Minutes of the 20th Meeting of Yau Tsim Mong District Council (2016-2019)

Date : 24 January 2019 (Thursday) Time : 2:30 p.m. Venue : Yau Tsim Mong District Council Conference Room 4/F, Mong Kok Government Offices 30 Luen Wan Street Mong Kok, Kowloon

Present:

Chairman Mr IP Ngo-tung, Chris, JP

Vice-chairman Ms WONG Shu-ming, MH

District Council Members Mr CHAN Siu-tong, MH, JP Mr HUNG Chiu-wah, Derek The Honourable TO Kun-sun, Mr CHOI Siu-fung, Benjamin Mr JO Chun-wah, Craig James Mr CHOW Chun-fai, BBS, JP Ms KWAN Sau-ling Mr WONG Kin-san Mr CHUNG Chak-fai Mr LAM Kin-man Mr YEUNG Tsz-hei, Benny, MH Mr CHUNG Kong-mo, BBS, JP Mr LAU Pak-kei Mr YU Tak-po, Andy Mr HUI Tak-leung Ms TANG Ming-sum, Michelle

Representatives of the Government Mr LEE Kwok-hung, District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) Home Affairs Department Damian, JP (Acting) Miss PONG Kin-wah, Assistant District Officer (Yau Tsim Home Affairs Department Katherine Mong) (1) Mr LAM Kwan-hau District Environmental Hygiene Food and Environmental Superintendent (Mong Kok) Hygiene Department Mr CHEUNG Wai-man District Environmental Hygiene Food and Environmental Superintendent (Yau Tsim) Hygiene Department Mr Bradley Stephen District Commander (Mong Kok) Hong Kong Police Force WRIGHT Mr MA Wai-hing, Adrian District Commander (Yau Tsim) Hong Kong Police Force (Acting) Miss PO Pui-man, Karen Chief Transport Officer/Kowloon Transport Department Mr HUNG Tak-chuen, Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Benjamin West) Services Department Mr POON Hiu-tung, Felix Senior Engineer/4 (South) Civil Engineering and Development Department Mr TSE Chick-lam, Ken Chief Manager/Management (Kowloon Housing Department West and Sai Kung) In Attendance:

Ms Mable CHAN, JP Commissioner for Transport Transport Department Mr LAW Hing-sun, Michael Assistant Commissioner/Urban Transport Department Mr CHAN Kin-wa, Edward Senior Engineer/Kowloon District Transport Department Central Mr WONG Siu-man, Simon Senior Engineer/Kowloon District West Transport Department Mr NG Wing-keung, Henry Senior Liaison Officer (1), Yau Tsim Home Affairs Department Mong District Office Ms PONG Sze-wan, Cecilia Senior Executive Officer (District Home Affairs Department Management) (Acting), Yau Tsim Mong District Office Ir WAI Chi-sing, GBS, JP, Managing Director Urban Renewal Authority FHKEng Mr Michael MA Executive Director (Commercial) Urban Renewal Authority Ms Carmen LOK Director, Corporate Communications Urban Renewal Authority Mr Lawrence MAK General Manager, Planning and Design Urban Renewal Authority Mr Ernest CHENG Senior Manager, Property and Land Urban Renewal Authority Mr Edward LEUNG, JP Executive Director Hong Kong Playground Association Ms Hailey LAU Project Manager, Culture, Sports and Hong Kong Playground Arts Division Association Ms LO Wai-man, Mimi Senior Liaison Officer (Building Home Affairs Department Management), Yau Tsim Mong District Office Mr WONG Wing-hing, James Engineer/Energizing Kowloon East Transport Department Mr WONG Chi-kwong, Assistant Government Chief Office of the Government Tony, JP Information Officer (Industry Chief Information Development) Officer, Innovation and Technology Bureau Mr CHENG Chung-shan Senior Engineer/1 Highways Department Mr Alex LUI Project Director, Green Deck Project The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Mr Daniel SUEN Director of Campus Development The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Ms Carmen FU Division Head, Communications and The Hong Kong Public Affairs Office Polytechnic University Ms Margaret LAM Senior Project Manager, Campus The Hong Kong Development Office Polytechnic University Mr CHAN Wai-yin Divisional Commander (Kowloon Fire Services Department South) Mr TO Chi-wing Station Commander, Yau Ma Tei Fire Fire Services Department Station Mr WONG Chor-kuen, Senior Environmental Protection Environmental Protection Alfred Officer (Regional East) 6 Department Dr Eric CHEUNG Hospital Chief Executive, Kwong Wah Hospital Authority Hospital Dr Paulina CHOW Senior Manager (Redevelopment Hospital Authority Project and Executive Support), Kwong Wah Hospital

- 2 - Mr CHOW Chi-ping Senior Manager (Capital Projects) Hospital Authority Mr Dick WONG Manager (Capital Projects) Hospital Authority

Secretary Ms CHUNG Siu-lan, Joanne Senior Executive Officer (District Home Affairs Department Council), Yau Tsim Mong District Office

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed the representatives of government departments and other attendees to the meeting. He reported that Mrs ARON Laura Liang, District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong), was absent due to sickness, and Mr Damian LEE, District Officer (Sham Shui Po), would stand in for her at the meeting. Meanwhile, Miss CHUNG Ka-wing, Rainy had left the post of Assistant District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) (2). He continued that Mr CHAN Ping-wa, Edmund, Chief Engineer/South 2 of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, was absent due to duty commitments, and Mr Felix POON, Senior Engineer/4 (South), would stand in for him at the meeting. Besides, Mr CHAN Yiu-keung, Edward had left the post of District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Mong Kok) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”), and his successor Mr LAM Kwan-hau would attend the meeting. He continued that Mr CHOW Yat-ming, Joe had left the post of District Commander (Yau Tsim) of the Hong Kong Police Force (“HKPF”), and Mr Adrian MA, Deputy District Commander, would attend the meeting. However, Mr MA would be unable to join the meeting until about 5:30 p.m. due to duty commitments. Likewise, Mr Bradley WRIGHT, District Commander (Mong Kok), would be unable to join the meeting until about 4:30 p.m.

Item 1: Visit of Commissioner for Transport to Yau Tsim Mong District Council (“YTMDC”)

2. The Chairman welcomed Ms Mable CHAN, Commissioner for Transport, Mr Michael LAW, Assistant Commissioner/Urban, Mr Edward CHAN, Senior Engineer/Kowloon District Central, Mr Simon WONG, Senior Engineer/Kowloon District West, and Miss Karen PO, Chief Transport Officer/Kowloon, of the Transport Department (“TD”).

3. Ms Mable CHAN and Mr Michael LAW briefed Councillors on the work of the TD with a PowerPoint presentation, including the concept of “Smart Mobility”, the traffic and transport arrangements for the Express Rail Link (“XRL”) Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the West Kowloon Cultural District, the development on the government land at Sai Yee Street, plans to improve parking facilities in the district and measures to improve bus and minibus services in the Yau Tsim Mong (“YTM”) District.

(Mr CHOW Chun-fai joined the meeting at 2:33 p.m.) (Ms Michelle TANG joined the meeting at 2:35 p.m.) (Mr Derek HUNG joined the meeting at 2:36 p.m.)

4. Mr HUI Tak-leung raised the following views: (i) he commended the TD for becoming more open-minded over the past two years. Instead of just raising objection, the department representatives were willing to carry out studies after Councillors had submitted papers; (ii) he

- 3 - was pleased that the Shantung Street pedestrian crossing had finally opened after he had striven for more than a decade; and (iii) he recalled the trial scheme for installing traffic light signal countdown timers in the district more than a decade earlier, which had later been shelved, however, as there had been views that such countdown timers would encourage pedestrians and vehicles to rushing across or speeding past the road. He considered that such views were not based on facts, and said that traffic light signal countdown timers could help pedestrians and vehicles stop in time and thus reduce accidents. He suggested that the Commissioner reconsider this scheme.

5. Mr Benjamin CHOI raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that for many years, the railway had been Hong Kong’s key transport strategy, while motorists’ needs had been neglected; (ii) in view of the shortage of parking spaces in the district, he suggested studying different ways for more parking spaces. For example, by reducing the size of each parking space, more vehicles could be accommodated at a carpark. He also suggested making reference to the mechanical multi-level parking systems in other places; (iii) he asked whether there would be any policy on promoting electric motorcycles and electric bicycles; (iv) he suggested relaxing planning standards to raise the ratio of parking spaces to housing units; and (v) the mobile application “HKeMobility” provided information on walking routes for reference by the general public. He considered that to encourage members of the public to adopt walking as a mode of transport, apart from designing mobile applications, providing comfortable pavements was of the utmost importance.

6. Mr CHUNG Kong-mo raised the following views and enquiries: (i) after years of striving, he welcomed the expected substantial improvement to the traffic in the vicinity of Hoi Wang Road as briefed by the department; (ii) he hoped that the service frequencies of Bus Route Nos. 2E, 12, 914, 10 and 16 would be enhanced; (iii) he asked whether there was any convenient and rapid mode of transport travelling from Hoi Wang Road and the vicinity of Tai Kok Tsui to the XRL Hong Kong West Kowloon Station; (iv) he suggested providing more cross-harbour bus routes serving Hoi Wang Road; (v) he hoped that the installation of a display panel at the Hoi Wang Road bus stop would be completed as soon as possible; (vi) he hoped that the temporary carpark to be available at Hoi Ting Road would enter service as soon as possible; and (vii) he commended Mr Eric TAM, Senior Transport Officer/Yau Tsim Mong.

7. Mr Andy YU raised the following views and enquiries: (i) after the Government had launched the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme, some minibus operators in his constituency had applied for a sharp fare increase. Despite being subsidised, members of the public had to face transport fare increase . He considered that the TD failed to act duly as a gatekeeper; (ii) given that the Middle Road Carpark Building had ceased operation since 2014, and that the Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building would soon cease operation, he asked whether there was any plan for more parking spaces in the district. Besides, he agreed that more parking spaces at the Hoi Ting Road Joint User Complex should be provided to alleviate the shortage of parking spaces in the district; (iii) while various District Councils had opposed the adjustment to the service frequency of Bus Route No. 2E, the TD was always approving frequency reduction, which perplexed him. He wondered if the TD had acted duly as a gatekeeper and a monitor; and (iv) he asked whether there was still any pedestrian-vehicle conflict at the Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct (“MKPP”) upon abolition, and whether the department had carried out any pedestrian flow survey.

8. Mr Derek HUNG raised the following views: (i) after the commissioning of the XRL station, vehicles on Lin Cheung Road southbound were not allowed to turn right to Jordan Road for Kowloon Station, and motorists had to make quite a long detour before arriving at Kowloon

- 4 - Station. He hoped that the TD would actively enhance the arrangement; (ii) traffic congestion was serious in a section of Austin Road West eastbound from Canton Road to Austin Road. He hoped that the TD would continue to put in place measures to alleviate the problem and meet the future transport connection needs at the Xiqu Centre and in the West Kowloon Cultural District; (iii) there was a severe shortage of parking spaces in the district. He considered that the department should not neglect the public parking facilities of large-scale infrastructures; and (iv) he considered that the locations for some traffic signs near the XRL station needed to be improved, and hoped that the department would carry out site inspection and make improvements.

