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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Helena Wong and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, in the Legislative Council today (January 7):
Question:
Quite a number of members of the public have relayed to me that while the population of the districts where they reside has been increasing, the recreational facilities there are grossly inadequate, and the delays in finalising the completion dates of the parks under construction/to be constructed in individual districts have resulted in a shortage of leisure open space for the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective names of the park projects to be commenced or completed in the coming three years; in respect of such projects, (i) their respective current categories under the Capital Works Programme, (ii) the dates on which they were included in such categories, (iii) the respective expected dates on which those works projects which are in Category B or C will be upgraded to Category A, and (iv) the expected commencement and/or completion dates of the construction works, and set out such information separately by the five Legislative Council geographical constituencies;
(2) of the respective average time taken for the various types of infrastructure projects (including construction works for bridges, tunnels, roads and schools as well as drainage works, etc.) to be upgraded to Category A after they were included in Category B; how such figures compare to the corresponding time taken for park projects; if the latter is longer, of the reasons for that;
(3) given that Category C projects may be upgraded to Category B only after resources have been set aside for them by the Government under the annual Resource Allocation Exercise, whether the degree of public support is one of the authorities' considerations in deciding on the allocation of resources to various works projects; whether the authorities will expeditiously allocate resources to those park projects which the public hope can be completed as early as possible, so that the works concerned can commence expeditiously; and
(4) given that parks are places where quite a number of members of the public spend their leisure time and do exercise, whether the authorities will expedite the implementation of the park projects mentioned in (1), so as to facilitate early enjoyment of the facilities concerned by members of the public; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(1) The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is committed to the planning and development of new recreation and sports facilities, including parks, as well as the enhancement of existing park facilities for public enjoyment. Currently, there are five capital works projects for new parks or redevelopment of parks that are either in the pipeline for submission to the Finance Committee (FC) of the Legislative Council for funds, or already under construction, namely a district open space, sports centre and library in Area 74, Tseung Kwan O; the Kwun Tong promenade (stage 2); redevelopment of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool Complex and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground; redevelopment of Victoria Park Swimming Pool Complex (including reprovisioning and enhancement of park facilities); and an open space at Hing Wah Street West, Sham Shui Po. These projects will be completed and available for public use in the next few years. The categories, anticipated commencement and completion dates of the projects mentioned above are at Annex.
(2), (3) and (4) Under the Government Capital Works Programme (CWP), the lead time from establishing the technical feasibility of a project (i.e. attainment of Category C status), to the commencement of pre-construction works (i.e. attainment of Category B status), and to the submission of the project proposal to the FC for funding approval (i.e. upgrading the project to Category A) varies, depending on factors such as the significance, urgency, scope and complexity of the project, the views of the stakeholders (including those of the relevant District Councils), the sustainability of the CWP as well as the need for complying with statutory procedures (such as provisions in the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance) and the need for land resumption. Hence, it is difficult to make a direct comparison amongst different types of works projects in terms of lead time. In fact, the time span of upgrading a project from Category B to Category A varies with individual circumstances. The Administration does not have statistical figures in this regard. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department have a high regard for public views and aspirations, once a project's funding is approved, we shall commence the development swiftly to ensure it is completed in time and can be enjoyed by the public early.
Ends/Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:01
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