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abatement notice will become effective. Should we take a decision now on what we should do henceforth? If we cannot eliminate the noise, then we will be prosecuted. The Urban Council, in dealing with the noise problem, should not drag on any longer. We should not take the nearby residents as guinea-pigs. When will we stop using the nearby residents as guinea-pigs? We need to be accountable to local residents? We need to be accountable to the Hong Kong public in general. We must take bold and intelligent decisions. My motion mentions to effectively control the noise problem. What I mean is: we need to comply with the regulations of the EPD i.e. in the day time, it should be within 70 dB(A), and at night 65 dB(A). That actually is the maximum level. We should know that before pop concerts were held, the noise level in the vicinity was only 53 dB(A). Now it exceeds 65 dB(A). You can well imagine the disturbance to local residents. Of course, I do understand that even if we can effectively control the noise level within 65 dB(A), it must still be unacceptable to residents. Before this meeting started, Mr. K. K. FUNG and I received petition from local residents. They said that even if it was kept within 65 dB(A), it would still be unacceptable to them. As a public body, the Urban Council should not violate the law. The spirit of my motion is not to ban all concerts to be held in the Hong Kong Stadium: after all, the Hong Kong Stadium is an ideal venue for such activities and events. But we must control the noise level very carefully and before we can effectively control noise, the Urban Council should not accept any further bookings for concerts. This is the sort of responsible and positive attitude that we should adopt. In March, Wembley submitted a report to the SCWC which stated that from May to November, we will still have 11 concert applications. I don't want to see complaints and prosecutions from EPD all coming at the same time. We must try and understand the feelings of the local residents. Even though we have already set up a working group to look at events leading to the noise issue at the Hong Kong Stadium, we must understand that the terms of reference of this particular working party do not include how to deal with complaints and improve the noise problem. How should we resolve the noise problem? This is a matter of urgency. I don't want to see a situation where the EPD or local residents apply for an injunction order from the court to ban all concerts to be held at the Stadium. Therefore, I hope that Urban Councillors will support my motion. If the new mitigating measures cannot keep the noise within the prescribed limit, we should not consider accepting bookings of pop concerts until the noise level can be effectively controlled. With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I move the motion.
THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as a responsible public and statutory body responsible for the management of the Hong Kong Stadium, the Urban Council must be reasonable in organising activities according to the law. We must also monitor the performance of the commercial promoters and other activities involving pop concerts, fund raising and charity activities. They must all operate within the law and the noise level must be within acceptable standard set down by the noise authority. We must effectively
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control noise at the Stadium, or else we should not accept bookings for pop concerts. Urban Councillors have deliberated very hard on the issue. I hope we should take a wise decision today and support Mr. Ma Lee-wo's motion.
MR. WONG SHUI-LAI (in Cantonese): I rise to second Mr. Ma's motion because the Urban Council must face and tackle the problem. I would like to analyse two problems: how to solve the problem concerning noise and to address an associated matter. Before the Jockey Club had a noise assessment and also when Wembley gave us a report in December, the EPD made some positive comments and suggestions for improvements. On 30 March the BOG met with the inclusion of other members participating in the meeting. At that meeting, we learnt about the background and also that the Urban Council was unaware of the noise assessment report and the suggestions made by EPD. From then till now I have tried, through the Secretariat, to get the noise assessment reports from the department. We have attracted quite an outcry on the issue because of the noise problem. On last Wednesday and Friday, I personally telephoned our Deputy Director, Mr. P. C. LEUNG, asking for the noise assessment reports commissioned by the Jockey Club and Wembley Consultant. However, Mr. LEUNG's secretary gave me the same answer twice i.e. the Deputy Director was at a meeting. I asked him to call me back but I have not received any call from him. I also asked the UC Secretariat for copies of the two reports. The reply was that the BOG decided that the paper would not be made public and Urban Councillors would not be able to get copies either. On Saturday, when I complained to you, Mr. Chairman, you gave me a summary of one of the reports. Mr. Chairman, I think that our immediate task is to review the role played by USD in this issue. I wish to be given the paper formally rather than to have to go to you to complain and then get a personal copy from you, Mr. Chairman. Early this year, in the annual debate, it was mentioned by one member that the directorate of the USD should be detached from the civil service and be directly responsible to the Urban Council. This particular issue has confirmed the validity of that point. I hope that the Working Party established to look into events leading to the noise issue would be able to obtain full co-operation from relevant departments and get the information they need rather than to be met with apologies and refusal to give the papers because up to this point, we have not been able to get any information to disclose to the press. I support the motion, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHIANG SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I agree to the views of members who have spoken and I second the motion. Mr. Stephen LAU said that a lot of remedial measures would be put in place and I appreciated the positive response of Wembley relating to, for example, the position of the stage, the tilting of the sound system as well as the noise barrier to protect the hospital and so and so forth. I am the Chairman of the Sports and Activities Sub-committee. Apart from pop concerts, I think different types of activities should be held in the Hong Kong Stadium. The Urban Council should take the initiative to actively organise different types of sports activities in the Stadium