9. Ms KWAN Sau-ling raised the following views and enquiries: (i) she asked about the actual size of the new parking meter. It could be seen from the image that the new parking meter was larger than the existing one, which might block pedestrians’ sightline and affect their safety; and (ii) she supported TD’s plan to provide two additional pick-up/drop-off points for coaches on the Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront, while being concerned that some coaches had occupied the pick-up/drop-off points on the Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront for too long, hindering other coaches and public buses from picking up/dropping off passengers. Pedestrians therefore had to cross between the coaches. She suggested that the TD explore solutions, such as allowing coaches to pick up/drop off passengers in the area on the Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront only, and providing temporary parking spaces for them somewhere nearby.

10. Mr LAU Pak-kei raised the following views and enquiries: (i) there was a severe shortage of parking spaces in Tai Kok Tsui. However, the plan for more parking spaces in the YTM District briefed by the TD did not cover Tai Kok Tsui, at which he was disappointed. He considered that this would intensify the illegal parking problem in Tai Kok Tsui; (ii) he supported the use of smart systems to assist road users, and hoped that it could be further optimised and promoted; (iii) as Tai Kok Tsui was remote from any railway station, green minibuses were relied on as feeder services. In view of the shortage of minibus drivers, he asked whether the TD had any related policy to address the problem; and (iv) he would like to learn more about the details of additional late night and airport bus routes in Tai Kok Tsui.

11. Mr CHAN Siu-tong raised the following views: (i) a traffic accident at Man Wai Street had caused a tragic death of a girl. The YTMDC had been striving to widen the pavement to alleviate illegal parking there, but the department had delayed doing so until one and a half year later. He was pleased that the TD had finally implemented the project; (ii) he urged the department to follow up on the traffic works involving the relocation of the pedestrian crossing at the junction of Saigon Street and Wai Ching Street as soon as possible; (iii) it was difficult to observe the road signs for the XRL station. A bus driver had travelled in a wrong direction, causing an accident in which a road sign had been damaged. Some taxi drivers had failed to travel to the XRL station due to unclear directions. He hoped that the department would install more directional signs; (iv) he suggested providing more disabled parking spaces in the vicinity of Ferry Point and Wai Ching Street; and (v) he suggested extending Green Minibus Route No. 80M by relocating its terminus from Parc Palais to Ho Man Tin Hill Road and re-routing via Wylie Court.

12. The Vice-chairman raised the following views and enquiries: (i) as a public transport interchange would be provided at the development of the government land at Sai Yee Street, she asked whether the department had discussed any relocation plan with coach and minibus operators; and (ii) she hoped that the TD would actively consider and carry out extensive consultation on the plan to introduce seven-seater taxis to the territory to facilitate mobility and meet public needs.

- 5 - 13. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that there was plenty of room for improvement to TD’s monitoring of works progress. He hoped that the provision of an additional signalised pedestrian crossing at Shantung Street would be completed by April 2019 as scheduled; (ii) the shortage of parking spaces in Yau Ma Tei had resulted in a severe illegal parking problem, especially at Dundas Street. The Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building would cease operation in 2020, after which about 800 parking spaces would be lost, while only 38 parking spaces were available at the carpark in Soy Street. He asked how the department would address the illegal parking problem in the nearby areas; and (iii) the utilisation rates of a number of footbridges and subways were very low, such as the Yim Po Fong Street footbridge in the district, while they required a lot of public money for repairs and maintenance. He asked whether the TD had any policy on handling such underutilised footbridges and subways.

14. The Chairman said that footbridges were under the purview of the Highways Department (“HyD”).

15. Mr Benny YEUNG raised the following views: (i) he considered that the work of the TD had been constantly improving over the past few years. It was generally able to complete its work within a reasonable time frame, and would offer an explanation when failing to do so; (ii) concerning Citybus Route No. 20, district consultation was underway on providing an additional stop at Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei. He hoped that the TD would follow up actively on the matter and implement the proposal as soon as possible; (iii) as some motorists often committed contraventions by making turns at the junction of Waterloo Road and Reclamation Street, he suggested narrowing the junction there; (iv) he asked about the arrangements for reprovisioning the parking spaces of the Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building after it had ceased operation; (v) he suggested building a large carpark somewhere on the periphery of the YTM District to facilitate car parking before people entered the district. Besides, as there were a number of duplicate bus routes in the district, he suggested that public transport routes operating from other districts to the YTM District terminate at some locations on the periphery of the district, and that some designated routes be introduced as intra-district feeder services; and (vi) he suggested consulting District Councillors and stakeholders about enhancing the service frequency of cross-boundary coaches and providing more parking spaces for them.

16. Ms Michelle TANG raised the following views: (i) after the reopening of the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, there were only two footbridges connecting the waterfront and Tsim Sha Tsui East. She hoped that additional crossing facilities would be provided; (ii) she was concerned that the shortage of parking spaces would be more severe after the Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building had ceased operation. Although the department had planned to reprovision the parking spaces in the district, she considered that the selected location was not quite appropriate; and (iii) as far as she was aware, Green Minibus Route No. 80M was currently unlikely to re-route via Wylie Court due to the shortages of both drivers and vehicles. She hoped that the department would take active follow-up actions.

17. Mr WONG Kin-san raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that what the department had briefed was incomprehensive, without exploring from the perspective of community planning any solution to the severe traffic congestion as well as the high pedestrian and vehicular flows in the district. He suggested that the Commissioner join the discussion on Item 8 concerning the Yau Mong District Study; (ii) a skyscraper would be built on the government land at Sai Yee Street, increasing both pedestrian and vehicular flows significantly and posing immense traffic pressure to the vicinity of Argyle Street. While the Government had said that the MTR Shatin to Central Link would address the problem after its commissioning, the

- 6 - works seemed unlikely to be completed in the near term. He asked whether the TD had any other solutions; and (iii) the number of tourists had increased quite remarkably after the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. He hoped that the Government would study further on ways to relieve the traffic pressure in the district.

18. Mr CHOW Chun-fai raised the following views: (i) he hoped that the provision of an additional signalised pedestrian crossing at Shantung Street would be completed by April 2019 as scheduled; (ii) he suggested that the department enhance communication with Councillors in future and offer an explanation for the work that were not completed as scheduled so that Councillors could give an account to members of the public; and (iii) he asked whether the department would again study the implementation of the Electronic Road Pricing Scheme.

19. Ms Mable CHAN responded as follows:

(i) The TD was actively studying the Electronic Road Pricing Scheme proposed by the Chief Executive in her Policy Address last year, and would implement a pilot scheme in Central and its adjacent areas from mid-2019. The department hoped that some framework suggestions on the Electronic Road Pricing Scheme would be made before holding discussions with relevant stakeholders.

(ii) In the YTM District, coordination between newly commissioned large-scale infrastructures and existing roads were essential. Therefore, the department would not underestimate the importance of minor traffic changes, such as that of improving traffic signs. Besides, the department would study the feasibility of providing extra traffic lanes in suitable road sections to increase road capacity and the number of parking spaces.

(iii) Some Councillors had mentioned that some works projects required more time to take forward. She hoped Councillors would understand that some works projects could not be carried out successfully without coordination among different works departments. The TD would set up a road safety audit team in the middle of the year to consolidate views from various parties, carry out road safety audits in respect of macro planning and follow up on project priorities based on mechanisms and procedures, so as to ensure smooth traffic flows and pedestrian safety.

(iv) To promote “Smart Mobility”, the department would begin with enhancing pedestrians’ walkability, and hoped that smart traffic lights would be introduced. Equipped with cameras, such traffic lights could detect the numbers of vehicles and pedestrians who were waiting to cross and would adjust the signals intelligently, thereby enhancing the accessibility of both pedestrians and vehicles. There had also been views on introducing traffic light signal countdown timers, about which the department was open-minded.

(v) The department was aware of the keen demand for parking spaces in the district, and hoped that by studying smart parking systems, the number of vehicles to be accommodated in an area would be optimised. The TD had carried out a study late last year, and was actively identifying a location, where the short-term tenancy would include conditions favourable to smart parking systems. If the pilot scheme was successful, the department would explore the feasibility of implementing it at other suitable locations. Moreover, the department would

- 7 - adhere to the principle of “single site, multiple uses” by releasing some loading/unloading areas of commercial buildings to allow commercial vehicles to be parked at night-time and providing parking spaces in government, institution and community facilities if traffic conditions permitted. The department would step up information dissemination by making use of its mobile application so that motorists could be immediately notified of available parking spaces, including the public parking spaces in commercial or office buildings, without having to circulate on narrow streets looking for parking spaces. The department would encourage more operators to engage in the information dissemination to bring greater convenience to motorists looking for roadside parking spaces.

(vi) The TD had invited, and was vetting, tenders for the next-generation on-street parking meter. As preliminarily contemplated, the parking meter would be erected on the ground, with a charging system attached to the pole. The parking meter was not large and thus would not block the sightlines of both motorists and pedestrians. The parking meter could be connected to a computing system which not only supported remote parking charge payment but would also send data of available parking spaces to a centralised information system for further dissemination to the public.

(vii) Under the Bus Route Planning Programme, the department would optimise bus services in different districts every year and consult the respective District Councils about the programme. The department would submit a paper to the Traffic, Transport and Housing Committee in due course, setting out details of the Bus Route Planning Programme 2019-2020 of the YTM District.

(viii) The YTM District was a residential-cum-business district. Apart from the commuting needs of local residents, many members of the public from other districts needed to enter the district. The YTM District was also a major tourist district in Hong Kong, attracting many visitors. The department was aware that Councillors strove for additional bus routes in new development areas to meet residents’ needs, while hoping that immense traffic pressure would not be posed to the trunk roads. The department would continue to enhance communication and collaboration with Councillors and discuss various traffic matters with them in due course, such as plans to restructure and optimise bus routes. The department would carefully consider and listen to residents’ aspirations, with a view to handling such matters through a more forward-looking approach.

(ix) In general, public transport operators were facing a driver shortage and having difficulties recruiting drivers. In order to enhance green minibus services, the TD hoped that providing incentives for operators, such as increasing the number of seats to 19, would mitigate the impact of the driver shortage on the services. Besides, the department was actively discussing with minibus associations the provision of real-time arrival information on green minibus routes. The Government had planned to provide subsidy and technical support. A pilot scheme for providing real-time information was expected to be launched on certain routes this year to bring convenience to passengers.

(x) With the implementation of the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme from 1 January 2019, members of the public could collect their public transport fare

- 8 - subsidies from 16 February. The TD was gearing up and liaising with the parties concerned, and believed that the scheme would be helpful in alleviating the financial burden of long haul commutes as well as that of transport fare increase.

