Page 69 of 206
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
QUESTIONS
(1) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
(a) Will you please state how much open space was actually made available for public use in the urban areas in the year 1971-72?
(b) How much has been reserved but not yet released for development?
(c) When is it expected that such land will be given to the Council?
(d) What other public open space is planned in reclamation schemes and also in existing railway land which may be relinquished?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
During the year 1971-72,
(a) 68.93 acres of land were made available for public use. In addition, 24.6 acres have been released for development of which 4.34 acres are under construction and the remainder still in the planning stage.
(b) 19.19 acres of land were reserved as open space but have not yet been released to the Urban Council for development. Nor is it possible to say when all of the pieces of land that go to make up this total will be released as this depends upon a number of factors; for example, sites may not be available because:-
(1) there may be site clearance problems;
(2) the land in question may be affected by other proposals, such as long term road development plans, the mass transit scheme, or, in a limited number of cases, by urban renewal proposals, etc.
(3) in some instances, the financial implications of the development carry the project into the Public Works Programme and in the case of major items, sites are not normally released until the items eventually reach the Category A stage in that programme.
The department is kept fully informed of progress in these matters and, at the appropriate time, the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee is invited to approve the various development proposals.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
119
With regard to part (d) of the question, I am informed as follows:-
(1) 24 acres of land have been zoned as open space on the Outline Zoning Plan covering the Wan Chai Reclamation but have not yet been allocated to the Council for development, an appropriate item will be submitted for inclusion in Category C of the Public Works Programme for the development of this open space.
(2) The Sandy Bay Reclamation, when completed, will comprise some 40 acres of land, some of which I hope will be zoned as open space. However, this has yet to be considered by the Town Planning Board.
(3) There is also a preliminary proposal to extend the Central Reclamation westward to Belchers Point, but again it is far too early to say just how much land will be zoned for development as open space as even the size of the total reclamation has yet to be determined. But the Director of Public Works assures me that his department is conscious of the opportunity this reclamation will provide of relieving the present great shortage of open space in Western District.
(4) The aim is to provide some 17 acres of open space on the Chai Wan Reclamation but the stage of finalizing the outline zone plan for this area has not yet been reached.
(5) The Yau Ma Tei Reclamation, when completed, will provide some 8.3 acres of open space, but planning has not yet started on this as we do not yet know when the land will be available.
(6) A total of some 40.8 acres of open space will be available when the Kowloon Bay Reclamation work is completed to a point where the sites can be developed, but again planning work has not yet started.
(7) In the Tsim Sha Tsui Outline Zoning Plan 7.7 acres of railway land are zoned as open space. Part of this will on present planning have to be given over to the site for the new museum and art gallery, and planning has naturally not yet started on the development of the open space.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, thank you very much indeed, but I regret that you did not give more information about the Western District over which this Council has in the past expressed great concern
Page 69 of 206
Page 69 of 206
118
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
QUESTIONS
(1) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
www
(a) Will you please state how much open space was actually made available for public use in the urban areas in the year 1971-72?
(b) How much has been reserved but not yet released for
development?
(c) When is it expected that such land will be given to the
Council?
(d) What other public open space is planned in reclamation schemes and also in existing railway land which may be relinquished?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
During the year 1971-72,
(a) 68.93 acres of land were made available for public use. In addition, 24.6 acres have been released for development of which 4.34 acres are under construc- tion and the remainder still in the planning stage. (b) 19.19 acres of land were reserved as open space but have not yet been released to the Urban Council for development. Nor is it possible to say when all of the pieces of land that go to make up this total will be released as this depends upon a number of factors; for example, sites may not be available because:-
(1) there may be site clearance problems;
(2) the land in question may be affected by other proposals, such as long term road development plans, the mass transit scheme, or, in a limited number of cases, by urban renewal proposals, etc. (3) in some instances, the financial implications of the development carry the project into the Public Works Programme and in the case of major items, sites are not normally released until the items eventually reach the Category A stage in that programme.
The department is kept fully informed of progress in these matters and, at the appropriate time, the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee is invited to approve the various development proposals.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
119
With regard to part (d) of the question, I am informed as
follows:-
(1) 24 acres of land have been zoned as open space on the Outline Zoning Plan covering the Wan Chai Re- clamation but have not yet been allocated to the Council for development, an appropriate item will be submitted for inclusion in Category C of the Public Works Programme for the development of this open space.
(2) The Sandy Bay Reclamation, when completed, will comprise some 40 acres of land, some of which I hope will be zoned as open space. However, this has yet to be considered by the Town Planning Board.
(3) There is also a preliminary proposal to extend the Central Reclamation westward to Belchers Point, but again it is far too early to say just how much land will be zoned for development as open space as even the size of the total reclamation has yet to be deter- mined. But the Director of Public Works assures me that his department is conscious of the opportunity this reclamation will provide of relieving the present great shortage of open space in Western District.
(4) The aim is to provide some 17 acres of open space on the Chai Wan Reclamation but the stage of finalizing the outline zone plan for this area has not yet been reached.
(5) The Yau Ma Tei Reclamation, when completed, will provide some 8.3 acres of open space, but planning has not yet started on this as we do not yet know when the land will be available.
(6) A total of some 40.8 acres of open space will be available when the Kowloon Bay Reclamation work is completed to a point where the sites can be developed, but again planning work has not yet started.
(7) In the Tsim Sha Tsui Outline Zoning Plan 7.7 acres of railway land are zoned as open space. Part of this will on present planning have to be given over to the site for the new museum and art gallery-and planning has naturally not yet started on the develop- ment of the open space.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, thank you very much indeed, but I regret that you did not give more information about the Western District over which this Council has in the past expressed great concern
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.