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The following is a question raised by the Hon LAU Chin-shek and a reply given by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

Will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the short-term and long-term plans to use the facilities, buildings and land at the vacated Kai Tak airport; and

(b) whether it will consider allowing the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to start preparatory work of its East Kowloon Extension on the land of the vacated Kai Tak airport, so as to expedite the completion of the whole project and to provide employment opportunities for the personnel who have finished working on the Airport Railway project?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) Long term Use

The Government's long term plan for the Kai Tak airport site is to develop it as one of the Strategic Growth Areas to eventually provide home to a population of 310,000, together land for commercial, community and transport infrastructure uses. The whole development, called the South-East Kowloon Development (SEKD), includes the existing Kai Tak Airport site, and reclamation of the Kai Tak Nullah, Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter and Kowloon Bay. We are aiming to gazette draft Outline Zoning Plans for public consultation in a few weeks' time. We hope to commence the first development package at the Kai Tak Airport site in late 1998/early 1999.

Short-term Uses

As redevelopment of Kai Tak will have to take place in stages, we are planning to make use of the sites there for government, community and commercial purposes in the short term as far as possible.

(Main Apron areas and the Airport Operation Related Leases)

We would first need to decontaminate the main apron areas from September this year. Starting from January 1999, works will start on the first phase of the development package at the north western corner of Kai Tak which will involve the demolition of most of the commercial buildings there. We expect all existing users to vacate Kai Tak completely by the middle of 1999.

(Passenger Terminal Building/ Carpark Building)

The passenger terminal building, the multi-storey car park, the runway and the apron area in the south will not be affected by permanent development in the near future. For the passenger terminal building, we will allocate office space on the upper floors to government departments in need of expansion or reprovisioning. Separately, we are inviting public expressions of interest on possible uses for the arrival/departure halls and the baggage handling area, as well as suggestions from government departments. We will consider all views received and then decide how the available space should be used. The multi-storey car park will be retained to support these new activities.

(Runway/South Apron)

For the runway and the apron area in the south, we have already earmarked parts of them for government uses. Examples are a Transport Department test center for electronic road pricing and a concrete crushing plant and various work areas required by the Territory Development Department. We intend to offer the parts which are not required for government purposes for commercial and community use where appropriate. The area is likely to be suitable for uses like storage, workshops and entertainment. We are working out the details on how this should be done. In the meantime, we have approved some applications from commercial or community organisations for organising one-off events. Some of them have already been held in the runway area such as the sports activities organised by the Hong Kong Triathlon Association on 19 July and the Evangelical meeting organised by the Kowloon City Baptist Church on 23 July.

(b) The East Kowloon Line (EKL) has been identified as one of the longer term projects in the 1994 Railway Development Strategy. The proposed alignment of EKL would link Diamond Hill with Hung Hom, running through the re-developed Kai Tak site. We are currently examining the EKL in greater detail in the Second Railway Development Study (RDS-2). Interim recommendations from the RDS-2 on the most urgent projects for the next phase of railway development will be available in early 1999. Until then, no decision would be made as to whether to proceed with the EKL and if we do, which organisation will construct and operate the railway.

In determining the temporary and permanent uses of sites in the Kai Tak area, we will ensure that any sites which may be required for railway development in future will be available in time should we decide to proceed with the development.

End/Wednesday, July 29, 1998

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