(xi) Concerning the reopening of the Avenue of Stars, the TD was liaising with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and relevant operators to discuss how to facilitate coach pick-up/drop-off and parking. Apart from providing more pick-up/drop-off points in the vicinity of Salisbury Road, the TD was actively studying with the MTR Corporation Limited the reservation of space at the East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Public Transport Interchange for coach pick-up/drop-off where necessary. They were aware of the particular importance of a fast turnover of pick-up/drop-off points. The department would work with the Police and coach operators on expediting the turnover of the pick-up/drop-off points and taking appropriate enforcement actions so as to ensure smooth traffic upon the reopening of the Avenue of Stars.

(xii) Concerning the reservation of space on the ground and basement levels of the Sai Yee Street redevelopment for use by cross-boundary coaches and public minibuses, the TD had communicated with the trades, and they had reached a consensus. The TD would report relevant details to the YTMDC when they were finalised.

20. The Chairman thanked the Commissioner for Transport and the representatives of the TD for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 2: Confirmation of Minutes of 19th YTMDC Meeting

21. The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed without amendments.

Item 3: Financial Position of YTMDC Funds as at 14 January 2019 (YTMDC Paper No. 2/2019)

Item 4: Applications from Committees under Yau Tsim Mong District Office for 2019-2020 YTMDC Funds (YTMDC Paper No. 3/2019)

Item 5: Recruitment of Contract Staff for YTMDC (YTMDC Paper No. 4/2019)

22. The Chairman proposed discussing Items 3 to 5 together. There was no objection. He then welcomed Mr Henry NG, Senior Liaison Officer (1), and Ms Cecilia PONG, Senior Executive Officer (District Management) (Acting), of the Yau Tsim Mong District Office (“YTMDO”). He reminded Councillors to declare their interests by filling in the Declaration of Interests Form as well as making oral declarations.

23. The Chairman asked Councillors to note the financial position of the YTMDC Funds as at 14 January 2019 for Item 3 (Paper No. 2/2019) and endorse in principle the funding

- 9 - applications in Items 4 and 5 (Paper No. 3/2019 and Paper No. 4/2019). Preliminary vetting of the papers of the above funding applications had been carried out at the Working Group on Community Funds (“WGCF”) meeting held on 18 December 2018 and the Community Building Committee meeting held on 10 January 2019. There was no objection.

24. The Chairman said that the activities set out in the paper of the funding application in Item 4 (Paper No. 3/2019) would be held after April 2019 and financed by the YTMDC Funds for the next financial year. Therefore, even if the funding application was endorsed, the funding proposal would have to be submitted to the YTMDC again for confirmation after it had endorsed the funding allocation for its Committees for the new financial year. There was no objection.

Item 6: Formation of Non-standing Working Groups and Local Projects Organising Committees under YTMDC (YTMDC Paper No. 5/2019)

25. The Chairman briefly reported on the discussion results of the annual in-house meeting held on the morning of 24 January 2019, during which Councillors had agreed to continue setting up a non-standing Working Group in 2019-2020. The name of the Working Group and the unit to which it belonged were as follows:

Non-standing Working Group under the YTMDC: – Working Group on Publicity and Promotion

He asked whether Councillors confirmed to set up the above non-standing Working Group under the YTMDC in 2019-2020. There was no objection.

26. Councillors had agreed at the annual in-house meeting to the following arrangements for Working Groups:

(i) The chairmanship of Working Groups must be held by District Councillors;

(ii) It was agreed that the practice for Working Groups under the YTMDC in the last term should be adopted, i.e. the term of non-standing Working Groups must not exceed eight months, whereas that of standing Working Groups would start from 1 April 2018 and last until the suspension of operation of the current-term YTMDC in preparation for the general election;

(iii) The WGCF, the Signature Project Scheme Working Group, the Working Group on Duty Visits and the Working Group on Duty Visits to Singapore should be composed of District Councillors only; and

(iv) The ratio of non-YTMDC members to YTMDC members of the Working Group on Ethnic Affairs was 1:1, while that of other Working Groups was 1:2.

27. The Chairman asked whether Councillors confirmed the above arrangements for the formation of Working Groups. There was no objection.

28. Besides, Councillors had agreed at the annual in-house meeting to continue setting up five Local Projects Organising Committees under the YTMDC in 2019-2020, the names of which

- 10 - were as follows:

(1) Festival Celebration Organising Committee (2) Organising Committee on Promotion of Civic Education (3) Environmental Improvement Campaign Organising Committee (4) Building Management Promotion Campaign Organising Committee (5) Organising Committee on Cultural Arts Events

The Chairman asked whether Councillors confirmed to continue setting up the above five Organising Committees under the YTMDC in 2019-2020. There was no objection.

29. Councillors had agreed at the annual in-house meeting that Organising Committee members should serve a term from 1 April 2019 until the suspension of operation of the current-term YTMDC in preparation for the general election. Concerning the formation of Organising Committees, Councillors suggested that as previously practised, the Organising Committees appoint suitable members on their own, including inviting members of the public to join their membership based on actual needs.

30. The Chairman asked Councillors to confirm the above arrangements for the formation of Organising Committees. There was no objection.

31. The Chairman said that the Secretariat would write to Councillors after the meeting to invite them to indicate which non-standing Working Group and Organising Committees they intended to join on or before Friday, 8 February 2019. The Secretariat would calculate the quota for non-YTMDC members of the non-standing Working Group based on the number of YTMDC members joining the non-standing Working Group by the deadline. The Secretariat would then invite Councillors to nominate members of the local communities to be non-YTMDC members of the non-standing Working Group in the new term. If the number of nominees exceeded the quota, Councillors would have to elect the non-YTMDC members of the non-standing Working Group at the 21st YTMDC meeting to be held on 28 March, during which chairmen of the non-standing Working Group and Organising Committees would have to be elected by Councillors as well. There was no objection from Councillors to the above arrangements.

Item 7: Meeting Schedules of YTMDC and Its Committees from April to September 2019 (YTMDC Paper No. 6/2019)

32. The Chairman said that Councillors had preliminarily discussed the schedules of meetings of the YTMDC and its Committees from April to September 2019 at the annual in-house meeting, during which proposed amendments had been raised. The amended paper had been laid on the conference table. The Chairman asked Councillors to endorse the revised schedules of meetings. Councillors agreed to adopt the schedules of meetings set out in Paper No. 6/2019.

Item 8: Progress Report of Yau Mong District Study of Urban Renewal Authority (“URA”) (YTMDC Paper No. 7/2019)

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33. The Chairman welcomed Ir WAI Chi-sing, Managing Director, Mr Michael MA, Executive Director (Commercial), Ms Carmen LOK, Director, Corporate Communications, and Mr Lawrence MAK, General Manager, Planning and Design, of the URA.

34. Ir WAI Chi-sing and Mr Lawrence MAK briefly introduced the latest progress of URA’s District Study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok (“Yau Mong District Study”), covering the study of the Master Renewal Concept Plan, the study of institutional and implementation mechanisms, proposed Master Renewal Concept Plan options, etc.

(Mr HUI Tak-leung left the meeting at 4:15 p.m.)

35. The Vice-chairman raised the following views: (i) she considered that the Yau Mong District Study was ground-breaking. She thanked the URA for its effort made over the year or so and appreciated its comprehensive concept. She hoped that the URA would grasp the nettle and continue with its studies; (ii) she considered that the contents of the paper were detailed and substantial, reflecting the effort made by the URA; and (iii) she was concerned about how the Yau Mong District Study, the draft Mong Kok Outline Zoning Plan of the Planning Department and the land supply debate initiated by the Task Force on Land Supply would complement and influence each other, and which option would be implemented in the community. Whether the Yau Mong District Study would enhance the overall planning coefficients of the district was critical to securing Councillors’ support because such overall planning coefficients of the district had remained unchanged for many years, falling behind those of other districts and cities.

36. Mr Benjamin CHOI was concerned about the shortage of parking spaces and the pedestrian-vehicle conflict in the district. From the perspective of the URA, it was hoped that by increasing plot ratios, more profits would be earned for making acquisitions. However, this would lead to a higher population and more commercial activities, aggravating the shortage of parking spaces as well as traffic problems. If there was no way to alleviate such traffic problems, he would find it difficult to support the option to increase or transfer plot ratios. He considered that the URA should actively study areas such as supporting transport, greening ratio, and leisure and community facilities.

37. Mr Craig JO raised the following views: (i) the residents of his constituency had had great expectations since the commencement of the Yau Mong District Study. As there were a lot of old buildings and “three nil” buildings in his constituency, he hoped that the URA would handle them; (ii) the representatives of the URA had mentioned the “restructuring of sub-areas” in their briefing. However, such “restructuring” would be difficult to carry out in his constituency, given that some streets such as Nathan Road and Shanghai Street were thoroughfares, where restructuring would be impossible, and that some other streets such as Reclamation Street and Temple Street were with local characteristics, where many hawkers and traders ran their business. He had talked to the hawkers and traders there about the Yau Mong District Study, about which they had expressed serious reservations; and (iii) he hoped that the URA would consult various stakeholders such as residents and shop operators in the district and understand their views.

38. Ms Michelle TANG raised the following views: (i) she thanked the URA for proactively reporting to the YTMDC on its work progress over the year; (ii) the district was small but densely populated, where restructuring or redevelopment was very difficult to carry out; (iii) compared with the works departments of the Government, which should only be responsible for matters within their purviews, the URA would carry out more comprehensive studies; (iv) she agreed that

- 12 - using underground space for car parking was ideal, while pointing out that the feasibility was very low due to crowded underground conduits and MTR facilities; and (v) she hoped that the URA would continue with its studies to take care of each sub-area.

39. Mr WONG Kin-san raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he thanked the URA for its effort made over the year and its detailed explanation; (ii) the pie chart on slide 8 of the PowerPoint presentation showed that the floor areas of 63% of the buildings in the Yau Mong District after the redevelopment would be 100% to 200% of their original ones, while it was stated on the right of the pie chart that after deducting the floor area exceeding the planning limit, the remaining gross floor area was about 4% only. He would like to know the reason; (iii) he considered that slide 8 of the PowerPoint presentation aimed to call on the society to support the relaxation of floor areas and plot ratios to facilitate development. However, on slide 23, there were positive, negative and zero density options. Given the extremely high residential density in the district, it would benefit the residents of the district the most if the YTMDC selected the negative option to lower the density, but it would contradict the contents on slide 8; and (iv) he hoped that the URA would explain whether the Yau Mong District Study specifically aimed at enhanced or reduced development so that Councillors could consult local residents clearly.

40. Mr Benny YEUNG raised the following views: (i) the Yau Mong District Study needed to be forward-looking. He had raised his views on different occasions and hoped that the URA would accept them; (ii) revitalisation plans should involve preservation. He hoped that the URA would continue to carry out proper consultation and raise more proposals which were concrete and beneficial to the public for the Government’s adoption; (iii) over the years, residents had been opposing the use of the area around the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market for the operation of fruit wholesale. He hoped that by revitalising the Fruit Market, the shops would be concentrated in the Fruit Market instead of being expanded to the residential area, minimising the adverse impact of poor environmental hygiene and traffic congestion; and (iv) the Working Group on Concern for Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market (“WGYMTFM”) under the YTMDC had commissioned a third party to prepare a study report on the Fruit Market. He invited the representatives of the URA to attend the presentation session to be held on the coming Saturday.

