3) Colony Outline Planning Section, to assist the government in finding land for
building residential housing and satisfying the needs of industrial development.
The government also announced the locations of five new towns in the same
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152 · MAKING HONG KONG
year. In 1973, the Public Works Department established the New Territories
Development Department internally. In the same year, the Planning Branch
was elevated into an independent unit within the Public Works Department,
and was renamed the Town Planning Office. In 1980, the Urban Planning and
Development Strategy Section was established under the Lands, Survey and
Town Planning Department. In 1982, the Town Planning Office was reorganised
and became the newly established Town Planning Division under the purview
of the Lands Department. In 1986, the Town Planning Division was renamed
the Town Planning Office, under the jurisdiction of the then newly established
Buildings and Lands Department, while the New Territories Development
Department and the Urban Planning Development Division merged and
became the Territory Development Department. On 1 January 1990, the
Planning Department was established under the Planning, Environment and
Lands Branch, merging all planning functions undertaken by the Town Planning
Office, the Strategic Planning Unit, and the various development offices under
the Territory Development Department as its responsibilities.8 The Planning
Department was responsible for drafting all kinds of plans that provided guid-
ance on the appropriate use and development of land. The types of plans were
numerous, from development strategies for the whole of Hong Kong to detailed
development blueprints of individual districts. As cooperation with Mainland
China grew, the Planning Department also maintained close contact with neigh-
bouring provinces and cities to jointly handle cross-border planning and devel-
opment issues. In addition, the Planning Department provided services to the
Town Planning Board.
Gaining public support to planning through open discussion and consultation
is an important part of the town planning development process, and assumes an
important role in a city’s long-term development. The Committee in charge of
town planning was established in 1922, and consisted of nine members, with the
Director of Public Works acting as Chairman, and the rest of the members being
government officers and non-officials. In 1939, the Town Planning Board was
established, and the number of members was increased to 12, with the Chairman
of the Urban Council acting as Chairman of the Committee. Planning blue-
prints had to be reviewed by the Committee before the war. In December 1941,
town planning work was forced to a halt because of the war.
In May 1946, less than one year after the war, the Town Planning Ordinance
was restored and the work of the Town Planning Board resumed. On 12 July
1947, the government reappointed the members of the Town Planning Board in
accordance with the Town Planning Ordinance.9 In 1947, the reactivated Town
Planning Board continued to have five members, with the Director of Public
Works again appointed as the Chairman and a government official serving as
the Secretary. The rest of the members were non-official members, including
8
Hong Kong Planning Department, Planning Hong Kong 50th Anniversary, Hong Kong, Planning
Department, 1998, p.63.
9
‘New Town Planning Board Named’, Hong Kong Sunday Herald, 13 July 1947; Hong Kong Planning
Department, Planning Hong Kong 50th Anniversary, Hong Kong, Planning Department, 1998, p.39.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 153
a structural engineer, two surveyors and an architect. The number of members
increased with the expanding scale of development of the city. In 1976 there
were 16 members, and in 1978 more than half of the Board were non-official
members. In the 1990s, the Town Planning Board substantially expanded, and
the number of members increased from 15 in 1988 to 23 in 1990 and to 29 in
1991, with the majority being non-official members. Between 2000 and 2002
the number of members rose to 44, 37 of whom were non-official members. For
2010–2012, the Town Planning Board consisted of 36 members, with 30 non-
official members and 6 official members. The number of non-official members
was reduced to 29 in 2012–2014, with no change in the number of official
members. For 2014–2016, the number of non-official members rose back to 30,
and the number of official members remained at 6. Non-official representatives
far outnumbered official ones.10
The chairmanship of the Town Planning Board had always been held by
the Director of Public Works. The Public Works Department was upgraded
and became the Lands and Works Branch in 1982. It was reorganised as the
Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau in 1998, and since then the chairman-
ship of the Town Planning Board has been assumed by the Permanent Secretary
in charge of planning, environment and lands. The official members were mainly
heads of relevant public works departments serving as representatives, includ-
ing the Planning Department, Housing Bureau, Lands Department, Transport
Bureau, Environmental Protection Department and Home Affairs Department.
The post of Vice-Chairman had been in place since 1961, and would be assumed
by the head of one of the units under the Public Works Department. Since 2004,
the position of Vice-Chairman has been assumed by a non-official member,
instead of the previous practice of the position being occupied by a govern-
ment official. Before the 1980s, non-official members were professional archi-
tects, surveyors, or professionals well versed in engineering. Since the 1990s,
members have been drawn from a wide range of occupations, with academics
from tertiary institutions, engineers, architects, surveyors, business leaders and
lawyers being the most common. (See Table 4.3.)
Amendments to the Town Planning Ordinance
The Town Planning Ordinance, promulgated in 1939, gave the Town Planning
Board full statutory power. Because of the war, the Executive Council only
restored the Town Planning Ordinance in 1950 to carry out long-term develop-
ment planning in accordance with the government’s economic capacity and
societal needs. When development blueprints involved public or private inter-
ests, some buffer time would have to be set aside for consultations in order to
gain public support for the development plans. Therefore, the Town Planning
Ordinance had to be amended from time to time based on the needs of the society.
10
Government Press Release: On 28 March 2014, the Chief Executive appointed six official and 30 non-
official members to the Town Planning Board.
