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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

(4) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-

Can the Chairman advise how soon and where will the first mini-markets be constructed in Resettlement Estates in order to serve the needs of Resettlement Estate population as well as provide properly-equipped stalls so that meat, fish, vegetables, etc. can be sold to the public in a hygienic manner?

MR. R. H. LOBO, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS SELECT Committee, replied as follows:-

I am grateful to my Friend Mr. CHEONG-LEEN for asking this question as it gives me an opportunity to state the present position.

When the question of construction of mini-markets/retail markets in resettlement estates was considered by the Building Priorities Committee towards the end of last year, approval was given for an investigation item to be included for a prior scheme for the provision of retail marketing facilities in Sau Mau Ping Estate, Stage II. Subsequently it was proposed that a market stall module designed by the Architectural Office and approved for use in Government Low Cost Housing Estates should be adopted to provide marketing facilities in resettlement estates. The proposal was put forward to a joint meeting of the Markets, Hawker Management, Resettlement Policy and Resettlement Management Select Committees and it was agreed that—

(1) This new module should be adopted for providing marketing facilities in Sau Mau Ping Estate, Stage II. (2) Provision of similar marketing facilities should be

included in the planning of new estates.

(3) Possibilities of providing similar marketing facilities urgently in existing estates should be looked into so that the current food-for-man hawker problem in these estates could be satisfactorily tackled.

(4) Consideration should be given to adopting this new

module for hawker stalls.

It was originally proposed that the modules should be erected by prefabrication, but after the technical problems and the costing aspects had been gone into in detail, it became apparent that prefabrication was not feasible. The module will now be constructed in situ, as agreed by the Markets Select Committee. The Urban Services Depart- ment and the Resettlement Department have since jointly

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made a thorough investigation of the present and pro- jected need for such facilities in both existing and new estates. A draft construction programme aiming at the urgent provision of such facilities in selected existing estates as well as new estates has now been drawn up, complete with initial financial estimates, for consideration and approval by the Secretariat. Once approval in principle and of the necessary expenditure to cover the building programme has been obtained, construction of the first mini-market in priority estates such as Tsz Wan Shan, Ngau Tau Kok or Chai Wan will be proceeded with. At the same time, it is quite likely that the new market plan for Sau Mau Ping Estate, Stage II will materialize. I must stress that provision of these facilities will involve much more than just the physical construc- tion of the modules. In each estate, detailed and thorough planning has to be undertaken so that the hawker problem is tackled at the same time. Planning and execution will therefore have to depend on the current situation in each estate and it is desirable to have a flexible programme for implementation. But I can assure the Council that although it is not possible to be firm about when and where for the reasons stated above, this matter will be tackled as a problem of priority.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Will these mini-markets be able to take in all food-for-man hawkers as well as vegetable and other type hawkers?

MR. LOBO:-Yes, these modules were originally designed for 16′ x 16' in the case of food-for-man, and in the case of hawkers, they could easily be provided to fit hawkers' space, 4' x 4' or some such. This, of course, will all depend on the availability of land and the position of the module.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: -Approximately, Mr. Chairman, how soon can work commence on Sau Mau Ping?

MR. LOBO:-It depends on a meeting with the Secretariat which I understand is to take place very shortly. After that these modules should be easily constructed because they are to be built on site and the programme, if approved, involves something like 2,114 modules to be supplied to various estates and areas according to priorities.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, can we have your assurance that everything possible is being done to get fast action out of Secretariat on this?

CHAIRMAN :--Indeed, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.

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