41. Mr Andy YU raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that the development of underground space was an ideal concept. However, he doubted the feasibility of this proposal as the district was old, with a lot of underground water pipes and electricity cables; (ii) he pointed out that the URA had not covered areas such as preservation, revitalisation as well as communication with the relevant stakeholders in detail in its briefing on the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market; and (iii) since the YTM District had the most subdivided flats, he asked how the URA would assist subdivided flat tenants (e.g. whether any compensation would be made) when carrying out community redevelopment so as to achieve its people-oriented objective.

42. Mr CHAN Siu-tong raised the following views: (i) he supported the general direction of community redevelopment to renew old districts such as the YTM District; (ii) he suggested that the URA maintain a balance among the areas of redevelopment projects. If the area was too small, and each of the redevelopment projects was carried out by a different developer, the coordination and enhancement of community facilities would be difficult, and the problem of “toothpick-like buildings” would be more likely to take place. However, if the area was too large, only established developers would be able to participate in the redevelopment; and (iii) he hoped that redevelopment would only be carried out after planning so that different projects would coordinate with each other and meet the needs of community development.

- 13 - (The Hon James TO joined the meeting at 4:35 p.m.)

43. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views: (i) as briefed by the representatives of the URA, the remaining gross floor area of the district was about 10% only. He worried that the options in the Yau Mong District Study could not be implemented eventually; (ii) he knew that many developers refused to acquire buildings in the district because the profit was low, and thus asked whether the URA would be able to earn enough profit to sustain its operation if the negative density option was implemented; and (iii) he supported the concept of the study to alleviate the problems of congestion and subdivided flats in the district.

44. Mr Derek HUNG raised the following views: (i) he considered that the URA had a heavy responsibility for urban redevelopment. It should not only act reasonably when making acquisitions but also ensure that public money was well spent, involving quite a lot of challenges; (ii) when carrying out redevelopment, increasing plot ratios would raise redevelopment values but affect nearby facilities and traffic flows. Therefore, he hoped that some pilot sites would be selected so that the projects would not be discontinued due to loss of focus; and (iii) he appreciated URA’s proposed use of underground space for providing parking facilities to relieve the demand for parking spaces in the district. Therefore, he considered that it was worth considering and promoting the development of underground space when carrying out redevelopment.

45. Mr CHOW Chun-fai raised the following views: (i) he thanked the URA for preparing an interim report of the Yau Mong District Study; (ii) as briefed by the URA, the progress of redevelopment at this stage was behind the ageing of buildings in the district. Many residents of the district hoped that the buildings where they lived would be redeveloped as soon as possible. He hoped that a solution would be offered in the final report of the Yau Mong District Study, such as relaxing the existing acquisition and redevelopment policy as well as applying for government resources to cope with the increasingly severe ageing of buildings in a flexible manner; and (iii) he hoped that the Government and the URA would share some of the responsibility of the owners of old buildings to improve such old buildings.

46. The Hon James TO raised the following views: (i) the Yau Mong District plan was merely conceptual at this stage, so he could only raise his views on the general concept; and (ii) he considered it very difficult to implement the large-scale redevelopment under the Yau Mong District plan. Unless property prices dropped drastically, which would facilitate the acquisition of buildings for redevelopment, the Government had to allocate a considerable amount of resources to the URA for large-scale acquisitions. Besides, one of URA’s current objectives was to provide subsidised housing as directed by the Government, which might affect the original planning of the URA.

47. Ir WAI Chi-sing responded as follows:

(i) Since its establishment, the URA had not fully met its statutory requirements in performing its duties, including the restructuring and planning of old districts as well as the prevention of urban decay.

(ii) Some Councillors had suggested focusing on smaller areas first when carrying out restructuring and planning, but this might create limitations to future planning. Therefore, instead of focusing on small projects only, the URA should follow the steps of “Plan First, Projects Second and Modes Third”. Specifically,

- 14 - redevelopment, rehabilitation or preservation projects should be selected after proper planning, which would then be followed by the selection of development modes, i.e. sole development by the URA or cooperation with other developers.

(iii) To prevent urban decay, apart from focusing on old buildings, preventive maintenance should be carried out in new buildings. By extending the lives of buildings, a lot of social resources could be saved.

(iv) Regarding different density options, the positive density option was that without additional government resources, high-rise and underground development should be carried out in the district as far as possible to secure resources to address problems, e.g. moderately relaxing height and plot ratio restrictions, providing more relocation and resettlement housing if not public rental housing, and restructuring underground space after demolishing buildings massively to re-provision at-grade facilities such as carparks, pick-up/drop-off and loading/unloading areas as well as refuse collection points. At present, roads took up 44% of the area of the Yau Mong District, which was not an efficient road use design. Altering the use of some roads upon redevelopment could optimise land use. Relaxing or transferring plot ratios was also another way to fully utilise resources. Concerning the negative density option, the population density of the Yau Mong District was six times of the population density of Hong Kong on average. To reduce population density, the residents of the district would have to be relocated to other districts, but it would require additional government resources in terms of land and money. The zero density option was an option fully utilising resources without altering any planning restriction and ordinance.

(v) After finalising the different density options, the URA would have to communicate with the Government and members of the public, especially for the positive density option, which would require the Legislative Council’s support for law amendments. If the problems in the Yau Mong District could be resolved, the whole package of solution could be applied to other old districts.

(vi) The URA was unable to provide the YTMDC with any detailed planning design for discussion for the time being as it needed to carry out different studies, covering infrastructures as well as the characteristic streets and historical buildings to be preserved. After completing these studies, the URA would look for other opportunities from the nearby areas and continue with its planning studies.

48. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the URA for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 9: Progress Report of Project K28 at Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok of URA (YTMDC Paper No. 8/2019)

49. The Chairman welcomed:

(a) Ir WAI Chi-sing, Managing Director, Mr Michael MA, Executive Director (Commercial), Ms Carmen LOK, Director, Corporate Communications, and Mr Ernest CHENG, Senior Manager, Property and Land, of the URA; and

- 15 -

(b) Mr Edward LEUNG, Executive Director, and Ms Hailey LAU, Project Manager, Culture, Sports and Arts Division, of the Hong Kong Playground Association (“HKPA”).

50. Mr Ernest CHENG and Mr Edward LEUNG briefly introduced the progress of Project K28 at Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok with a PowerPoint presentation.

51. Mr CHOW Chun-fai was pleased that the URA adhered to its original intent and vision to promote local sports in the project, and that a podium garden would be built.

52. Ms Michelle TANG was very supportive of and excited about the project. She considered that exercise was key to health, and was thus pleased that the URA and the HKPA would implement the project to raise and promote the awareness of the need for exercise.

53. Mr WONG Kin-san raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that such a commercial and residential development promoting local sports was the icing on the cake and worth supporting; (ii) while virtual reality games and multimedia activities were planned to be provided in the shopping mall for people to try different sports, he considered that exercising through such virtual games was unable to enhance people’s physical fitness. He asked whether any physical sports promotion would be organised there. Regarding the interactive games with local athletes, he suggested inviting athletes to hold activities there regularly and encourage members of the public to exercise more, which he believed would be more effective than relying only on technology in promoting the awareness of the need for exercise; and (iii) in the light of insufficient open space in the district, he very much welcomed the opening of the podium garden to members of the public by the URA, and asked about the opening hours of the podium garden of the southern block and its management upon opening, e.g. whether dogs were permitted, whether foreign domestic helpers were allowed to gather there, etc.

54. Mr Derek HUNG raised the following views: (i) he welcomed URA’s implementation of the project. He considered that the HKPA possessed extensive experience in operating community sports facilities; (ii) he hoped that the venue would not only allow members of the public to take photographs and watch videos but also provide a number of interactive facilities for public enjoyment. Concerning the facilities, he hoped that they would be suitable for everyone as far as possible, with fewer restrictions or conditions, with an aim to benefit members of the public; and (iii) he hoped that new concepts would be introduced to the project, with activities to be held in innovative ways, thereby achieving synergy between it and the nearby MacPherson Stadium managed by the HKPA.

55. Mr Michael MA responded as follows:

(i) Not only were the sports facilities in the project viewable, they also comprised game and sports elements. For instance, members of the public visiting the multimedia sports information corner could not only take photographs with local table tennis players but also play virtual table tennis with them through the screen. He hoped that the elements of local athletes and sports would be combined.

(ii) The podium garden would open before the Lunar New Year. Upon opening, it would incorporate game and sports elements gradually. To facilitate the operation of the shopping mall, the podium garden would open from 10:30 a.m. to

- 16 - 9 p.m. Admission was free, and members of the public were welcome to use the podium garden. However, eating or drinking was not allowed, and dogs were not permitted.

(iii) The project would be completed in mid-2019. By then, details would be presented to the YTMDC, including the opening hours and whether advance booking for the facilities was needed.

56. Mr Edward LEUNG responded as follows:

(i) Not only were virtual sports games interesting, they also involved vigorous calorie-burning exercise. The project was still at the design stage, and there might be some other development directions in future, with an aim to arouse public interest in exercise and encourage members of the public to make it their habit.

(ii) He did not rule out the possibility of inviting local sports celebrities to hold activities there and interact with members of the public so as to make the project site an athletes’ centre.

57. Ir WAI Chi-sing responded that the URA aimed to provide a space for introducing different sports to members of the public. If they became interested, they would still have to practise at formal sports venues.

58. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the URA for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 10: Progress Report and Proposed Projects for YTM District-led Actions Scheme (YTMDC Paper No. 9/2019)

59. The Chairman welcomed Ms Mimi LO, Senior Liaison Officer (Building Management) of the YTMDO.

60. Ms Mimi LO briefly introduced the subject paper, covering the progress of the projects under the YTM District-led Actions Scheme for 2018-19, and invited Councillors to raise their views and suggestions on the proposed projects for 2019-20.

61. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views: (i) he very much welcomed the proposal of the YTMDO; (ii) he supported the re-launching of the “Cleansing of Common Parts of Buildings” project, which was conducive to improving hygiene and cleanliness in many old buildings, especially the “three nil” buildings. Due to title and obligation issues, canopies were excluded from the scope of cleansing, which he considered was a pity. He then asked whether the cleansing of rear lanes would be included in the project; and (iii) he supported the “Fire Safety Direction” Support Service Pilot Scheme. Based on his observation, the YTMDO and the social workers engaged had cooperated with the building owners very well throughout the scheme. He therefore considered that the scheme was worth carrying on next year.

62. The Vice-chairman raised the following views: (i) she thanked the YTMDO for implementing the District-led Actions Scheme during the year. Specifically, most building owners considered that the “Fire Safety Direction” Support Service Pilot Scheme had smoothened

- 17 - the course of maintenance and the funding application for maintenance. Besides, members of the public had recognised the work of the Mong Kok Kai Fong Association commissioned by the YTMDO; and (ii) concerning the cleanliness of “three nil” buildings, she asked whether the YTMDO would follow its past practice of collecting Councillors’ views by means of a questionnaire survey after the endorsement of the project, and then prioritising the buildings on the list with the FEHD.