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154 · MAKING HONG KONG
Table 4.3 Total number and terms of office of Town Planning Board members
(1947–2016)
Year Total no. Official Non-official Period (no. of
years)
1947 5 1 4 –
1954 6 4 2 1
1955–1956 7 3 4 1
1956–1957 7 4 3 1
1957–1958 8 5 3 1
1958–1959 8 5 3 1
1959–1960 8 5 3 1
1960–1961 8 5 3 1
1961–1962 9 6 3 1
1962–1965 9 6 3 3
1965–1968 9 6 3 3
1968–1971 10 7 3 3
1971–1974 9 7 2 3
1974–1976 14 9 5 2
1976–1978 16 9 7 2
1978–1980 15 7 8 2
1980–1982 15 7 8 2
1982–1984 15 7 8 2
1985 18 8 10 1
1986–1988 18 4 14 2
1988–1989 15 4 11 2
1990 23 5 18 2
1991* 29 5 24 1
1992–1994 30 6 24 2
1994–1996 30 6 24 2
1996–1998 31 7 24 2
1998–2000 33 7 26 2
2000–2002 44 7 37 2
2002–2004 40 7 33 2
2004–2006 40 6 34 2
2006–2008 38 6 32 2
2008–2010 37 6 31 2
2010–2012 36 6 30 2
2012–2014 35 6 29 2
2014–2016 36 6 30 2
Note: * Total number of Board members included the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman but not the
Secretary.
Sources: Hong Kong Government Gazette, Hong Kong Government, 1854–1997; Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region Gazette, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1997–2015; Hong Kong, Staff List, Hong Kong Government,
Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1959–1996; Hong Kong Town Planning Board, Town Planning Board Annual Report 1990–
2005, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1990–2005; Hong Kong Town Planning Board, Town Planning Board Biennial Report
2006–2011, Hong Kong, Government Logistics Department, 2007–2011; Hong Kong Town Planning Board, Town Planning
Board Report 2012–2014, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 2015; ‘New Town Planning Board Named’, Hong Kong Sunday
Herald, 13 July 1947, p.1.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 155
Since the 1970s, civic awareness has been on the rise, and the Town Planning
Ordinance had to face the constant pressure of litigation initiated by the public.
After each lawsuit, the government would review the contents of the ordinance
and amend them accordingly. For example, the Planning Permission System
amendments in 197411 were a result of the government’s loss in a lawsuit brought
by Hopewell Holdings Ltd, where the company claimed that the government’s
plans were not made according to the law.12 The government amended the Town
Planning Ordinance so that any diagrams, explanatory notes and so on, once
amended, would be considered part of the plans. In 1989, the government lost
in a lawsuit involving the operation of a container yard and open air storage yard
on agricultural land in the New Territories.13 And, in 1991, the government had
to extend the jurisdiction of the Town Planning Ordinance to include rural areas
and consulted the public on the review of overall planning.14 In 1996, the gov-
ernment issued a town planning white paper, inviting public opinions on overall
planning.15 In 2000, an official report, prepared after considering public opinion,
was submitted to the Legislative Council. However, owing to the tight schedule,
the Legislative Council was not able to pass all the amendments within that
term.16 In May 2003, the government invited the Legislative Council to pass
those amendments on which consensus had been reached. The amended ordi-
nance was finally passed on 4 July 2004.17
Public opinions and the public’s right to know are highly valued. The ordi-
nance also provides more opportunities for people to express their views.18 The
government publishes plans in the Government Gazette, and the plans are exhib-
ited for two months for public inspection. The Town Planning Board publishes
notices in two Chinese language newspapers and one English language news-
paper, informing the public of the plans. Any individual is able to obtain a copy
of the plans upon paying the required fee.19 After the two-month exhibition
period, all representations received by the Town Planning Board during the plan
exhibition period are published for public inspection for three weeks. After two
rounds of consultation, the Town Planning Board considers the representations
and comments on the representations received. Any amendments proposed are
published for public inspection, and the public may make further representation
in respect of the proposed amendments. The Town Planning Board considers
the further representations and decides whether to make amendments to the
draft plan. The Town Planning Board submits the draft plan, with or without
11
Planning Department website, http://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/tech_doc/tp_bill/pamphlet2004/.
12
Interview with Fung Chee-keung, 20 March 2012.
13
Interview with Fung Chee-keung, 20 March 2012.
14
Hong Kong Democratic Foundation website, www.hkdf.org/newsarticles.asp?show=newsarticles&new
sarticle=167; Interview with Fung Chee-keung, 20 March 2012.
15
Planning Department website, http://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/tech_doc/tp_bill/pamphlet2004/.
16
Planning Department website, http://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/tech_doc/tp_bill/pamphlet2004/.
17
Planning Department website, http://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/tech_doc/tp_bill/pamphlet2004/.
18
Interview with Director of Planning Peter Pun Kwok-shing, 8 February 2012.
19
Department of Justice, Bilingual Laws Information System website, http://www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/
home.htm.
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156 · MAKING HONG KONG
amendments, together with any representations and relevant documents to the
Chief Executive in Council for a decision in respect of the draft plan.20
Today, the Town Planning Board has become increasingly democratic;
the civilian appeal process against the government’s changes to plans has also
become more open. The Town Planning Board now allows the general public to
make representations and comments. This is a change from the previous proce-
dure where only the affected persons were allowed to make representations and
comments. Plans are only finalised after multiple rounds of review. This reflects
that public opinion has an influence on town planning, and it has also made
town planning increasingly politicised.21 (See Table 4.4.)
