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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR H. M. G. FORSGATE (in English):- Mr Chairman, I notice that as far as phasing themselves out is concerned, it is the Elected Members who seem to be phasing out, but nevertheless despite having had to listen to Mr BERNACCHI's speech, he might at least have the courtesy to hang on and listen to mine. I have laboured many hours, not only on the preparation of the speech, but on much work in select committees which he has miserably absented himself on many occasions, and now he has not the courtesy to wait and sit through a debate which most members here have taken a great deal of time to prepare for. Nevertheless, if I may carry on with the report of the Planning and Development Select Committee and our activities.
Planning and Development Select Committee
The Planning and Development Select Committee in its second year of activity has continued to apply itself to three basic principles. Firstly, planning to maximize land usage with imaginative and practical designs in the Council's projects; programming to an annually adjusted 5-year plan; and budgeting on a priority allocation geared to the availability of resources and public demand. For the past year, the Select Committee continuously monitored the building programme to ensure the requirements of the various functional select committees were as far as possible complied with.
Capital Expenditure
Up to December 1978, the Council had completed 29 projects with an estimated cost of about $42 million of which $15.98 million were financed from Government funds and $1.7 million by a donation from a member of the public. The larger projects completed and worthy of mention are the Chater Garden Stage I, the Sheung Shing Street Park Phase I, the Chai Wan Market, Aberdeen Indoor Games Hall and the Hung Hom Winslow Street Funeral Depot. Other notable projects nearing completion are the Central Promenade, the Wan Chai Sports Ground, Hong Kong Space Museum, the Kowloon Park Chinese Garden and the Urban Services Department Training Unit and District Office at Morrison Hill. These projects are however only a few of the 40 odd items at present under construction. A recent review also indicates that there are about 60 projects in the pipeline. These projects in total would cost about $1,500 million at present day price level, though the actual expenditure will probably be spread over a long period of time.
Coming to actual expenditure on Urban Council financed capital works and minor items, $36 million has been spent since the beginning of the 1978-79 financial year and according to a forecast worked out in consultation with the PWD, it is expected that a further $28 million will be spent by the end of March 1979. This anticipated expenditure is an improvement when compared to the $32.6 million in the last financial year and $26.5 million for the year before that. It is estimated a total of about $103 million will be spent next year. This is a substantial increase on the year mid-year review and although measures introduced to expedite production are partly responsible, inflated construction costs will have a material effect. However, this trend is indicative of the sustained growth in our capital works programme.
Major projects of interest which have started or are about to start and are expected to be completed over the next few years are the Aberdeen Market, the Wong Nei Chong Gap Tennis Centre, the Chai Wan Swimming Pool Complex, The Sham Shui Po Park, the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, the Ngau Tau Kok Market, the Ngau Chi Wan Market, the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Hung Hom Indoor Stadium, the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Complex and the Reprovisioning of Diamond Hill Crematorium. The last four projects will be financed by the Government under the terms of the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements while the rest will be paid for by the Council.
Greater usage of private consultants to expedite projects
In my speech last year I mentioned that 2 packages of Urban Council projects were farmed out to private architects. This method of augmenting the planning and design capacity of the Architectural Office of the PWD on Urban Council projects has proved to be very successful, and 4 further packages have been added during the year while 2 more are under active planning. A package usually consists of one or two major projects together with about ten smaller projects costing in total some $30 million to $40 million. The 8 packages together will comprise some 100 projects on which the Urban Council through the PWD Architectural Office will have engaged private consultants. A rough indication of the order of cost entrusted to the private sector will be in the region of $240 million. This scheme is working well and I am confident will expedite the Council's capital works programme. Almost all of the minor projects under Package I and II are expected to be completed before the end of the current financial year, and work has started on the major project of Tin Wan Market at Aberdeen. Tenders for certain projects in Packages III and IV have been called for recently and construction work on a number of these projects will commence in the course of the next few months.