63. Mr CHUNG Kong-mo said that the buildings in his constituency had benefited from the YTM District-led Actions Scheme in various ways, where there had been great improvement. Therefore, he fully supported the scheme.

64. Mr CHOW Chun-fai raised the following views: (i) he thanked the YTMDO for cooperating with Councillors closely, and supported the scheme; (ii) he considered that there was a manpower shortage in carrying out the projects, and suggested increasing manpower to implement the scheme; and (iii) he agreed with the proposed cleansing of the common parts of “three nil” buildings, through which the building owners would understand the importance of keeping their buildings clean and might then establish owners’ corporations to improve environmental hygiene in their buildings.

65. Ms KWAN Sau-ling raised the following views: (i) she hoped that the project scope would be expanded so as to tackle more black spots; and (ii) she suggested increasing manpower to implement the scheme.

66. Ms Mimi LO responded as follows:

(i) She thanked Councillors for their support and recognition for the scheme.

(ii) When the condition was safe, the contractor would cleanse canopies and remove rubbish in public places as far as possible.

(iii) The project primarily aimed to cleanse the common parts of buildings. Regarding rear lanes, the YTMDO would coordinate work and liaise closely with other government departments and the FEHD, urging them to follow up on the problems in the rear lanes of buildings. The project mainly involved stepped-up mosquito and rodent disinfestation in rear lanes. The contractor would step up the removal of stagnant water in the buildings. Meanwhile, the YTMDO would carry out relevant publicity work, such as distributing leaflets, and would advise the residents to take proper preventive measures against mosquitos and rodents as far as possible during home visits.

(iv) If the project was supported at this meeting, the YTMDO would write to invite Councillors after the meeting to nominate buildings to be included in the list of cleansing. After receiving nominations, the YTMDO would send officers to inspect the environmental hygiene conditions of the buildings and accord priority. Apart from Councillors’ nominations, government departments would nominate buildings as well. As more than 100 buildings had been wait-listed in the first and second phases of the cleansing project last year, the YTMDO would send officers to inspect them and include those in poor conditions as well as those previously cleansed but currently in poor hygiene conditions.

- 18 - (v) The YTMDO would visit households in “three nil” buildings one by one and collect questionnaires from them, with a view to recruiting them as resident liaison ambassadors and calling on them to establish residents’ associations or owners’ corporations to facilitate building management in future.

(vi) The YTMDO employed Executive Assistants and part-time Community Organisers to implement the scheme. The YTMDO would negotiate with the Home Affairs Department (“HAD”) for employing one more Executive Assistant to handle the project of cleansing the common parts of buildings. Regarding the building management team of the YTMDO, there were two vacancies for Liaison Officer II, which she hoped would be filled as soon as possible.

(vii) The YTMDO hoped that by assisting with cleansing the common parts of buildings, distributing publicity souvenirs and paying home visits, residents would be encouraged to establish owners’ corporations and residents’ associations to enhance the quality of building management.

(viii) As partners under the project, the YTMDO and the FEHD would cleanse the common parts and rear lanes of buildings properly. Where resources allowed, as many buildings as possible would be included in the project.

67. The Chairman asked whether Councillors agreed to implement the YTM District-led Actions Scheme for 2019-20. There was no objection. He thanked the representative concerned for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 11: CCTV System of Ex-Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct (YTMDC Paper No. 10/2019)

68. The Chairman welcomed:

(a) Ms Cecilia PONG, Senior Executive Officer (District Management) (Acting) of the YTMDO; and

(b) Mr James WONG, Engineer/Energizing Kowloon East of the TD.

69. Ms Cecilia PONG briefly introduced the subject paper with a PowerPoint presentation ----- (Annex 1).

70. Mr LAM Kin-man asked about the numbers of cases of objects being thrown from a height in other districts and that at Sai Yeung Choi Street South after the abolition of the MKPP. He considered it disputable whether more than $400,000 of public money should be spent every year on maintaining the closed circuit television (“CCTV”) system if the situation of objects being thrown from a height in this district was not more severe than that in other districts, and given that, on the face of it, discontinuing the operation of the CCTV system did not necessarily lead to more cases of objects being thrown from a height.

71. Mr CHOW Chun-fai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the CCTV had been installed in response to the several cases of corrosive liquid being thrown from a height; (ii) the operation of the CCTV system had been highly effective and achieved a certain degree of

- 19 - deterrence against throwing objects from a height. He considered that despite the high maintenance cost, people should have a sense of crisis at all times. Therefore, he supported the retention of the CCTV system; and (iii) he asked the Police whether the CCTV system could be used for investigating crimes apart from throwing objects from a height.

72. The Chairman quoted the representative of the YTMDO as saying that the Police had submitted a total of seven applications for accessing the video footage. While five of them had been accepted, the other two had been rejected as they did not involve any cases of objects being thrown from a height. Besides, he asked whether the video footage could be used more widely, other than for investigating objects being thrown from a height only, if the YTMDC resolved to retain the CCTV system at this meeting.

73. Mr Andy YU raised the following views: (i) he considered that the annual maintenance cost of the CCTV system of more than $430,000 was high; (ii) he suggested replacing the CCTV system with a new one to lower the maintenance cost. A new CCTV system might reduce the cost and would give better performance; and (iii) he suggested that the YTMDO obtain quotations for a new CCTV system.

74. Ms Michelle TANG raised the following views: (i) she was surprised by the maintenance cost being so high, and considered that such a high maintenance cost might resulted from the aged parts; (ii) she considered that replacing the CCTV system would be worth if the maintenance cost could be lowered, while updating the system would be more effective than discontinuing the operation of the CCTV system; and (iii) she agreed that the video footage collected from the CCTV system should be used more widely.

75. Mr Craig JO raised the following views and enquiries: (i) based on his knowledge, the maintenance costs of CCTV systems would normally surge about five years after their installation given that some parts might not be available for replacement, and that system failures might become frequent; (ii) he considered that the removal cost of the CCTV system of about $200,000 was too high, and suggested retaining some parts of the CCTV system such as the external box and wires, and replacing only the core of the CCTV system to enhance its resolution and functions, which he considered might be more cost-saving compared to replacing the whole system; and (iii) he considered that CCTV systems had been common, with a wide use of the video footage.

76. Mr CHUNG Kong-mo raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he recalled a case of corrosive liquid being thrown from a height after the CCTV system had been installed. While the CCTV system had not recorded the location of the corrosive liquid being thrown, it had ruled out the possibility of the corrosive liquid being thrown from the recording direction, which was somewhat helpful in this regard; (ii) a wider use of the video footage collected from the CCTV system could be considered; (iii) he agreed that the feasibility of replacing the CCTV system with a new one should be studied; and (iv) he asked whether the installation of the CCTV system had been financed by the Government or the YTMDC.

77. Mr CHUNG Chak-fai raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he was surprised by the annual maintenance cost of more than $430,000; (ii) he asked about the number of cameras included in the CCTV system and their resolution; (iii) he asked about the Police’s view on the quality of the video footage collected from the CCTV system. He considered that replacing the CCTV system with a new one would somewhat facilitate police investigations; and (iv) he asked how many times the CCTV system had been repaired over the past few years, and whether the annual maintenance cost was more than $430,000 only because the system was too old and

- 20 - therefore had to be repaired frequently.

78. The Chairman responded that the annual maintenance cost of more than $430,000 was a fixed cost, and the CCTV system had been installed for over a decade, the cameras of which definitely had a lower resolution than some newer ones. He continued that the YTMDO had submitted a paper to ask the YTMDC to decide whether the CCTV system should be retained, while Councillors had just raised diverse views. For example, Mr LAM Kin-man supported the discontinuation of the operation of the CCTV system, whereas Mr CHOW Chun-fai supported its retention. Besides, other Councillors had suggested replacing the CCTV system with a new one. He suggested voting on whether the CCTV system should be retained first and discussing whether the system should be replaced with a new one only if Councillors agreed to retain it.

79. Mr LAM Kin-man clarified that he was not opposing the retention of the CCTV system. Instead, he would like to make a decision after comparing the number of cases of objects being thrown from a height in recent years at Sai Yeung Choi Street South and those in other districts or nearby streets.

80. The Chairman said that he had paid attention to Mr LAM’s speech, in which he had first asked about the numbers of cases of objects being thrown from a height in different districts and then suggested not retaining the CCTV system. Once again, he asked whether Councillors agreed to first vote on whether the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP should be retained. There was no objection.

81. The Chairman asked Councillors to vote on whether the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP should be retained.

82. The voting result: Mr CHOW Chun-fai, Mr CHUNG Chak-fai, Mr CHUNG Kong-mo, Mr Craig JO, Mr LAU Pak-kei, Ms Michelle TANG and Mr Benny YEUNG voted for retaining the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP (7 votes). No Councillors voted against retaining the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP.

83. The Chairman announced that it was agreed to retain the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP.

84. Ms Cecilia PONG responded that based on the operating guidelines on the CCTV system, the video footage should only be used for assisting police investigations into cases of objects being thrown from a height. The Police could only access the video footage upon application and approval by the vetting team comprising representatives of the YTMDC and the YTMDO. The Police had submitted a total of seven applications for accessing the video footage since June 2009. While five of them had been accepted, the other two had been rejected as they did not involve any cases of objects being thrown from a height. She invited the Police to give the numbers of cases of objects being thrown from a height in different districts as the YTMDO did not have such information.

85. Mr Bradley WRIGHT responded in English as follows:

(i) Since the installation of the CCTV system in 2009, the Police had submitted a total of seven applications for accessing the video footage, five of which involving cases of objects being thrown from a height had been accepted.

(ii) Since the abolition of the MKPP, there had not been any cases of objects being

- 21 - thrown from a height.

(iii) Concerning the usefulness of the video footage of the CCTV system in investigations, he pointed out that the video footage was quite dusky and unclear, and considered that enhancing the resolution could facilitate the work of the Police.

(iv) The use of the video footage that could be accessed upon application was restricted. A wider use of the video footage would facilitate the work of the Police.

(v) He considered it difficult to compare the numbers of cases of objects being thrown from a height in different districts as street design and building distribution varied from one district to another. As far as he was aware, the number of the cases of objects being thrown from a height in Mong Kok in the past five months was not particularly high.

(Mr CHUNG Kong-mo left the meeting at 6:08 p.m.)

86. Mr LAM Kin-man quoted the response of the HKPF that there had not been any cases of objects being thrown from a height after the abolition of the MKPP. As far as safety was concerned, he did not object to the retention of the CCTV system.

87. Mr Benny YEUNG supported the retention of the CCTV system for the reason that Sai Yeung Choi Street South was busy, and that it had just been a short while since the abolition of the MKPP. Therefore, he suggested carrying out further review after observing the situation for a longer time, and considering whether the CCTV system should be retained afterwards.