The emphasis of urban development
Under the government’s policies of establishing an organisation and enacting
laws that promote planning work, the urban planning blueprint of 1948 was
provided with a certain development foundation. With limited resources, how
would these plans be implemented? Which of the development projects were
prioritised? Which were amended to cope with society’s urgent needs? Which
were cancelled as a result of insufficient resources? To examine the actual imple-
mentation of long-term planning, we have to verify the specific development
status in different districts.
The first problem any plan has to face and resolve is land. According to gov-
ernment information, reclamation projects after the war were mainly based on
plans made before the war. On this, Abercrombie had already obtained the rel-
evant information from the relevant government departments. By the end of the
1940s, districts where reclamation projects had commenced included North
Point on Hong Kong Island, Hung Hom Bay in Kowloon and Cheung Sha Wan
in New Kowloon; districts with a comparatively large reclamation area included
Chai Wan, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, Ma Tau Kok in
Kowloon, and Kai Tak, Kowloon Bay and Cheung Sha Wan in New Kowloon.
However, none of them was comparable to Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung, Tuen Mun
and Sha Tin in the New Territories in terms of scale. (For details, see Table 4.5.)
Planning of Hong Kong Island
The new role of Central
The government realised that post-war Central not only should be the political
and economic centre, but also could become a cultural and tourism intersec-
tion point. The government could well use buildings to create a modern atmos-
phere for the city.22 However, since the demolition of the old City Hall in 1933,
20
Department of Justice, Bilingual Laws Information System website, http://www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/
home.htm; http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/en/plan_making/participate.html.
21
Interview with Peter Pun Kwok-shing, 8 February 2012.
22
Patrick Abercrombie, Hong Kong Preliminary Planning Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1948, p.16.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 157
Table 4.4 Years of amendment and amendment contents of the Town Planning Ordinance
(1939–2004)
Year Contents
1939 Enactment of the Town Planning Ordinance.
1950 Restoration of the Town Planning Ordinance.
1956 Amendment of Ordinance No. 26 of 1956 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1956): Section 5 was amended, providing that a copy of the approved plan has to
be supplied to any person who has paid the required fee. Section 10 was amended
to provide that a copy of the approved plan certified by the Chairman of the Town
Planning Board will be kept in the Land Registry and will be available for free
inspection. This amended ordinance, together with the amended Buildings Ordinance,
1955 (Ordinance No. 68 of 1955), emphasised again the importance of public
knowledge of draft and approved plans.
1958 Amendment of Ordinance No. 3 of 1958 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1958): Section 11 was amended to provide that, where the Governor in Council refers
an approved plan to the Town Planning Board (the ‘Board’) for amendment, if only
part of the plan requires amendment, there will be no need to replace the old plan
with a new plan. The amendments may be made on the original plan.
1969 Amendment of Ordinance No. 59 of 1969 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1969): Subsection (1) (e) was added to section 4. Section 5 was amended to delete
‘submission to the Governor in Council for approval’ and replace it with ‘publication’.
The original subsections (3), (4) and (5) under section 6 were deleted and substituted
by subsections (3) to (9). Section 6A was added.
1974 Amendment of Ordinance No. 59 of 1974 (Town Planning (Amendment and
Validation) Ordinance 1974): Allowing the Board to add appropriate diagrams,
explanatory notes etc. in plans. Sections 16 and 17 were added, and provide for the
procedures of a planning application. Any diagrams, explanatory notes etc. in plans
drafted before this amendment ordinance takes effect will become part of such plans
once amended.
1982 Amendment of Ordinance No. 37 of 1982 (Roads (Works, Use and Compensation)
Ordinance 1982): Any works authorised under the Roads (Works, Use and
Compensation) Ordinance will be deemed to be approved under this ordinance.
1988 Amendment of Ordinance No. 2 of 1988 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1988): Sections 4A and 19 were added to regulate plans for comprehensive
development areas.
1991 Amendment of Ordinance No. 4 of 1991 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1991): Allowing for the establishment of various committees under the Board and
setting provisions for the plans of development permission areas, as well as granting
the power of oversight to the Authority (i.e. Director of Planning).
Amendment of Ordinance No. 101 of 1991 (Town Planning (Amendment) (No.2)
Ordinance 1991): Allowing anyone to file a complaint with the Appeal Board, and
allowing the Authority to serve notices and terminate the land development within
development permission areas.
1994 Amendment of Ordinance No. 22 of 1994 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1994): Even if a plan ceases to be effective under section 20 (6), where sections 16, 17
and 17B apply, the Governor in Council may extend the time limit for development
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Table 4.4 (continued)
Year Contents
permission area plans. In addition, the Authority may take possession, remove, detain
and dispose of any property on relevant land according to the notice served.
1996 Amendment of Ordinance No. 14 of 1996 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1996): Providing that ‘public officers’ in the provisions relating to the Appeal Board
do not include Judges of the Court of First Instance, Recorders of the Court of First
Instance, Deputy Judges of the Court of First Instance and Judges of the District Court.
1998 Amendment of Ordinance No. 16 of 1998 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
1998): The Board may appoint a committee of its members to exercise the Board’s
powers under sections 6 (6), (6A), (6B), (7), (8) and (9).
2004 Amendment of Ordinance No. 25 of 2004 (Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance
2004): The aim is to increase the transparency of the planning system and simplify
town planning procedures, as well as to enhance enforcement and control over
unauthorised developments in the rural areas of the New Territories.
