. BLAKER.
MR. SALES: -I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman, I stake a claim for that land in Causeway Bay. For years I have asked Council to urge the Government that that particular open space be reserved and developed as an extension of Victoria Park. (Laughter).
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, like Mrs. ELLIOTT, I did not prepare to say anything on this Motion. I was not at all clear as to what it implied. On the face of it, "that this Council urges Government to provide more open space in the Central district" one can find no fault with that. As has been said, the Central district is like every other district in Hong Kong, relatively short of open space. The Cricket Club, which has been referred to specifically, is open space and is very pleasant open space. In fact, it is an oasis, because even the Statue Square garden is not as green as the Cricket Club. I would like to
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
181
further quote from the report of the Advisory Committee on Private Recreational Leases, and go on to the paragraph subsequent to what Mr. Lo was reading. He was reading paragraph 9 out of context and therefore I shall follow on and read paragraph 10 with your permis- sion, Mr. Chairman, so that it is in context "we think that these clubs still have a part to play in the sporting life of Hong Kong. But they must recognize that conditions have changed since they were formed and their leases originally granted. They ought therefore to consider whether the scope of their membership and the extent of the use to which their grounds are put can be further expanded in the interests of a wider section of the community. As demand for public open space in the urban areas is likely to increase with growth of the population and rising aspirations, we think the Government must review their position from time to time to ensure that the public interest is served." I find that a most important paragraph Mr. Chairman, and I think that it may well be likely that in 1971 the exclusive use of the Cricket Club should be discontinued. I do not think that anything should be built on that wonderful patch of green, I think it should be left for anybody to go there to play, to sit, to enjoy.
The Director of Public Works has told us that there is to be a very big garden or area between the two ferry terminals, the Star Ferry and the Vehicular Ferry. I hope that this will be a good area. It has been interesting to note that Blake Pier, which has had facilities for recreation and sitting out, has never been popular, albeit for the Pop-In dances that Mr. SALES has organized there. Perhaps that has popularised it a bit more, but that has never been a popular area, and it will be interesting to see whether this area, which the Director of Public Works has told us about, will in fact be popular or whether it would not be better to have an area to the other side beyond the City Hall to expand the actual cultural centre in that section, in other words on the Dockyard land which has not yet, as far as I know, been put to any use.
I would like to see some further investigation into that and
I am sorry to say that I neither support nor disagree with this Motion.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if no other Member of the Council wishes to speak on this Motion I would now like to do so, not only as the Chairman of the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee, in which capacity I was a member of the Rodrigues Committee, but also and more importantly at this time on the comments which Members have made both in support and against the Motion. I think the matter of more public open space in the Central District, in point of fact in every district in Hong Kong, is one which must always exercise the attention of this Council. For a decade or so the Council has been agitating for more open space and in the intervening period the amount of open space in Hong Kong has grown tremendously, so much so that His Excellency the Governor was able to say last year, I believe at the
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