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The following is issued on behalf of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority:
The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority held its second meeting today (December 4) to listen to the progress reports of various committees and discuss the follow up work for preparing the overall development plan. The board has also agreed to adopt a number of measures to enhance the transparency of its operation.
The chairman of the board, Mr Henry Tang, said after the meeting: ˇ§The board confirmed the proposed arrangement of preparing the overall development plan submitted by the development committee. We acknowledge the importance of enhancing transparency and obtaining support from the community in preparing the development plan of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). The board agreed that, during the identification of the design and user requirements of the art and cultural facilities in Stage 1, the target of public engagement exercise should be enlarged to include members from different sectors and the general public, in addition to stakeholders of the art and cultural sector.ˇ¨
Mr Tang said the WKCD was not composed of disjointed facilities. Its planning should be people-oriented, emphasise the overall image and ambience for the whole WKCD.
"The WKCD will develop its uniqueness to give Hong Kong people and visitors from around the world a distinctive experience.ˇ¨
In view of these considerations, the authority will, through more extensive public engagement, allow different sectors and the general public to participate in the discussions on the development proposal of the WKCD at different stages. After considering the public views, the authority will select one of the three proposals provided by the consultant, and refine the proposal in accordance with the public views collected, before submitting it to the Town Planning Board.
The authority has begun the preparation of the development plan and the open tender exercise for appointing consultants. Both local and overseas companies can take part in the tender, which is expected to be concluded by the latter part of the first quarter of 2009. While the authority will provide ample opportunities for public engagement, the authority will strive to complete the development plan as soon as possible. Various implementation plans and works projects of the WKCD will then be launched in full swing, with a view to creating more employment opportunities for Hong Kong.
ˇ§We understand that the Legislative Council and the public expect the authority to operate in a highly transparent manner. Having considered the existing practices of other statutory bodies, it was agreed that sessions of the board meetings of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority which do not involve sensitive and commercial information will be open to the public," Mr Tang said. "Relevant meeting documents, agendas and minutes of meetings will also be available for public access. We are now working on the details and we anticipate that opening up of board meetings will be implemented in the first quarter of 2009.ˇ¨
Ends/Thursday, December 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:01
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