Sources: Review of the Town Planning Ordinance of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Institute of Planners, 1990,
p.2; Ordinances of Hong Kong for the Year, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998,
2004; Planning Department webpage: http://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_tc/tech_doc/tp_bill/pamphlet2004; Town Planning
(Amendment) Ordinance 1956; Town Planning (Amendment) Ordinance 1969; Department of Justice, Bilingual Laws
Information System webpage: http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/BA93A4BB4
780F729482575EE003FA8E3?OpenDocument&bt=0.
the importance of cultural facilities to the city’s development had not been
reconsidered. Therefore, building Central as a modern cultural centre was a new
concept, as well as the first mission in the rebuilding after the war.
The Director of Public Works announced plans for reclamation in Central in
his annual departmental report of 1948–1949.23 In the Five-Year Development
Plan for 1951–1956,24 Central, Causeway Bay and North Point on Hong Kong
Island were all focuses of development.25 The first completed reclamation works
in Central yielded 9 acres (3.65 hectares) of waterfront land.26 In the early
1950s, the government established a committee for the planned construction of
the City Hall on the then recently reclaimed land neighbouring Statue Square,
with budgeted costs of up to 1 million pounds sterling.27 The reclamation works
in Central that began in the year 1956–1957 and were completed in 1960–1961
yielded an additional 36 acres (14.58 hectares) of land.
In 1952–1953, the Public Works Department invited Professor Gordon
Brown from the Department of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong
23
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1948–1949, p.30.
24
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1951–1952, pp.28–29.
25
Wah Kiu Yat Po, 19 March 1951, p.7.
26
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer,
1952–1953, pp.29–30; Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1951, p.11.
27
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer,
1952–1953, pp.29–30; Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1951, p.11.
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Table 4.5 Overview of reclamation in Hong Kong (1946–1979)
Hong Kong Island Year Area Kowloon Year Area New Territories Year Area
(acre (acre (acre
(hectare)) (hectare)) (hectare))
North Point 1947–1953 22 Cheung Sha Wan 1946–1970, 206 Tsuen Wan and 1954–1957, 427
(8.9) 1976– (83.4) Kwai Chung 1969–1976 (172.9)
Central 1951–1977 37.8 Hung Hom 1946–1966 160 Tuen Mun 1968–1973 244.5*
(15.3) (64.8) (99.0)
Causeway Bay 1951–1971 60 Kai Tak 1954–1958, 257.2 Sha Tin 1969–1974 147.1
(24.3) 1970–1978 (104.2) (59.6)
Chai Wan 1956–1972 138.6 Ma Tau Kok 1954–1956 8.4 Tai Po 1976– 95.4
(56.1) (3.4) (38.6)
Naval Yard 1959–1960 3.5 Kwun Tong 1955–1965 274
(1.4) (111.0)
Aberdeen 1962–1976 28.5 Jorden Road 1961–1963 5.8
(11.5) (2.3)
Kennedy Town 1964–1975 6.7 To Kwa Wan 1962–1964 17
(2.7) (6.9)
Sandy Bay 1964– 6 Sam Ka Tusen 1964–1967 19
(2.4) (7.7)
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Table 4.5 (continued)
Hong Kong Island Year Area Kowloon Year Area New Territories Year Area
(acre (acre (acre
(hectare)) (hectare)) (hectare))
Wan Chai 1965–1972 84.2 Cha Kwo Ling 1964–1967 16
(34.1) (6.5)
Shau Kei Wan 1975–1979 14.6 Kowloon Bay 1964–1970 272.7
(5.9) (110.4)
Kennedy Town 1976–1979 38.8 Tai Wan 1967–1969 6
(15.7) (2.4)
Lei Yue Mun Bay 1976–1977 18.5 Tai Kok Tsui 1969–1971 6.2
(7.5) (2.5)
Quarry Bay 1979– 3.7 Tong Mi Road 1970–1975 16.4
(1.5) (6.6)
Sham Shui Po 1973–1979 34.9
(14.1)
Lai Chi Kok 1978–1979 17.3
(7.0)
Sub-total 462.9 1316.9 914
(187.5) (533.3) (370.2)
Total 2693.8 (1091.0)
Note: * Reclaimed land included the land obtained by removal of material from the hillsides.
Sources: Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works 1946–1976, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1947–1976; Hong Kong Annual Reports 1946–1979, Hong Kong, Government Printer,
1947–1980; Ho Pui-yin, Challenges for an Evolving City: 160 Years of Port and Land Development in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Commercial Press (HK), 2004, pp.148–150.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 161
to draw up draft plans,28 which initially included a concert hall, a library, a
museum, a marriage registry and offices for the Urban Council. After public
consultation in the subsequent year, a theatre and an assembly hall were
added to the draft plans.29 The financial budget for the project was passed
in 1955–1956, and the government immediately appointed Ronald Phillips
and Alan Fitch as architects. The project officially commenced in 1959, and
the foundation was laid in a ceremony officiated over by the Governor on 25
February 1960.30 The City Hall opened on 2 March 1961.31 The High Block
had 11 floors, including a marriage registry, a lecture hall, a museum and a
library. The Low Block had a 1,540-seat concert hall, a 470-seat theatre, an
exhibition room, a gallery and a memorial garden.32 The City Hall only had a
small number of administrative offices, which was different from city halls in
foreign countries that would house the offices of the municipal government.33
The outdoor public amenity space was a natural extension of the lowest level
of the Low Block,34 and formed part of a visual and spatial harmony with the
neighbouring Star Ferry Pier and Edinburgh Place.35 The entire building had
a simple exterior look with an exquisite layout, with an attention to lines and
light in its design. The architects used patterned grilles to allow the facilities on
different floors of the High Block to enjoy a sea view, exhibiting a style of func-
tionalism36 that was entirely different from the European classical architectural
style before the war.
