1973 — Page 151

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. KENNETH T. C. LO, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):-

Mr. Chairman, Members will, I think, agree with Mr. Peter P. F. CHAN that Statue Square has proved to be a success- ful venue for entertainment during the Festival of Hong Kong, in which the fountain stage played an invaluable part. However, the question of making this fountain stage a permanent amenity raises wider issues that require looking into carefully, and I can only make an interim reply at this stage.

I am informed by the department that, on each Festival occasion, the stage, including its ancillary office and changing rooms, has been constructed on a temporary basis with wooden materials only, and has been de- molished thereafter to restore the Square to its normal use as a public garden. Construction has been by public tender under the supervision of the Government Main- tenance Surveyor, and the cost this year was approxi- mately $120,000.

The provision of these facilities to facilitate public entertain- ment on a long term, year-round, basis would involve, firstly, a decision as to whether the Statue Square should be used for such purposes on a permanent or regular basis. Assuming, without commitment and only for dis- cussion purposes, that the Council might give such agree- ment, we would then have to consider the provision of a small permanent structure for an office and changing rooms, plus a stage-cum-cat-walk which could be removed and stored when not in use. The cost of these facilities would be considerably more than the price of the one-off wooden items provided for the Festival. The structures would have to be typhoon-proof, whilst the stage/cat- walk would probably have to be made of metal and other durable materials.

Besides the need for a decision as to the change in use of Statue Square for regular entertainment purposes and, if agreed, the cost of providing suitable facilities, there is the matter of staff to administer them. The only comparable outdoor facility operated by the Urban Council at the present time is the open-air stage in Morse Park. This is used three or four times a month for pro-

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grammes under the Council's Entertainment and Recrea- tion Programme, and five or six times a month for allocations made by the Section. Any similar amenity in Statue Square Garden would undoubtedly be popular with promoters and public alike, and the bookings and management aspects would probably involve the UC in providing extra staff.

It is, however, the basic decision as to the best use of Statue Square Garden that will require the most careful con- sideration. For this reason, the answer to Mr. CHAN'S question must be that whilst the provision of a removable stage and permanent ancillary facilities is clearly possible, very much deeper consideration must be given to the underlying issue.

The suggestion will be brought before the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee for consideration in due

course.

(2) Mr. Peter P. K. NG asked the following question (in English) :-

In view of the fact that the Urban Council has approved the provision of both the Morrison Hill Sports Centre and the Causeway Bay Sports Centre for quite some time, can the Chairman advise this Council:

(a) Have plans, details and tender documents been pre-

pared?

(b) If the answer to "a" is "yes", when can tenders be

invited for the construction?

(c) If the answer to "b" is "no", what is the reason for

this long delay?

(d) What degree would the activities programme of the Urban Council suffer because of such long delay in the completion of both centres, and what additional financial burden would it cause because of the in- creased cost in the construction industry?

MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECt Committee, replied as follows (in English):—

Mr. Chairman, the two projects referred to in this question are both in Category B of the Public Works Programme