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The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) expressed deep regret over the voting down of its proposal to reprovision the Shanghai Street refuse collection point and street sleepers' services units to the site at Hau Cheung Street, Yau Ma Tei, for the phase II development of the Yau Ma Tei Theatre (YMTT) project by the Legislative Council's Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC) at its meeting today (January 29).
The HAB pointed out that in order to carry out the YMTT phase II development project, the neighbouring refuse collection point and street sleepers' services units must be relocated to vacate the site for the development. Now that the funding approval was voted down by the PWSC, the YMTT phase II development project cannot proceed. While the pressing need to improve the facilities of the YMTT cannot be resolved, the Shanghai Street refuse collection point and street sleepers' services units will remain at the present site with users not being able to enjoy new facilities brought about by the reprovisioning project, and the environment of the vicinity can hardly be improved. All three parties are losers under the present circumstances.
The HAB added that when the proposed YMTT phase I development project was submitted to the PWSC in 2009, members requested to relocate the existing Shanghai Street refuse collection point and street sleepers' services units with a view to improving the overall environment of the YMTT. The Government shared the members' views and since then has been actively exploring suitable sites for relocating these two facilities. However, since the Yau Tsim Mong district was already densely developed, it was extremely difficult to identify vacant sites to reprovision these facilities. With repeated efforts by various government departments, a suitable site at Hau Cheung Street was finally identified. The Government then consulted the Community Building Committee of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council (YTMDC) several times in 2011 and 2012. The Committee supported the reprovisioning project and requested its early implementation.
When the HAB consulted the Legislative Council's Panel on Home Affairs on the reprovisioning project in April 2013, members raised different relocation proposals for the Government's consideration. The Government had tried its best to examine the different proposals. However, the results indicated that these proposals were either unworkable or would seriously delay the reprovisioning project. In August 2013, the Government consulted the YTMDC, which reiterated that the reprovisioning project should be taken forward as soon as possible.
In December 2013, the HAB reported the study results of different proposals raised by the members of Legislative Council's Panel on Home Affairs, and devised a number of enhancing amendments on the building design in light of members' comments on the original proposal. The reprovisioning proposal submitted by the Government to the PWSC has strived to address panel members' comments, under the premise of starting the YMTT phase II development project as soon as possible.
The proposed reprovisioning project will bring benefits to the development of Cantonese opera, the environment of the area around Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei, and the users of the street sleepers' services units. The Government is therefore very disappointed with the PWSC's voting down of the reprovisioning proposal.
The rejection of this project will inevitably hinder the Cantonese opera sector in nurturing new talents for preservation of this traditional art, and hamper the environmental improvement plan promoted by the community. Nevertheless, the Government will continue its efforts to work with the Cantonese opera sector and the community to support the development of Cantonese opera and the local community by other means.
Ends/Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:18
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