88. Mr Andy YU quoted the response of the HKPF that the video footage was not quite clear, and said that a considerable amount of money would be wasted on the system maintenance if the video footage was so blurred that it could not facilitate the Police’s crime detection. Therefore, he hoped that the replacement of the CCTV system with a new one would be studied actively. Given that Sai Yeung Choi Street South was a business-cum-residential area, privacy should be taken into account in operating the CCTV system.

89. Mr Craig JO raised the following views: (i) as far as he was aware, the operation of the CCTV system would not be discontinued immediately even if the contract renewal fee was not paid upon the expiry of the maintenance period. However, maintenance service would be unavailable if any problem arose; and (ii) he considered it disputable whether more than $400,000 should be spent every year on maintaining such an old system, and that spending the same amount of money on upgrading the CCTV system would be more effective.

90. The Chairman asked whether it was possible to study the CCTV system upgrade only but not pay for the contract renewal.

91. Ms Cecilia PONG responded as follows:

(i) The existing maintenance contract of the CCTV system was effective until June 2019. As pointed out by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (“EMSD”), six weeks’ prior notice was normally required for terminating a maintenance contract, and the department would provide a refund on a pro-rata

- 22 - basis.

(ii) The installation of the CCTV system had been financed by YTMDC’s allocation for district minor works. For an upgrade of the system, a funding application for district minor works should be made to the District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”).

92. The Hon James TO quoted the representative of the Police as saying that the resolution of the video footage was low. He considered that with more advanced technologies used in CCTV systems, the CCTV system should be upgraded. Given that the Police had gained extensive experience in handling cases of objects being thrown from a height over the last decade, and that more buildings and shops had installed CCTV systems currently and the video footage collected from such systems could be used for police investigations, he would not object to discontinuing the operation of the CCTV system if no upgrade was carried out.

93. Mr CHUNG Chak-fai said that as responded by the representative of the YTMDO, there was still some time until the maintenance contract of the CCTV system was expired. Therefore, he suggested making a decision after researching on the cost and effectiveness of upgrading the CCTV system.

94. The Chairman said that there was still some time until the maintenance contract of the CCTV system was expired, and only about six weeks’ prior notice was required for terminating the contract, so he suggested that the representative of the YTMDO report to the DFMC after obtaining the quotations for upgrading the CCTV system. With such quotations, Councillors could then decide on whether to upgrade the system or maintain it as it was. He asked whether Councillors agreed with the above suggestion.

95. Mr CHAN Siu-tong was dissatisfied that Councillors’ resolution to continue paying the annual maintenance cost of the CCTV system of about $430,000 might be revoked, which he considered was in contravention of the Standing Orders.

96. The Chairman clarified that it was not in contravention of the Standing Orders. The voting had been about whether the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP should be retained, irrespective of the maintenance cost of about $430,000.

97. Mr CHAN Siu-tong considered that the voting should have been about whether the maintenance cost of about $430,000 should continue to be paid.

98. The Chairman said he had made it clear before the voting that the voting had been about whether the CCTV system in the Ex-MKPP should be retained.

99. Mr Benjamin CHOI asked whether the YTMDC would delegate the DFMC to discuss and decide whether the CCTV system should be retained.

100. The Chairman responded that the YTMDC could delegate its Committees to discuss relevant matters. In this connection, he asked whether Councillors agreed to delegate the DFMC to discuss the above matter.

101. Mr Derek HUNG said that since Councillors had resolved to retain the CCTV system, they should focus on discussing either upgrading to a particular type of CCTV system or retaining

- 23 - the system as it was, instead of discussing the discontinuation of the operation of the CCTV system any further. He asked whether his understanding was correct.

102. The Chairman clarified that in view of Councillors’ diverse views on whether the CCTV system should be retained or upgraded during the first round of discussion, he had suggested voting on whether the CCTV system should be retained first. In case the noes had it, no further discussions on upgrade proposals would be necessary. Having agreed to vote, Councillors had resolved to retain the CCTV system. Therefore, he had suggested that the YTMDO report to the DFMC after obtaining quotations for and making enquiries about upgrading the CCTV system.

103. Mr CHAN Siu-tong raised the following views: (i) the voting had been purely about whether the CCTV system should be retained. It had not been mentioned that the CCTV system upgrade would not be discussed until Councillors had resolved to retain it; (ii) he considered that retaining the CCTV system meant continuing to pay the annual maintenance cost of about $430,000; (iii) since the Traffic and Transport Committee under the last-term YTMDC had held, and the Traffic, Transport and Housing Committee under the current-term YTMDC would hold, regular discussions on whether the CCTV system should be retained as well as whether the maintenance cost should be paid, he did not understand why the voting had been about whether the CCTV system should be retained but not whether the maintenance cost should be paid; and (iv) he considered that the voting should have been about whether the CCTV system should be retained as well as whether the maintenance cost should be paid.

104. Mr Benny YEUNG raised the following views: (i) he considered that Councillors had reached a consensus on studying the CCTV system upgrade; (ii) he considered that the voting had not been about whether the maintenance cost should continue to be paid. He had not taken this into account when voting for the subject matter anyway; (iii) he considered that communication should be enhanced if any misunderstanding arose so as to reach a consensus; and (iv) he asked the Police how the CCTV system should be upgraded to meet their needs.

105. The Hon James TO said that there was still plenty of time, and suggested that the YTMDO collect information on the CCTV system upgrade before having further discussions.

106. The Chairman said that he had been sharing the same view with the Hon James TO.

107. The Hon James TO said that the EMSD might not be willing to maintain such an old CCTV system, and might only still maintain it as the YTMDO had so requested. He considered that Councillors would not object to obtaining quotations for upgrading the CCTV system, and suggested that the YTMDO collect such information.

108. Mr Benjamin CHOI said that the YTMDC had resolved to retain the CCTV system. If the DFMC later decided to suspend the operation of the CCTV system, it would override the resolution of the YTMDC. Therefore, he suggested delegating the DFMC to resolve the matter on behalf of the YTMDC.

109. The Chairman agreed with the suggestion raised by Mr Benjamin CHOI, being the chairman of the DFMC. If Councillors preferred to retain the CCTV system and hoped that the system upgrade would be studied, he would suggested that the DFMC follow up on this proposal.

110. Mr CHAN Siu-tong said that the YTMDC had just resolved to retain the CCTV system, which would be executed by the DFMC. Therefore, the DFMC could only decide to upgrade the

- 24 - CCTV system or continue to pay the maintenance cost to retain the system as it was. It could not decide to discontinue the operation of the system.

111. The Chairman responded that he suggested delegating the DFMC to resolve this matter on behalf of the YTMDC.

(The Hon James TO left the meeting at 6:29 p.m.)

112. Mr Craig JO said that he had a clear voting preference to support the retention of the CCTV system, but he did not support continuing to pay the maintenance cost because he considered it too high and unreasonable.

113. Mr Benjamin CHOI was willing to continue to handle the matter at DFMC meetings. He disagreed that the Committees should only execute matters resolved by the YTMDC. If the YTMDC delegated the DFMC to resolve the matter on its behalf, he being the chairman of the DFMC would be willing to follow up on it.

114. The Chairman asked whether Councillors agreed to refer the matter to the DFMC for further follow-up and handling.

115. Ms Cecilia PONG responded that the contractor engaged by the EMSD would maintain the CCTV system, including carrying out regular inspections and emergency repairs, suspending the system at the site during power failures in buildings, as well as restarting it once power supply was resumed. Since the maintenance cost covered the above tasks, it was impossible to retain the CCTV system without paying the maintenance cost.

116. The Chairman asked the representative of the YTMDO to obtain quotations for upgrading the CCTV system and refer the matter to the DFMC for follow-up. He asked whether Councillors agreed with the above arrangements. There was no objection.

117. Ms Cecilia PONG responded that concerning the suggestion for a wider use of the video footage collected from the CCTV system, the Working Group on MKPP, once set up by the YTMDC, had held a briefing session to collect the views of the residents, owners’ corporations and mutual aid committees of the buildings at Sai Yeung Choi Street South on installing the CCTV system. At present, banners were displayed at Sai Yeung Choi Street South to inform members of the public of the reason for installing the CCTV system. The Working Group had sought the views of the Department of Justice and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on privacy protection, drawn up a set of detailed guidelines, and declared that the system was used for general security surveillance only, and that the video footage was governed by the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Chapter 486 of the Laws of Hong Kong). In the light of the abolition of the MKPP, if the CCTV system had to be retained, such guidelines would have to be amended in due course, and members of the public would have to be informed of the future use of the video footage collected from the system.

118. The Chairman announced that the matter would be referred to the DFMC for follow-up, and thanked the representatives of the government departments concerned for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

(Post-meeting note: On 6 March 2019, the HKPF emailed the supplementary information on the ----- above paper (Annex 2), which was forwarded by the Secretariat to

- 25 - Councillors on the same day.)

Item 12: Prompt Installation of Multi-functional Smart Lampposts and Enhanced Promotion of Smart City Development (YTMDC Paper No. 11/2019)

119. The Chairman said that the consolidated written response from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (“OGCIO”) under the Innovation and Technology Bureau ----- (“ITB”) and the HyD (Annex 3) had been emailed to Councillors for their perusal on 22 January 2019. He then welcomed:

(a) Mr Tony WONG, Assistant Government Chief Information Officer (Industry Development) of the OGCIO under the ITB; and

(b) Mr CHENG Chung-shan, Senior Engineer/1 of the HyD.

120. Mr Craig JO declared that the smart lampposts involved the services rendered by his company.

121. The Chairman asked Mr Craig JO to withdraw from the discussion on this item.

(Mr Craig JO left the meeting at 6:35 p.m.)

122. Mr Benjamin CHOI supplemented the paper as follows: (i) smart city development was the hottest topic in the field of urban planning. Smart city development could defer if not reverse urban decay and ageing. The concept of smart city involved a number of new technologies in terms of research, analysis and application, with a view to providing convenience for members of the public; it covered an extensive scope; and (ii) smart lampposts were multi-functional high-tech equipment, which would be first introduced to the Kwun Tong District on a trial basis. He would like to know about the types of information the smart lampposts would collect and their uses after being analysed.

123. Mr Tony WONG responded as follows:

(i) The Chief Executive had proposed in the 2017 Policy Address a pilot scheme for multi-functional smart lampposts, under which conventional lampposts would be converted into multi-functional lampposts so that the departments concerned could collect various types of real-time urban data more effectively, thereby strengthening urban and traffic management.

(ii) The smart lampposts would also serve as carriers, where mobile network operators could install their 5G small cells.

(iii) Smart city development required infrastructural support, and a lamppost was precisely a suitable type of infrastructure.

(iv) The pilot scheme would be implemented at four selected urban locations, with the Kwun Tong District being the first one equipped with the smart lampposts. The works were expected to be completed this year. Meanwhile, inspections and

- 26 - analyses were underway in three other districts. Tsim Sha Tsui was the pilot location for the YTM District.

(v) They were identifying a suitable trial road section in Tsim Sha Tsui for installing the smart lampposts, and were looking forward to visiting the YTMDC to give a detailed presentation and consult Councillors’ views in the third quarter this year.

