174
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 97 of 242
175
8 cooked food stalls in Marsh Road, Hong Kong and 15 in Dundas Street, Kowloon have so far been specifically warned. In addition, all hawker associations have been informed by letter that action will be taken against cooked food stalls who do not restrict their operations to within the permitted limits, and have been asked to inform their members accordingly. This message has also been put over on the radio and television and in the press. Additional specific warnings will be issued street by street in the coming months.
As a result of the warning to the stalls in Marsh Road and Dundas Street, they all cut down their business area to the authorized limits but subsequently one of the stalls in Dundas Street expanded its business again. The stall was accordingly required to suspend business for 7 days with effect from midnight on 23rd June, and this suspension order was complied with.
(24) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-
Can the Chairman please advise what the Council's policy is on the removal of cooked food stalls from streets? Is it true to say that the presence of cooked food stalls on streets has little to do with the present chaotic state of traffic?
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER POLICY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
The Council's general policy is to remove cooked food stalls from on-street to off-street sites wherever and whenever possible. In practice this depends mainly on the availability of reasonable sites for off-street cooked food bazaars though a small number of on-street sites may be cancelled when licensees die and new licences for the sites are not issued.
When the licensee of a licensed on-street cooked food stall passes away, a widow or widower operating the cooked food stall, or the de facto operator of the stall can apply for a licence to operate at any available site in any off-street cooked food bazaar but will be required to vacate the original site within 12 months unless Council is unable to offer him an off-street site within the 12-month period. In the latter event, he or she will be allowed to remain on the original site until an off-street one is offered. In any event, any person whose application is accepted has six months within which to select an off-street site from an up-to-date list kept by the Council acting through the Urban Services Department. In the case where the application is not accepted, the Council allows 12 months for the business to be wound up.
The presence of cooked food stalls in some streets, which are traffic routes, causes obstruction to vehicular and pedestrian traffic and is one contributory factor to traffic problems in these streets. Many cooked food stalls are however sited in streets not much used for vehicular traffic. They still cause obstruction to pedestrian traffic, especially if the operator puts out a number of tables and chairs and in some cases, also they create fire hazards. That is why the ultimate wish of the Council is to find and designate sufficient reasonable off-street cooked-food bazaars covering all urban districts to accommodate all cooked-food hawkers.
MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. BERNACCHI for a very comprehensive answer. I would like to ask you, Mr. Chairman, that in implementing the policy of this Council whether you could give me the assurance to avoid any unnecessary hardships to hawkers concerned?
CHAIRMAN:-This we try to do. Invariably we lean over backwards where we can to help the people who have been asked to move.
MR. HU: Have you taken any measures in implementing your good intentions towards the hawkers?
CHAIRMAN:-I think my staff invariably see these people and try to do what they can to help them.
MR. HU:-Will you kindly either give us today the measures you have taken or write to us what measures you have taken?
CHAIRMAN:-I will let you know.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Having had prepared for me the answers to a whole list of supplementaries, there are no more supplementaries.
(25) MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:—
Could the Council be informed whether plans for erecting "After-School Homework Centres" for pupils living in congested areas especially resettlement estates who have no proper place at home to study or who need tutoring,
174
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 97 of 242
175
8 cooked food stalls in Marsh Road, Hong Kong and 15 in Dundas Street, Kowloon have so far been specifically warned. In addition, all hawker associations have been informed by letter that action will be taken against cooked food stalls who do not restrict their operations to within the permitted limits, and have been asked to inform their members accordingly. This message has also been put over on the radio and television and in the press. Additional specific warnings will be issued street by street in the coming months.
As a result of the warning to the stalls in Marsh Road and Dundas Street, they all cut down their business area to the authorized limits but subsequently one of the stalls in Dundas Street expanded its business again. The stall was accordingly required to suspend business for 7 days with effect from midnight on 23rd June, and this suspen- sion order was complied with.
(24) MR. HENRY H. L. Hu asked the following question:-
Can the Chairman please advise what the Council's policy is Is it on the removal of cooked food stalls from streets? true to say that the presence of cooked food stalls on streets has little to do with the present chaotic state of traffic?
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER POLICY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
The Council's general policy is to remove cooked food stalls from on-street to off-street sites wherever and whenever possible. In practice this depends mainly on the avail- ability of reasonable sites for off-street cooked food bazaars though a small number of on-street sites may be cancelled when licensees die and new licences for the sites are not issued.
When the licensee of a licensed on-street cooked food stall passes away, a widow or widower operating the cooked food stall, or the de facto operator of the stall can apply for a licence to operate at any available site in any off-street cooked food bazaar but will be required to vacate the original site within 12 months unless Council is unable to offer him an off-street site within the 12-month period. In the latter event, he or she will be allowed to remain on the original site until an off-street
one is offered. In any event, any person whose applica- tion is accepted has six months within which to select an off-street site from an up-to-date list kept by the Council acting through the Urban Services Department. In the case where the application is not accepted, the Council allows 12 months for the business to be wound up.
The presence of cooked food stalls in some streets, which are traffic routes, causes obstruction to vehicular and pedes- trian traffic and is one contributory factor to traffic prob- lems in these streets. Many cooked food stalls are however sited in streets not much used for vehicular traffic. They still cause obstruction to pedestrian traffic, especially if the operator puts out a number of tables and chairs and in some cases, also they create fire hazards. That is why the ultimate wish of the Council is to find and designate sufficient reasonable off-street cooked-food bazaars covering all urban districts to accommodate all cooked-food hawkers.
MR. HU-Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. BERNACCHI for a very comprehensive answer. I would like to ask you Mr. Chairman that in implementing the policy of this Council whether you could give me the assurance to avoid any unnecessary hardships to hawkers concerned?
CHAIRMAN:-This we try to do. Invariably we lean over back- wards where we can to help the people who have been asked to move.
MR. HU: Have you taken any measures in implementing your good intentions towards the hawkers?
CHAIRMAN:-I think my staff invariably see these people and try to do what they can to help them.
MR. HU:--Will you kindly either give us today the measures you have taken or write to us what measures you have taken?
CHAIRMAN:-I will let you know.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Having had prepared for me the answers to a whole list of supplementaries, there are no more supplementaries.
(25) MR. B. A. BERNACCHI asked the following question:—
Could the Council be informed whether plans for erecting "After-School Homework Centres" for pupils living in congested areas especially resettlement estates who have no proper place at home to study or who need tutoring,
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.