There were two three-storey car parks in the vicinity of the City Hall. One was
in front of Star Ferry Pier and Edinburgh Place (with 400 parking spaces), and
another was part of the City Hall itself (with 189 parking spaces);37 both were
helpful in alleviating traffic congestion in Central. The planning and design of
the City Hall, Star Ferry Pier and Edinburgh Place, as well as of the car parks and
pavements, enabled the Central harbourfront to exude the flavour of a modern
city.38
28
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1952–1953, p.3.
29
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1953–1954, p.5.
30
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1959–1960, p.8.
31
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1959–1960, p.8.
32
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1955–1956, pp.3–4.
33
Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, Urban Council and Urban Services Department, 1980, p.13; Hong Kong
Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1959–1960, p.8.
34
A Platform for the Arts, Hong Kong, Urban Council, 1992, p.6.
35
Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, Urban Council and Urban Services Department, 1980, p.13.
36
A Collection of Memories, Hong Kong, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, 2002, p.102; Hong
Kong City Hall, 1962–1982, Hong Kong, Urban Council Public Information Unit, 1983, p.18.
37
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1956–1957, p.4.
38
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1960–1961, p.11.
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Table 4.6 The area and year built of the East Wing, Main Wing and West Wing of the
Central Government Offices
East Wing Main Wing West Wing
Year built 8/1952–12/1954 10/1955–12/1956 1956–1959
No. of floors 6 floors 7 floors 13 floors
Floor area 96,000 sq. ft 71,000 sq. ft 212,600 sq. ft
(8,919 m2) (6,596 m2) (19,751 m2)
Total: 379,600 sq. ft (35,266 m2)
Source: Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1949–1959.
Apart from the City Hall, another simple modern construction of the 1950s was
the Central Government Offices.39 Like the City Hall, the Central Government
Offices exuded the pursuit of practicality that was a characteristic of the post-
war society, and they were another group of modern buildings in the city.
Before the war, the colonial government had insufficient office space, and some
departments had to rent private properties, scattering the governing apparatus.
After the war, the government conducted replanning for Central and decided
to reorganise Government Hill, relocating departments that had been renting
private properties to the newly built government offices.40 In 1949–1950, the
Public Works Department drew up provisional site layout plans for the Central
Government Offices,41 wherein it was proposed that new government offices
would be built between Garden Road and Ice House Street, and that the old
buildings would be torn down and the new buildings constructed in three
phases. The East, Main and West Wings of the new government offices were
completed in 1954, 1956 and 1959 respectively (for their scale, see Table 4.6).
In terms of architectural structure, the Main and East Wings were connected,
while the West Wing stood separate. As the West Wing was situated on a slope
in Ice House Street, it was 13 storeys high at one end and six storeys high at the
other. As the buildings were on Government Hill, the height of the three build-
ings was all coordinated at six to seven storeys from the angle of Government
Hill.42 The layout of the new government offices also embodied the distribu-
tion of power in the colonial government,43 in accordance with the tradition
39
‘Shui taozou le zhengfushan’ (Who Stole the Government Hill), Mingpao Weekly, 10 March 2012,
pp.46–73.
40
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1950–1951, p.2.
41
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1949–1950, p.10.
42
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1953–1954, pp.4–5.
43
Architectural Services Department and LWK Conservation, Heritage Impact Assessment for the Former
Central Government Offices Relocation of the Department of Justice to the Former Central Government Offices
(Main and East Wings) (Final Report), 7 June 2012, p.19, http://www.aab.gov.hk/form/159meeting/AAB%
2040%202011-12%20(Annex%20C).pdf.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 163
that the middle (Main Wing) was pre-eminent, and the right (East Wing) had
precedence over the left (West Wing). The Main Wing was the headquarters
of government departments (the office of the Colonial Secretary), and housed
the Legislative Council Chamber. The East Wing was the offices of government
departments, and housed the Executive Council Chamber.44 The West Wing
had two exits. The underground exit in Ice House Street also contained the
offices of Legislative Council members, as well as the offices of various depart-
ments responsible for public affairs.45 In 1961, the government established the
Public Enquiry Service,46 with offices also located in the West Wing. These
offices all had air-conditioning47 and telephones48 installed. The underground
car park had 140 parking spaces.49 The lifts and canteens were also open for
public use,50 and this people-friendly image was vastly different from the forbid-
den attitude of the colonial government in the past. They were rich in charac-
teristics of post-war modern offices,51 and were eagerly imitated by post-1950s
commercial buildings.
The Murray Barracks, which was resumed by the government in 1958, was
rebuilt as the Murray Building, and became the offices of various government
departments. The Parade Ground (next to Murray Barracks) was redeveloped
as the Hilton Hotel and a car park in 1962. The Central Government Offices,
the Murray Building, the Former French Mission Building (the Court of Final
Appeal) and the Government House52 were all closely linked. Central thus lived
up to its name as the administrative centre of the city, and its modern buildings
became new landmarks of the city. (See Figure 4.2.)
