Five consortia bid for West Kowloon cultural district project

The government received five submissions for the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District when the invitation for proposals closed at noon today (June 19).

The cultural district will be established on a prime 40 hectare site on the tip of Kowloon Peninsula overlooking Victoria Harbour.

The submissions were made by World City Culture Park Limited, Sunny Development Limited, Swire Properties Limited, Dynamic Star International Limited and Lam, Sze-tat.

A government spokesman said that first the proposals would be screened to see whether they complied with the mandatory requirements set out in the invitation document. Those that were in compliance would then be assessed against the assessment criteria, which were also set out in the document.

A Proposals Evaluation Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands and assisted by dedicated assessment teams drawn from relevant bureaux and departments, would make the assessment.

The spokesman said that to safeguard the integrity of the assessment process and to ensure that proposals would be assessed in a fair and impartial manner, all those involved would be required to strictly follow guidelines and procedures that had been prepared for the project with the help of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The ICAC would act as an observer throughout the entire assessment process.

"To enhance transparency and promote the widest possible public participation, we will exhibit all the proposals that comply with the mandatory requirements for public consultation," the spokesman said.

"Our plan is to hold the exhibition sometime early next year. At the same time, we will consult professional bodies and the arts and cultural sector. We will take all opinions and comments collected into account in the assessment process," he said.

"Before a decision is made on the selection of a preferred proponent, we will also consult the Town Planning Board and the Legislative Council."

Assessment of the proposals will cover three main areas - the technical aspects, the financial aspects, and the operation, maintenance and management aspects, with particular attention to the proponents' capability to ensure a high standard of operation and management of the arts and cultural facilities.

Each of these areas is considered equally important, and each will be subject to a detailed and meticulous assessment by the Proposals Evaluation Committee.

The government launched the Invitation for Proposals for the West Kowloon Cultural District on September 6, 2003 to develop the 40-hectare waterfront site into an integrated arts, cultural and entertainment district.

The project will not only facilitate development of the arts and culture in Hong Kong, it will improve the quality of life of the community and promote Hong Kong's attractiveness as a tourist destination. The project will also generate significant employment opportunities, estimated at about 6,000 jobs in the short term.

It is envisaged that construction on the site will begin in April 2007 at the earliest and that the core arts and cultural facilities will come into operation in phases from 2011 onwards.

Ends/Saturday, June 19, 2004