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abatement notice will become effective. Should we take a decision now on what we should do henceforth? If we cannot eliminate the noise, then we will be prosecuted. The Urban Council, in dealing with the noise problem, should not drag on any longer. We should not take the nearby residents as guinea-pigs. When will we stop using the nearby residents as guinea-pigs? We need to be accountable to local residents? We need to be accountable to the Hong Kong public in general. We must take bold and intelligent decisions. My motion mentions to effectively control the noise problem. What I mean is: we need to comply with the regulations of the EPD i.e. in the day time, it should be within 70 dB(A), and at night 65 dB(A). That actually is the maximum level. We should know that before pop concerts were held, the noise level in the vicinity was only 53 dB(A). Now it exceeds 65 dB(A). You can well imagine the disturbance to local residents. Of course, I do understand that even if we can effectively control the noise level within 65 dB(A), it must still be unacceptable to residents. Before this meeting started, Mr. K. K. FUNG and I received petition from local residents. They said that even if it was kept within 65 dB(A), it would still be unacceptable to them. As a public body, the Urban Council should not violate the law. The spirit of my motion is not to ban all concerts to be held in the Hong Kong Stadium: after all, the Hong Kong Stadium is an ideal venue for such activities and events. But we must control the noise level very carefully and before we can effectively control noise, the Urban Council should not accept any further bookings for concerts. This is the sort of responsible and positive attitude that we should adopt. In March, Wembley submitted a report to the SCWC which stated that from May to November, we will still have 11 concert applications. I don't want to see complaints and prosecutions from EPD all coming at the same time. We must try and understand the feelings of the local residents. Even though we have already set up a working group to look at events leading to the noise issue at the Hong Kong Stadium, we must understand that the terms of reference of this particular working party do not include how to deal with complaints and improve the noise problem. How should we resolve the noise problem? This is a matter of urgency. I don't want to see a situation where the EPD or local residents apply for an injunction order from the court to ban all concerts to be held at the Stadium. Therefore, I hope that Urban Councillors will support my motion. If the new mitigating measures cannot keep the noise within the prescribed limit, we should not consider accepting bookings of pop concerts until the noise level can be effectively controlled. With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I move the motion.
THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as a responsible public and statutory body responsible for the management of the Hong Kong Stadium, the Urban Council must be reasonable in organising activities. according to the law. We must also monitor the performance of the commercial promoters and other activities involving pop concerts, fund raising and charity activities. They must all operate within the law and the noise level must be within acceptable standard set down by the noise authority. We must effectively
Page 10 of 115
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19
control noise at the Stadium, or else we should not accept bookings for pop concerts. Urban Councillors have deliberated very hard on the issue. I hope we should take a wise decision today and support Mr. Ma Lee-wo's motion.
MR. WONG SHUI-LAI (in Cantonese): I rise to second Mr. Ma's motion because the Urban Council must face and tackle the problem. I would like to analyse two problems: how to solve the problem concerning noise and to address an associated matter. Before the Jockey Club had a noise assessment and also when Wembley gave us a report in December, the EPD made some positive comments and suggestions for improvements. On 30 March the BOG met with the inclusion of other members participating in the meeting. At that meeting, we learnt about the background and also that the Urban Council was unaware of the noise assessment report and the suggestions made by EPD. From then till now I have tried, through the Secretariat, to get the noise assessment reports from the department. We have attracted quite an outcry on the issue because of the noise problem. On last Wednesday and Friday, I personally telephoned our Deputy Director, Mr. P. C. LEUNG, asking for the noise assessment reports commissioned by the Jockey Club and Wembley Consultant. However, Mr. LEUNG's secretary gave me the same answer twice i.e. the Deputy Director was at a meeting. I asked him to call me back but I have not received any call from him. I also asked the UC Secretariat for copies of the two reports. The reply was that the BOG decided that the paper would not be made public and Urban Councillors would not be able to get copies either. On Saturday, when I complained to you, Mr. Chairman, you gave me a summary of one of the reports. Mr. Chairman, I think that our immediate task is to review the role played by USD in this issue. I wish to be given the paper formally rather than to have to go to you to complain and then get a personal copy from you, Mr. Chairman. Early this year, in the annual debate, it was mentioned by one member that the directorate of the USD should be detached from the civil service and be directly responsible to the Urban Council. This particular issue has confirmed the validity of that point. I hope that the Working Party established to look into events leading to the noise issue would be able to obtain full co-operation from relevant departments and get the information they need rather than to be met with apologies and refusal to give the papers because up to this point, we have not been able to get any information to disclose to the press. I support the motion, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHIANG SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I agree to the views of members who have spoken and I second the motion. Mr. Stephen LAU said that a lot of remedial measures would be put in place and I appreciated the positive response of Wembley relating to, for example, the position of the stage, the tilting of the sound system as well as the noise barrier to protect the hospital and so and so forth. I am the Chairman of the Sports and Activities Sub-committee. Apart from pop concerts, I think different types of activities should be held in the Hong Kong Stadium. The Urban Council should take the initiative to actively organise different types of sports activities in the Stadium
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