44
‘The East Wing was mainly used as internal government office and also the ExCo (it relocated into
the existing ExCo Chamber next to the New Annex Block of Main Wing when it was completed in 1991)’
(Architectural Services Department and LWK Conservation, Heritage Impact Assessment for the Former Central
Government Offices Relocation of the Department of Justice to the Former Central Government Offices (Main and
East Wings) (Final Report), 7 June 2012, p.19, http://www.aab.gov.hk/form/159meeting/AAB%2040%20
2011-12%20(Annex%20C).pdf).
45
According to the Hong Kong Government Telephone Directory in 1970, departments in the West
Wing at the time included Audit Department (13/F), Urban Council and Urban Services Department
(Administration) (12/F), Registrar General’s Department (11/F), Inland Revenue Department (10/F),
Treasury (8/F), Civil Aviation Department (5/F); the Public Services Commission (5/F) was in the East
Wing. Hong Kong, Hong Kong Government Telephone Directory, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1970.
46
Back then, the office of the Information Services Department was in Beaconsfield House.
47
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1950–1951, p.2, 1953–1954, pp.4–5.
48
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1956–1957, p.3.
49
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1958–1959, p.10.
50
‘Shui taozou le zhengfushan’ (Who Stole the Government Hill), Mingpao Weekly, 10 March 2012,
pp.46–73.
51
‘Adequate provisions of lifts at the Ice House Street entrance will provide good means of access to the
offices for persons approaching from the city.’ Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public
Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1950–1951, p.2.
52
Michael Morrison, Central Government Offices: Historic and Architectural Appraisal (Chinese version),
September 2009, p.4, http://www.amo.gov.hk/form/research_CGO_c.pdf.
M4593-HO_9781788117944_t.indd 163 20/08/2018 16:47
M4593-HO_9781788117944_t.indd 164
Source: Public Works Department, City of Victoria, Hong Kong, Central Area Redevelopment: Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1961, Plan 5.
Figure 4.2 Concept plan of Central development (1961)
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 165
Central’s external traffic
Before the war, the land between Central and Wan Chai, which is today’s
Admiralty, was for military use. Traffic between the two places was therefore
blocked by military barracks. As early as the 1870s, Governor Kennedy (who
served as Governor from 1872 to 1877) proposed building a road to connect
Central and Wan Chai, but was met with opposition from the navy. The gov-
ernment therefore only managed to build Kennedy Road in the Mid-Levels
as the main passage connecting the eastern and western ends of Hong Kong
Island.53 After the war, the government’s resolution in improving the traffic
at the eastern and western ends of Hong Kong Island remained undeterred.
In the 1950s, public opinion that the military land around Admiralty should
be returned persisted.54 On 28 February 1958, the War Department reached
an agreement with the government,55 whereby the land lots of the Murray
Barracks, Parade Ground and Detention Barracks would formally be returned
to the government. In the 1970s, the Victoria Barracks and Wellington
Barracks were also officially returned to the government one after the other.
On 7 October 1959, the British Admiralty accepted a subsidy of 7 million
Hong Kong dollars to be provided by the government over seven years, and
gave up most of the land (about 962,000 square feet, or 89,373 square metres)
of the Naval Yard.56 The bottleneck between the eastern and western ends
was thus resolved. The government also conducted replanning on the traffic
around Garden Road.57 Harcourt Road, which was built in 1960–1961 close
to the waterfront, benefited from the land that used to be a navy shipyard, and
ran parallel to Queen’s Road East. It was one of the three main road construc-
tions at the time,58 and effectively improved the traffic between Central and
Wan Chai.59
Another recommendation contained in Abercrombie’s planning report of
1948 to improve traffic was a cross-harbour tunnel. The cross-harbour tunnel
could not only enhance the external traffic of core districts, but also connect
Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, the two core districts of the city, and expand the
urban areas.60 In 1955, the government commissioned a consultancy firm to
53
Rao Jiucai, Xianggang de diming yu difang lishi (Place Names and Local History of Hong Kong), Hong
Kong, Tiandi tushu youxian gongsi, 2011, p.85.
54
G.D. Smart, ‘The Progress of Building in Hong Kong’, in José Maria Braga, Hong Kong Business
Symposium, Hong Kong, South China Morning Post, 1957, p.147.
55
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1957–1958, p.27.
56
Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1959, p.169.
57
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer,
1957–1958, p.27; Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1958, p.157.
58
Three important road construction works were completed that year: Harcourt Road; Lung Cheung
Road (connecting Kai Tak with Tai Po Road); and improvement works of the Castle Peak Road Tsuen Wan–
Kowloon section.
59
Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1960, p.229.
60
Patrick Abercrombie, Hong Kong Preliminary Planning Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1948,
p.15.
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166 · MAKING HONG KONG
conduct a feasibility study.61 In 1956, the consultants proposed building the tun-
nel’s Hong Kong Island exit near Garden Road and its Kowloon exit in Tsim Sha
Tsui. As it was costly to build the tunnel and the government still had to consult
the military as regards land rights issues62 of the military land lots in Central
through which the Hong Kong Island exit would pass,63 the government was not
able to implement its cross-harbour tunnel plan in the 1960s. In the 1950s and
1960s, transport between the two core districts remained dependent on ferries.
In 1959, the Star Ferry route between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui carried an
average of 305,000 passengers per day. By 1965, the average daily number of
passengers had risen to 546,000, and the number of ferry routes had risen to 12.
In 1970, the average number of passengers further increased to 550,000 per day.