124. Mr LAU Pak-kei raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he considered that the pilot scheme lasting three years was too long. The technologies involved might have become outdated three years later when the smart lampposts were finally installed more widely after the scheme. Therefore, he suggested shortening the trial period so that the smart lampposts could be introduced to various districts across the territory as soon as possible; (ii) he asked, apart from making them available online, how the data collected from the smart lampposts could be used so as to substantially improve the community; (iii) he appreciated the provision of Wi-Fi service at the smart lampposts, benefiting the community; and (iv) given that four densely-populated urban locations were selected under the pilot scheme, he asked what engineering and traffic management problems were expected to occur during the works.

(Mr CHOW Chun-fai left the meeting at 6:50 p.m.)

125. Ms KWAN Sau-ling raised the following views and enquiries: (i) she considered that the pilot scheme, covering only Tsim Sha Tsui, was of a scope too small, and suggested covering the entire Nathan Road; and (ii) she asked about the network range of each smart lamppost.

126. The Chairman agreed with Mr LAU Pak-kei that the pilot scheme lasting three years was too long. In the light of rapid technology advancement, he hoped that the trial period would be shortened to a cycle of half a year to nine months.

127. Mr Tony WONG responded as follows:

(i) The pilot scheme would last quite a long time as there were many smart lampposts planned to be installed. It was understood that the number of smart lampposts installed in most of the developed cities was limited, normally did not exceed 100. However, the pilot scheme involved the installation of about 400 smart lampposts, with various tests in different settings. They were aware that the progress had to be expedited to evaluate the effectiveness. Therefore, from the first year of the scheme after the smart lampposts were installed, they would start consolidating experience and exploring ways to extend the coverage and expand into new application areas, with a view to studying feasible options for installation in a larger scale.

(ii) The data collected from the smart lampposts could facilitate the work of various departments. The HyD would provide smart light fittings on the smart lampposts, where the smart street light controls would create various illumination effects in different settings with eco-friendly intelligence. The TD would install detectors and monitors on the smart lampposts to collect real-time traffic data, such as the speed of vehicles, the types of vehicles and real-time vehicular flows, which could facilitate TD’s road use planning and deployment in an emergency. With the smart lampposts, the Hong Kong Observatory could collect district-based meteorological data; the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”) could

- 27 - strengthen the collection of district-based air quality data and monitor illegal dumping and the concentration level of vehicular exhaust through surveillance cameras; the Lands Department could install Bluetooth transmitters and radio-frequency identifiers on the smart lampposts to facilitate the department’s setting up of a precise positioning system, which would provide more accurate reference information for regular surveys.

(iii) The positioning information collected from the smart lampposts would be made available to nearby users free of charge, which could be used in positioning-based application systems or mobile applications to strengthen their positioning function. Besides, the data collected from the smart lampposts would be made available online free of charge as open data by the OGCIO so that all individuals, businesses and trades could use them to create innovative systems and applications, which was greatly conducive to smart city development.

(iv) One of the objectives of the pilot scheme was to provide Wi-Fi service for tourists and the general public at suitable locations, thereby complementing the layout of Wi-Fi service.

128. Mr CHENG Chung-shan responded that the four districts under the pilot scheme had relatively high pedestrian and vehicular flows, and a number of excavation works were involved, which would produce noise and obstruct traffic. Therefore, the major challenge would be how the impact of traffic diversion arrangements on road users could be minimised. Meanwhile, the protection of roadside trees was another issue to be addressed.

129. Mr LAU Pak-kei raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he would like to know why the representative of the OGCIO had said that smart lampposts were only installed in most other cities in a small scale even though they were greatly conducive to smart city development; and (ii) as he was aware that the installation of smart lampposts might involve a number of engineering and traffic management problems, he asked how much time was needed to install a smart lamppost, and how long it would take to install 100 smart lampposts in Tsim Sha Tsui.

130. Mr Tony WONG responded that Hong Kong was just like other cities. In developed cities, population density and road utilisation rate were high, with conduits and facilities taking up much underground space. Apart from the space at grade, the replacement of lampposts required sufficient underground space for the provision of infrastructures. In new development areas, infrastructures for the smart lampposts could be built at grade and underground in advance when building the roads. It would be more difficult to reserve such space in developed areas. Besides, the alternation of facilities would take quite a long time. Therefore, some other technologies such as the wireless network would be applied under the pilot scheme. They hoped that information could be collected through the pilot scheme so that they could exchange ideas with the development departments concerned in developing new areas in future.

131. Mr CHENG Chung-shan responded that the provision of smart lampposts involved the replacement of lampposts and light fittings as well as the retrofit of smart street light controls. Power supply was required for such smart facilities round the clock, and trench excavations had to be carried out. Hence, the works would take quite some time.

132. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the government departments concerned for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

- 28 -

Item 13: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Social Innovation Project: Green Deck Project – An Innovative Solution for Solving Problems around the Hung Hom Neighbourhood (YTMDC Paper No. 12/2019)

133. The Chairman welcomed Mr Alex LUI, Project Director, Green Deck Project, Mr Daniel SUEN, Director of Campus Development, Ms Carmen FU, Division Head, Communications and Public Affairs Office, and Ms Margaret LAM, Senior Project Manager, Campus Development Office, of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (“PolyU”).

134. Mr Alex LUI briefed Councillors on the subject paper with a PowerPoint presentation ----- (Annex 4).

(Mr Benjamin CHOI left the meeting at 7:00 p.m.)

135. Ms Michelle TANG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the PolyU was close to the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel, where the vehicular flow was high and air pollution was severe. Therefore, she was looking forward to and supportive of the Green Deck project; (ii) she had confidence in PolyU’s engineering and planning studies; and (iii) since the Green Deck would cover an extensive area, she asked how it would be managed, how it was planned to be built, how long the works would take, and whether nearby residents would be affected.

136. Mr Andy YU raised the following views: (i) he agreed that more public green space should be provided in the city centre; (ii) as the representative of the PolyU had mentioned that a performance area would be provided in the public space on the Green Deck, he asked whether the Government or the PolyU would be responsible for managing the street performances there, or whether street performances could be staged upon application only; (iii) he referred to the green roof collapse of the sports centre at the City University of Hong Kong caused by greenery overload in 2016, and worried that the situation on the Green Deck would be similar. He asked whether the PolyU would study the potential risks; and (iv) he asked whether the construction of the Green Deck would affect the operation of the Hong Kong Coliseum.

137. Ms KWAN Sau-ling raised the following views and enquiries: (i) she asked which group of nearby residents would be consulted under the Green Deck project; (ii) she asked how much of the 43 000 square metres’ area of the proposed Green Deck was attributed to the PolyU and the community respectively; (iii) she asked whether the PolyU would need to apply for government funding if it failed to apply to The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“HKJC”) for funding; (iv) she asked whether the proposed cycling track on the Green Deck had been approved by the Town Planning Board; and (v) she asked whether any coach parking space would be reserved at the Green Deck upon completion.

138. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he was supportive of the concept of the Green Deck, which could alleviate air pollution near Hung Hom Station; (ii) he asked which groups of people would be consulted under the Green Deck project; (iii) he asked whether the HKJC would finance the whole Green Deck project in full; (iv) he asked whether the construction of the Green Deck would affect the operation of the Hong Kong Coliseum; (v) he asked whether the operation of the Hung Hom Station carpark would be affected, if not suspended, due to the construction of the Green Deck; and (vi) in view of the severe traffic congestion at the

- 29 - Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel on weekdays, he asked how long the construction of the Green Deck would take, and whether the PolyU would assess the level of impact on nearby traffic during the works and had drawn up any mitigation measure.

139. Mr WONG Kin-san raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked whether the PolyU aimed to simply consult Councillors or seek YTMDC’s support for the project at this meeting; (ii) he supported in principle the Green Deck project; and (iii) he worried that the YTMDC would have to finance the project if the application for HKJC’s funding was unsuccessful after the YTMDC had shown its support.

140. The Chairman said that the paper aimed to seek YTMDC’s support for PolyU’s application for HKJC’s funding. The PolyU had liaised with Councillors. Based on the list at annex 3 of the paper, a total of nine Councillors supported PolyU’s application for HKJC’s funding.

141. Mr Alex LUI responded as follows:

(i) The Green Deck would generally cover the toll plaza of the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel. Exhaust would be collected, purified and discharged.

(ii) The Green Deck would be publicly funded. The PolyU considered that the land where the entire Green Deck sat was owned by the Government rather than the PolyU. Besides, the proposed construction would be a project of the Government rather than the PolyU. Therefore, all facilities to be available there would be public facilities and open to members of the general public.

(iii) The PolyU had proposed the Green Deck project as it considered that the environment in Hung Hom was poor, but the Government had not drawn up any improvement measure. So far, the response of the Government to the concept of the project had been positive. However, before deciding whether it should accept the project, the Government had requested further technical details as well as proposed solutions to the problems foreseen. Therefore, he hoped that the YTMDC would support PolyU’s application for HKJC’s funding for carrying out a project development study so as to address relevant technical problems as far as possible and facilitate the Government’s taking over and implementation of the project. The study was expected to cost less than $100 million and take two to three years to complete. The PolyU would invite a consulting team to carry out the study.

142. The Chairman reiterated that the paper aimed to seek YTMDC’s support for PolyU’s application for HKJC’s funding for carrying out the study.

143. Mr CHAN Siu-tong raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he supported the Green Deck project as it would significantly improve the environment and provide greater convenience for pedestrians upon completion; (ii) he worried that the toll plaza of the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel being covered with the Green Deck would be stuffy, and would like to know about the details of the ventilation system; and (iii) he worried that the Green Deck might be occupied by street performers if it was managed by the Government, so he suggested that the PolyU manage the Green Deck.

- 30 - 144. Mr Derek HUNG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he recalled that the PolyU had introduced the Green Deck project on a number of occasions. He supported such a greening concept and direction of study, and considered that the concept was worth promoting; (ii) he considered that with the toll plaza of the Hung Hom Cross Harbour Tunnel being covered with the Green Deck, the environment would be improved significantly. He asked how the toll plaza, being a space quite vast, could support such a massive construction of the Green Deck; and (iii) he asked how the exhaust collected from the toll plaza would be purified, and where in the nearby area the purified exhaust would be discharged.

145. Ms Michelle TANG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) she asked whether the PolyU had proposed the Green Deck project and intended to apply for HKJC’s funding because it was an academic institution in the district, possessing relevant professional expertise; (ii) she considered that the cost of about $100 million for a two-to-three-year-long study was too high; and (iii) she asked what areas were covered in the estimated project cost of the Green Deck of about $5 billion, for example, whether there would be one single works contract only, and whether capital injection should be carried out in stages).

146. The Vice-chairman raised the following views: (i) she thanked the PolyU for being bold to put forward such an innovative proposal, and definitely supported the study; and (ii) she considered it better for the PolyU rather than the Government to manage the Green Deck.

147. Ms Michelle TANG added the following views: (i) she considered that from the Government’s perspective, the estimated project cost of about $5 billion would not be a big sum if the Green Deck project was feasible; and (ii) the Government was always rejecting proposals on the grounds that no departments would be responsible for management and maintenance. Therefore, she considered that the project could be realised if the PolyU was responsible for managing the Green Deck.

