Following is a question by the Hon Chu Lap-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (May 20):

Question:

     Given that the Southern District is the only district on the entire Hong Kong Island without a heated public swimming pool, the authorities proposed in 2019 the provision of a heated pool at the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool Complex in the district. However, as pointed out in a paper provided by the authorities in October 2024 in reply to the Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports of this Council, the Invigorating Island South initiative proposed in the 2020 Policy Address included the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Recreation and Sports Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project. The proposed joint recreation and sports complex under this project will feature new indoor heated swimming pools (heated swimming pool project), thereby achieving the original purpose of providing a heated pool at the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool Complex. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the latest progress in preparing for the heated swimming pool project under the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Recreation and Sports Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project, and whether any obstacles or difficulties have been encountered in the process;

(2) in each of the past five years, of (i) the actual number of opening days and utilisation rate, and (ii) the annual repair and maintenance costs and details of maintenance works, of the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool; given that the swimming pool was designed to the standards of the 1970s, whether the authorities have plans to improve its design and functionality so as to address residents' needs for swimming facilities before the completion of the heated swimming pool project; if so, of the works and costs involved; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) given that the roads adjacent to the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool suffer from serious traffic congestion during the periods when people are commuting to and from work as well as before and after school, whether the authorities will consider taking this opportunity to plan afresh the roads concerned?

Reply:

President,

     Located on Shum Wan Road in Wong Chuk Hang, the Pao Yue Kong Swimming Pool (PYKSP) provides sports and recreation facilities which include a main pool with spectator stands, a secondary pool, a training pool, and teaching pools. Based on the "single site, multiple use" principle, the Government has studied the feasibility of redeveloping and consolidating the existing recreation ground, sports ground, sports centre and swimming pool facilities in Wong Chuk Hang. The Government has also reviewed other existing government, institution or community facilities in the district and proposed the provision of new facilities to meet district needs. The project will be implemented in phases.

     Having consulted relevant bureaux and departments, a consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Chu Lap-wai is as follows:

(1) When reviewing the urgency and priority of various sports and recreation facility projects, the Government will consider an array of factors, including the relevant guidelines under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, demographic changes, number and utilisation of existing similar facilities, policy objectives of sports development, views of the relevant District Councils and stakeholders, conditions of project sites, and technical feasibility, in order to ensure the more effective use of public resources. To support the latest development of the Southern District, the Government is reviewing the Redevelopment and Enhancement of Sports and Recreation Facilities in Wong Chuk Hang project, and the overall urgency and priority of government works projects. The Government understands that there is a strong demand among Southern District residents for an indoor heated swimming pool, and will strive to expedite the implementation of relevant proposals, and will consult the Southern District Council and relevant stakeholders in due course.

(2) the PYKSP is open annually from April to October. The actual annual number of opening days and attendance of the swimming pool from 2021 to 2025 are set out in Annex.

     To ensure the regular operation of the swimming pool and uphold the safety of swimmers, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) conducts comprehensive inspection, repair and maintenance annually from November to the following March. The LCSD also closely co-ordinates with relevant works departments (including the Architectural Services Department and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department) to carry out timely repair and replacement of facilities in accordance with their usual wear and tear. The annual maintenance works of PYKSP in 2025 included the replacement of the ozone system and the fences of the children's pool as well as the refurbishment of the female changing room near the main pool and the toilet near the secondary pool.

     As the maintenance and repair of various sports and recreation facilities under the LCSD (including the PYKSP) are undertaken by multiple works departments, the costs for works such as repairing, maintaining, improving and refurbishing various sports and recreation facilities as well as the needs for equipment procurement are included in the overall expenditure of these works departments. The LCSD does not have a breakdown of PYKSP's expenditure on repair and maintenance.

(3) The roads near PYKSP, including Heung Yip Road, Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road, underwent a series of improvement works several years ago to support the development of the South Island Line (East). The works included widening some sections of Heung Yip Road, Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road; and junction improvements at the intersections of Heung Yip Road/Police School Road, Heung Yip Road/Nam Long Shan Road, Nam Long Shan Road/Police School Road, and Nam Long Shan Road/Shum Wan Road, to increase junction capacity.

     Moreover, the Transport Department (TD) has been co-ordinating with relevant government departments and schools in the district, and has requested the schools to implement a series of traffic management measures, including encouraging students to use school buses or public transport to reduce private car pick-up/drop-off, co-ordinating the arrival and dismissal times among neighbouring schools, and adopting staggered arrival and dismissal times for students. These measures aim to minimise the traffic impact created by vehicles of parents in the area of Nam Long Shan Road. The TD will continue to monitor traffic conditions in the district and, taking into account nearby developments, implement appropriate traffic improvement measures as and when necessary. 

Ends/Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:18

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