It was not until 1972, when the Cross-Harbour Tunnel commenced service, that
the ferry’s role as the primary means of transport across the harbour was slowly
replaced. (See Table 4.7.)
Planning of Hong Kong Island East
In the conceptualisation of long-term town planning for the city, the fringe
areas of Hong Kong Island were considered for more comprehensive devel-
opment. One hundred acres (40.5 hectares) of land in North Point could be
reserved for residential use, diverting population from the overly dense dis-
tricts on Hong Kong Island and providing housing for around 50,000 workers
of the Taikoo Dockyard.64 In 1952–1953, reclamation works commenced
in North Point, yielding over 320,000 square feet (29,729 square metres) of
land.65 Warehouses, factories, woodwork mills and other industries,66 as well as
guesthouses, places of entertainment and residences, began to appear in the dis-
trict.67 The government planned to expand the scope of reclamation eastwards
to Shau Kei Wan. In 1955, the North Point Outline Development Plan (Plan
No. L.H. 8.15), as the first development area of eastern Hong Kong Island,
was reviewed by the Town Planning Board, whereby North Point would be
developed as a district for industries, warehouses, and high- and low-density
residential housing. Apart from North Point, the government also proposed in
the Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works of 1956–1957
the construction of a resettlement estate in Chai Wan for 80,000 people, to be
61
Cross Harbour Tunnel between Hong Kong and Kowloon: Consultants’ Report, London, Mott, Hay &
Anderson, Consulting Civil Engineers, 1955.
62
Report of the Inter-departmental Working Party on the Proposed Cross-harbour Tunnel, Hong Kong,
Government Printer, 1956.
63
Report of the Inter-departmental Working Party on the Proposed Cross-harbour Tunnel, Hong Kong,
Government Printer, 1956, p.13.
64
Patrick Abercrombie, Hong Kong Preliminary Planning Report, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1948,
p.9.
65
Kung Sheung Daily News (Industrial and Commercial Daily), 19 April 1952, p.5.
66
Kung Sheung Daily News (Industrial and Commercial Daily), 24 August 1950, p.6.
67
Kung Sheung Daily News (Industrial and Commercial Daily), 26 May 1951, p.7.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 167
Table 4.7 Average daily passenger traffic of Cross-Harbour Ferry Services (1959, 1965,
1970, 1977)
Route 1959 1965 1970 1977 Inaugural
year
1 Central–Tsim Sha Tsui (Star 101,478 151,894 154,672 128,152 1898
Ferry Pier)
2 Wanchai–Jordan Road 59,751 69,905 40,945 13,101 1949
3 Central (Jubilee Street Ferry 56,313* 66,486 78,344 53,891 1930
Pier)–Jordan Road
4 Central (Jubilee Street Ferry 43,819 48,180 48,873 19,026 1924
Pier)–Mongkok
5 Central (Jubilee Street Ferry 43,556 50,854 50,025 36,825 1924
Pier)–Sham Shui Po
6 Sheung Wan (Wilmer 27,111 29,026 27,977 20,904 1950
Street)–Jordan Road
7 Wanchai–Kowloon City 18,756 20,734 – – 1956
8 Wanchai–Hung Hom – 16,621 27,557 10,613 1963
9 North Point–Hung Hom 11,236 28,396 40,065 22,578 1963
10 Central–Hung Hom – 23,793 – 4,809 1965
11 North Point–Kowloon City – 24,284 30,499 16,673 1963
12 North Point–Kwun Tong – 16,519 51,954 42,385 1963
13 Central–Kwun Tong – – – 11,438 1972
14 Shai Kei Wan–Kwun Tong – – – 18,514 1973
15 Central–Mei Foo – – – 8,365 1974
16 Shai Kei Wan–Kowloon City – – – 2,633 1977
17 Shai Kei Wan–Sam Ka – – – 8,257 1973
Tsuen
Total 305,707 546,692 550,911 418,164
Notes: * First class: 43,970; third class: 12,343. There were 12 and 16 cross-harbour passenger routes in
1965 and 1977 respectively.
Sources: J.O. Tresidder, Hong Kong Traffic Survey, 1960: Survey of Traffic in Hong Kong in Order to Determine the Economic
Feasibility of a Cross-harbour Bridge or Tunnel, Harmondsworth, Road Research Laboratory, Department of Scientific and Industrial
Research, 1961, p.13; E. Dalby, Hong Kong Passenger Transport Survey, 1964–66, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1967, p.99;
Hong Kong Transport Department, Traffic and Transport Survey Division, The Transportation Planning Process: A Critical Appraisal
– Using a Problem from Hong Kong as an Example – The Cross-harbour Ferry Study, Hong Kong, 1972, p.iv; Hong Kong Transport
Department, Traffic and Transport Survey Division, Cross Harbour Ferry Survey, 1977, Hong Kong, 1972, Figure 1, Tables 1, 2.
accompanied by a certain degree of industrial development.68 In 1957–1958, the
Chai Wan Outline Development Plan (Plan No. L/H20/1/2) was approved.69
68
‘Initial planning for development of Chai Wan ultimately to house 80,000 people together with some
industry was completed during the year so that engineering works could commence.’ Hong Kong Annual
Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1956–1957, p.25.
69
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1957–1958, p.27.
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168 · MAKING HONG KONG
Apart from planning for high-density residential and industrial land lots, the
Chai Wan Outline Development Plan planned for public space.
