1971 — Page 43

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

I am sure Council is pleased that Hong Kong is going to have an oceanarium. We can only hope that it will be built soon and that particularly the interest of the local population will be fully catered to in all the arrangements.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I read in the papers today that the Jockey Club intends to set up an independent body to manage the Oceanarium once it is completed. Since the Urban Council is providing open space around the oceanarium for the benefit of the public, can the Chairman of the Select Committee tell this Council whether the Urban Council will have representation on the body which will be set up to administer the Oceanarium?

CHAIRMAN:-I think, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, that is really something that anyone trying to attempt to answer would be gazing into a crystal ball at this stage.

MR. SALES: But I would be prepared to gaze into a crystal ball (Laughter).

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Would it be possible then for this question, or suggestion, to be referred to the Select Committee so that they can do some crystal gazing in Select Committee?

MR. SALES:-But there are enough members of the Jockey Club present who could offer an opinion on this. Perhaps the Commissioner for Resettlement might wish to do so.

(8)

CHAIRMAN:-I think we can look at this.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Thank you.

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

(a) Will the Chairman please state whether the Government has accepted this Council's request that the seating capacity of the Ho Man Tin football stadium be for at least 50,000 people?

(b) If not, may Council know what the Government has

decided to do?

(c) What is the estimated cost of the stadium?

(d) How much does the Government anticipate saving by

any reduction in the seating capacity?

(e) What is the seating capacity of the present Hong Kong

Stadium?

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(f) What is the present population of Kowloon and New Kowloon and how does it compare with the population of the Island?

(g) Has the Colonial Secretariat consulted other Government

departments? If so, what did they recommend?

THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-

In reply to the question (a) and (b) I regret to have to say that Government has not accepted the Council's request that when the Kowloon Football Stadium is built, from the very start it should be built to hold 50,000 spectators. The grounds for this decision are that no justification has been produced for the expansion. Instead, the Government still considers that, initially, accommodation should be provided for 35,000 spectators but that the structure should be so designed that, if and when its operation demonstrates that there is a need for the additional 15,000 seats which the Council has recommend- ed, these could be provided with little disruption. The scheme will therefore go ahead, as approved by Finance Committee, on the basis of 35,000 spectators.

Question (c)--The estimated cost of the stadium is of the

order of $22,000,000.

Question (d)-It would cost an extra $6.5 million to provide the extra 15,000 seats now, while it would cost a further $2.5 million, i.e. a total of $9 million, to provide the expansion at a later stage.

Question (e) The seating capacity of the Hong Kong Stadium

is 27,890.

Question (f)-The recent census revealed that Hong Kong Island's population now numbers 997,555, while the combined population of Kowloon and New Kowloon amounts to 2,194,857.

Question (g)-The Secretariat consulted the Urban Services Department which recommended a capacity of 50,000. However, the figure of 35,000 was decided on taking into consideration attendance figures and frequency of large crowds at So Kon Po, bearing in mind that the stadium in Kowloon can be increased in size to hold 50,000 should this be justified at some later date.

MR. SALES: --Mr. Chairman, thank you for your comprehensive reply to my question. May I first ask a supplementary question? Were you gazing into your crystal ball when you replied to question