CRC to Inspect Capital Works Projects

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The following is issued on behalf of the Provisional Regional Council:

Chairman of the Provisional Regional Council (Pro RC), Mr Lau Wong-fat together with 17 members today (Thursday) inspected serveral captial works projects in the Pro RC area in order to have a better understanding of their latest progress.

Director of Regional Services, Mrs Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping also attended the visit.

These projects included the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Yuen Long Theatre, Kwai Tsing Theatre and Regional Council Tsing Yi Complex.

After the visit, Mr Lau noted that the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which was expected to be open in the middle of 2000, was the most significant Pro RC project in terms of cost and its prominent cultural presence.

"The $874 million worth Museum adopts a traditional Chinese courtyard design reflecting modern construction techniques. The courtyard design will be characterized by a central axis giving it a balanced and symmetrical disposition," he said.

"The building will be five-storey high with Chinese style roofs and corridors linking to all exhibition galleries, and it will be the largest of its kind in Hong Kong with a gross floor area of 28,500 square metres.

"The facilities of the Museum complex will consist of the New Territories Heritage Hall, Cantonese Opera Heritage hall, Children's Discovery Gallery, T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art and Chao Shao-an Gallery," he added.

Mr Lau revealed that the Regional Council Tsing Yi Complex, which would be completed by next month (March), would provide many municiple facilities including an air-conditioned market, district library, indoor recreation centre and district office. The project worths over $290 million.

The $468 million worth Kwai Tsing Theatre, which is expected to be completed in the coming quarter, will be equipped with a building isolation system in order to avoid distrubance from the West Rail operation.

Mr Lau and members were also satisfied with the progress of the Yuen Long Theatre which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The theatre, works worths about $565 million, will include a multi-purpose auditorium with 935 seats, a built-in moving stage, an exhibition hall, a dancing and music room, a China restaurant and other ancillary facilities.

End/Thursday, February 4, 1999/

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