Industrial development was present on Hong Kong Island in the harbour-
front of Connaught Road, East Point in Causeway Bay, Wharf Road in North
Point, and Chai Wan. The industrial districts were established on the fringes of
the core districts, and were clustered along the coast. They therefore benefited
from lower land premiums, as well as more convenient loading and unloading
of cargo. North Point and Chai Wan were larger than the pre-war Causeway
Bay and Shau Kei Wan, in terms of land areas for overall planning, residential
use and industrial uses. The industrial land in the two districts accounted for
86 per cent of industrial land on eastern Hong Kong Island. In spite of this,
industrial development on Hong Kong Island was not comparable to that
in Kowloon or New Kowloon. Industrial land on Hong Kong Island only
accounted for 5.8 per cent of the total planned area of Eastern District, and
there was much more residential land than industrial land on Hong Kong
Island. (See Table 4.8.)
Public space
Post-war long-term town planning concepts especially emphasised the effect of
public space on community life. Sports grounds and leisure parks were men-
tioned in the report. In the early 1950s, the government had the intention to
carry out reclamation at the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter for recreational use
on Hong Kong Island,70 adding a vast recreational venue on Hong Kong Island
on top of the Zoological and Botanical Gardens. In the early 1950s, the govern-
ment reclaimed the former Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and developed it into
Victoria Park, while building a new typhoon shelter north of the park. The project
yielded 55 acres (22.28 hectares) of land for recreational purposes on Hong
Kong Island. Separately, the newly built typhoon shelter had an area of 65 acres
(26.33 hectares). The project commenced on 10 August 1951, and the entire
project was expected to be completed by July 1954.71 Although in Abercrombie’s
original conception the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter was to be planned as an
area for heavy industries,72 the government’s development of Victoria Park in the
early 1950s complied, to a certain extent, with Abercrombie’s basic ideas. Under
the circumstances where the housing issue was severe and it was difficult to move
forward, using the land reclaimed for Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter for leisure
purposes was a step of great progress in urban planning.
Following the planning of Hong Kong Island, the population originally
70
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1951–1952, pp.27–28.
71
Hong Kong Annual Departmental Report by the Director of Public Works, Hong Kong, Government
Printer, 1951–1952, pp.27–28.
72
‘Plan to Illustrate Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s Report on Hong Kong’ (map), in The Shape of Things to
Come: An Overview of the Role of Harbour Reclamations in the Future Development of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,
Planning, Environment and Lands Branch, 1995, p.39.
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High-density development planning (1945–1979) · 169
Table 4.8 Overview of land planning of eastern Hong Kong Island (1960s)
Land use Causeway North Point Shau Kei Chai Wan Total (acre
Bay (1968) (1965) Wan (1965) (hectare))
(acre (acre (1967) (acre (acre
(hectare)) (hectare)) (hectare)) (hectare))
Residential 34.8 225 86.9 125 471.7
(14.1) (91.1) (35.2) (50.6) (190.9)
Commercial/residential 47.6 – 2.4 9 59
(19.3) (1.0) (3.6) (23.9)
Government, institution 37.7 85 48.6 79 250.3
and community (15.3) (34.4) (19.7) (32.0) (101.4)
Industrial 1.1 37 19.2 87 144.3
(0.4) (15.0) (7.8) (35.2) (58.4)
Open space 79.8 112 35.8 127 354.6
(32.3) (45.3) (14.5) (51.4) (143.6)
Other specified uses 0.4 1 2.9 8 12.3
(0.2) (0.4) (1.2) (3.2) (5.0)
Roads, etc. 47 90 57 85 279
(19.0) (36.5) (23.1) (34.4) (113.0)
Cemetery and – – – 88 88
crematorium (35.6) (35.6)
Typhoon anchorage 47.2 – 41.9 – 89.1
(19.1) (17.0) (36.1)
Green belt 55.7 – 33.7 – 89.4
(22.6) (13.6) (36.2)
Undetermined – 82 – 209 291
(33.2) (84.6) (117.9)
Total area of planning 351.3 632 328.4 817 2128.7
area (142.2) (255.8) (132.9) (330.6) (861.5)
Estimated population on 93,000 400,000 210,000 230,000 933,000
full development
Sources: Town Planning Board Planning Division, Causeway Bay Outline Zoning Plan, Plan No. LH 6/22, Hong Kong,
Government Printer, 1968; Town Planning Board Planning Division, Chai Wan Outline Zoning Plan, Plan No. LH 20/9, Hong
Kong, Government Printer, 1965; Town Planning Board Planning Division, North Point Outline Zoning Plan, Plan No. LH 8/32,
Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1965; Town Planning Board Planning Division, Shau Kei Wan Outline Zoning Plan, Plan No.
LH 9/32, Hong Kong, Government Printer, 1967.
concentrated in Central and Wan Chai was gradually diverted to North Point,
Shau Kei Wan and Aberdeen in the 1960s. Urban areas that were densely popu-
lated, such as Central, Sheung Wan, Sai Wan and Wan Chai, showed a down-
ward trend in population. Comparing 1966 with 1961, places where the Chinese
population traditionally amassed, such as Sheung Wan (−30 per cent) and Wan
Chai (−21 per cent), showed a drop in population. In the fringe areas of the City
of Victoria, areas showing more prominent signs of a population increase were
Aberdeen and Southern District (65 per cent), as well as Shau Kei Wan (44 per
cent). By the 1970s, North Point and Shau Kei Wan had the highest population
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