Greater opportunity for research in planning for the future
Urban congestion, limitation of space and funds, have constrained more effective planning in the past and we had perforce focussed on localized demand for amenities and services. It is therefore refreshing to be able to report that with population movement and greater availability of land, we can indulge in a greater degree of precise planning on a territory-wide basis. During the year under review, projects for libraries, markets, swimming pools, indoor games hall and refuse collection points were planned in this manner. Where practicable, the Council aims at multiple-use Urban Council
Page 84 of 135
129
Page 84 of 135
128
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR H. M. G. FORSGATE (in English):-Mr Chairman, I notice that as far phasing themselves out, but nevertheless despite having had to listen to as phasing out is concerned, it is the Elected Members who seem to be Mr BERNACCHI's speech, he might at least have the courtesy to hang on and listen to mine. I have laboured many hours, not only on the preparation of the speech, but on much work in select committees which he has miserably absented himself on many occasions, and now he has not the courtesy to wait and sit through a debate which most members here have taken a great deal of time to prepare for. Nevertheless, if I may carry on with the report of the Planning and Development Select Committee and our
activities.
Planning and Development Select Committee
The Planning and Development Select Committee in its second year of activity has continued to apply itself to three basic principles. Firstly, planning to maximize land usage with imaginative and practical designs in the Council's projects; programming to an annually adjusted 5-year plan; and budgeting on a priority allocation geared to the availability of resources and public demand. For the past year, the Select Committee continuously monitored the building programme to ensure the requirements of the various functional select committees were as far as possible complied with.
Capital Expenditure
Up to December 1978, the Council had completed 29 projects with an estimated cost of about $42 million of which $15.98 million were financed from Government funds and $1.7 million by a donation from a member of the public. The larger projects completed and worthy of mention are the Chater Garden Stage I, the Sheung Shing Street Park Phase I, the Chai Wan Market, Aberdeen Indoor Games Hall and the Hung Hom Winslow Street Funeral Depot. Other notable projects nearing completion are the Central Promenade, the Wan Chai Sports Ground, Hong Kong Space Museum, the Kowloon Park Chinese Garden and the Urban Services Depart ment Training Unit and District Office at Morrison Hill. These projects are however only a few of the 40 odd items at present under construction. A recent review also indicates that there are about 60 projects in the pipe- line. These projects in total would cost about $1,500 million at present day price level, though the actual expenditure will probably be spread over a long period of time.
Coming to actual expenditure on Urban Council financed capital works and minor items, $36 million has been spent since the beginning of the 1978-79 financial year and according to a forecast worked out in consulta- tion with the PWD, it is expected that a further $28 million will be spent by the end of March 1979. This anticipated expenditure is an improvement when compared to the $32.6 million in the last financial year and $26.5 million for the year before that. It is estimated a total of about $103
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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million will be spent next year. This is a substantial increase on the year mider review and although measures introduced to expedite production are partly responsible, inflated construction costs will have a material effect. However this trend is indicative of the sustained growth in our capital
works programme.
Major projects of interest which have started or are about to start and are expected to be completed over the next few years are the Aberdeen Market, the Wong Nei Chong Gap Tennis Centre, the Chai Wan Swimming Pool Complex, The Sham Shui Po Park, the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, the Ngau Tau Kok Market, the Ngau Chi Wan Market, the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, the Hung Hom Indoor Stadium, the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Complex and the Reprovisioning of Diamond Hill Crematorium. The last four projects will be financed by the Government under the terms of the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements while the rest will be paid for by the Council.
Greater usage of private consultants to expedite projects
In my speech last year I mentioned that 2 packages of Urban Council projects were farmed out to private architects. This method of augmenting the planning and design capacity of the Architectural Office of the PWD on Urban Council projects has proved to be very successful, and 4 further packages have been added during the year while 2 more are under active planning. A package usually consists of one or two major projects together with about ten smaller projects costing in total some $30 million to $40 million. The 8 packages together will comprise some 100 projects on which the Urban Council through the PWD Architectural Office will have engaged private consultants. A rough indication of the order of cost entrusted to the private sector will be in the region of $240 million. This scheme is working well and I am confident will expedite the Council's capital works programme. Almost all of the minor projects under Package I and II are expected to be completed before the end of the current financial year, and work has started on the major project of Tin Wan Market at Aberdeen. Tenders for certain projects in Packages III and IV have been called for recently and construction work on a number of these projects will commence in the course of the next few months.
Greater opportunity for research in planning for the future
Urban congestion, limitation of space and funds, have constrained more effective planning in the past and we had perforce focussed on localized demand for amenities and services. It is therefore refreshing to be able to report that with population movement and greater availability of land, we can indulge in a greater degree of precise planning on a territory-wide basis. During the year under review, projects for libraries, markets, swimming pools, indoor games hall and refuse collection points were planned in this manner. Where practicable, the Council aims at multiple-use Urban Council
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