148. Mr Alex LUI responded as follows:

(i) The estimated project cost of $5 billion was a calculation made in the preliminary feasibility study in 2014.

(ii) At this stage, the feasibility of the Green Deck had not been confirmed. The PolyU hoped that by securing HKJC’s funding, relevant technical problems would be addressed as far as possible so that the Government could be more confident of taking over and implementing the project. A more accurate project cost could be estimated during the study based on the data generated.

(iii) As the Green Deck would be next to the PolyU, he believed that PolyU’s involvement in the management of the Green Deck would benefit its students and teachers in terms of using the Green Deck. However, whether the PolyU would agree to manage the Green Deck would be determined by its Council and management. He would consult the parties concerned after the meeting.

149. The Chairman asked whether Councillors supported PolyU’s funding application to the HKJC Charities Trust for carrying out the project development study.

150. Mr WONG Kin-san asked whether a quorum existed in the conference room, and whether Councillors’ voting would be valid.

- 31 -

151. The Chairman responded that a quorum was present and Councillors’ voting would be valid. He then asked whether Councillors supported PolyU’s funding application to the HKJC Charities Trust for carrying out the project development study. There was no objection. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the PolyU for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 14: Five Decades’ Delay Relocation of Fruit Market Difficult? (YTMDC Paper No. 13/2019)

----- 152. The Chairman said that the written response from the FEHD (Annex 5) had been emailed to Councillors for their perusal on 21 January 2019. He then welcomed:

(a) Mr CHEUNG Wai-man, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Yau Tsim) of the FEHD;

(b) Mr CHAN Wai-yin, Divisional Commander (Kowloon South), and Mr TO Chi-wing, Station Commander, Yau Ma Tei Fire Station, of the Fire Services Department (“FSD”);

(c) Mr Alfred WONG, Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional East) 6 of the EPD;

(d) Mr Adrian MA, District Commander (Yau Tsim) (Acting) of the HKPF; and

(e) Mr Henry NG, Senior Liaison Officer (1) of the YTMDO.

153. Mr Andy YU supplemented the paper as follows: (i) the Government’s proposed relocation of the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market had not been realised even after so many years; (ii) there had been a number of problems at the Fruit Market, such as noise, traffic, hygiene and fire safety, bothering nearby residents; (iii) given that the Chief Executive had proposed the revitalisation and preservation of the Fruit Market in 2018, he considered that before carrying out any revitalisation and preservation, the departments should draw up measures to alleviate the existing problems there; and (iv) since the Fruit Market fire in 2016, a number of fruit traders had been expanding their business into Mong Kok. As a result, some residents of Mong Kok had been affected by the above problems as well.

154. Mr LAM Kin-man supplemented the paper as follows: (i) he had attended the public consultation session of the Fruit Market revitalisation, a study carried out by the Hong Kong Shue Yan University (“HKSYU”) as commissioned by the WGYMTFM, during which some nearby residents had burst into tears when raising their views on the severe noise caused by the loading/unloading activities at the Fruit Market at night-time; and (ii) he worried that the Fruit Market revitalisation would take many years to complete, and nearby residents might still have to endure the environmental hygiene and traffic congestion problems in the meantime. Therefore, he hoped that government departments would be vigorous when handling the matter.

155. The Chairman said that the title of the paper was not quite in line with its contents, and reminded Councillors to pay extra attention to this in future.

- 32 -

156. Mr Henry NG responded as follows:

(i) In January 2018, the Chief Executive had said that the Government would carry out the preservation and revitalisation of the Fruit Market. In this regard, the Home Affairs Bureau, the HAD and the YTMDO had communicated multiple times with various stakeholders, including the fruit traders, traders’ association as well as Legislative Councillors and District Councillors who were concerned about the Fruit Market, and had discussed a number of measures to alleviate the traffic, environmental and noise problems around the Fruit Market with the departments concerned multiple times.

(ii) In 2018, the HAD had invited the URA to carry out a feasibility study. Moreover, the WGYMTFM had invited the HKSYU to carry out a study of the preservation and relocation of the Fruit Market. The HKSYU had systematically collected the views of the Fruit Market stakeholders and nearby residents to see what should be paid attention to when carrying out the Fruit Market revitalisation or implementing the work. The presentation session of the study report would be held on 26 January, and the WGYMTFM had invited Councillors to join.

(iii) Concerning the nuisance caused by the operation of the Fruit Market, the YTMDO had been coordinating the work of various departments on implementing short-to-medium-term relief measures, including TD’s study of traffic improvement plans for nearby streets, communicating with the fruit traders’ association, advising the traders to optimise their operating hours and alleviate the occupation of roads, as well as coordinating the work of the Police and the FEHD on stepping up enforcement efforts, with a view to minimising the impact of the operation of the Fruit Market on nearby residents.

157. Mr CHEUNG Wai-man responded as follows:

(i) The FEHD had all along been very concerned about the hygiene condition in the vicinity of the Fruit Market. The department would arrange for the staff of the cleansing service contractor to, as a priority, handle the refuse around the Fruit Market every morning. In 2019, to further improve the hygiene condition around the Fruit Market, the department had asked the cleansing service contractor to increase manpower to strengthen the collection of refuse and abandoned miscellaneous items every morning, which had become more effective. Besides, in mid-January, the EPD had agreed that the department could enhance the frequency of cleansing service contractors’ refuse collection at West Kowloon Refuse Transfer Station in the early hours. This arrangement could strengthen refuse collection in the vicinity of the Fruit Market and would be put in place for a period of time on a trial basis.

(ii) If any object was found placed on a pavement, obstructing street cleansing, the department would issue to the owner a Notice to Remove Obstruction. In the previous year, the department had issued a total of 130 Notices to Remove Obstruction in the vicinity of the Fruit Market, as well as 10 and 43 fixed penalty tickets to those committing shop front extensions and illegal dumping of refuse/waste respectively. Besides, the department had altogether carried out

- 33 - about 80 joint operations with the Police to clear away objects illegally placed on carriageways and pavements. Such operations would continue.

(iii) Apart from enforcement, the department would like to curb illegal dumping of refuse through publicity and education. During the last two years, the department had issued letters of advice and publicity leaflets four times to the fruit traders and shop operators in the vicinity to advise them to handle refuse and waste properly and keep public places clean and hygienic; otherwise, they might face prosecution. The department would meet with the fruit traders as well as the transport and logistics trade associations to advise them to be self-disciplined and take measures to minimise obstruction and hygiene problems during their operation. Besides, the department would display large banners near the Fruit Market to remind the fruit traders and the transport practitioners to keep places clean.

158. Mr Adrian MA responded as follows:

(i) With regard to the problems of the Fruit Market, the Police mainly acted as law enforcer, and had deployed a great deal of resources. The problems arising from the Fruit Market were historical, so he hoped that all stakeholders would respect and understand each other. If the situation deteriorated, especially when public safety was at stake, the Police would definitely take proactive and firm enforcement actions.

(ii) Regarding the noise from the Fruit Market at night-time, the Police had received 48 complaints about night-time noise last year. In all cases, the noise level had reduced after police officers had issued warnings on the scene. If the situation persisted or deteriorated, the Police would employ other means of enforcement, such as issuing summonses. The Police would continue to carry out night inspections in the vicinity of the Fruit Market to remind and advise persons-in-charge of the shops and porters to reduce noise as far as possible. Meanwhile, the Police would work together and maintain close communication with the WGYMTFM and other government departments to discuss how to sustain the operation of the Fruit Market and reduce the nuisance caused to nearby residents at the same time.

(iii) Concerning traffic enforcement, the Yau Ma Tei Police District had been deploying officers to carry out traffic control and enforcement in the vicinity of Waterloo Road every day at 6:30 a.m. to ensure smooth traffic from 7 a.m. onwards. The Police would also send officers to check whether there was any illegal parking at afternoon peak hours.

(iv) Regarding shop front extensions, the Yau Ma Tei Police District would send officers there again at around 9 p.m. to ensure that the fruit traders would not occupy the carriageways to load/unload goods before 10 p.m. With regard to enforcement, the Police had taken 14 proactive enforcement actions against shop front extensions from November 2018 to 15 January 2019, during which a total of 15 summonses, 12 verbal warnings and two fixed penalty tickets had been issued.

159. Mr CHAN Wai-yin responded as follows:

- 34 - (i) After the Fruit Market fire in 2016, the FSD had recommended the fruit traders’ association and persons-in-charge of the shops to prepare fire extinguishers around the Fruit Market and in their shops. With the support of persons-in-charge of the shops, at present, carbon dioxide type fire extinguishers and dry powder type fire extinguishers were available at the Fruit Market to enhance fire safety there.

(ii) On 6 December 2018, a No. 1 alarm fire had occurred at the Fruit Market, which had been put out promptly by the shop workers using the dry power type fire extinguishers in their shops. This showed that by preparing fire extinguishers, fire could be put out effectively, minimising the damage caused.

(iii) The FSD had drawn up operational strategies and established dispatch guidelines based on the environment of the Fruit Market. To prevent fire, the FSD had been maintaining communication with the persons-in-charge of the shops and advising the shop operators to ensure that electrical equipment and circuits were not overloaded, thereby reducing fire hazards. Since the fire accidents in the past had mainly been caused by faulty electrical equipment, the department recommended shop operators to engage registered electrical contractors to carry out electrical works.

(iv) The FSD would carry out inspections at the Fruit Market every month and before festivals, during which publicity leaflets were distributed and shop operators were advised not to pile up too many cardboard boxes and inflammable goods and to beware of fire. Besides, the department would instruct workers at the Fruit Market on the proper way of using fire extinguishers, with a view to putting out any fire promptly in a safe situation.

(v) The FSD would maintain communication with the shop operators, hoping that they would keep passageways clear so as not to obstruct firemen from entering the Fruit Market in an accident.

160. Mr Alfred WONG responded that the noise arising from loading/unloading activities at the streets near the Fruit Market between night-time and the early hours was noise made in public places. The Police would handle the cases based on the actual situation under Section 4 of the Noise Control Ordinance. Besides, the EPD had written to the Kowloon Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Association to remind their members to make as little noise as possible when handling goods and operating business at night-time to avoid affecting nearby residents.

161. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he thanked the departments concerned for handling the problems of the Fruit Market. Some residents had expressed that the passageway obstruction and waste collection problems had been alleviated, with which he was pleased; (ii) concerning noise, the Police had said that only 48 noise complaints had been received last year, which he considered too few, just being the tip of the iceberg. He was also surprised that the Police had not instituted any prosecution in respect of the 48 complaints. He asked how long police officers would stay at the scene for observation upon arrival and noticing that the noise had stopped after a complaint had been received. He worried that the noise would resume after the police officers had left; and (iii) he suggested that law enforcement officers inspect noise black spots during peak complaint hours as it would be too late to arrive at the scene only after receiving a complaint.

- 35 - (Ms KWAN Sau-ling left the meeting at 7:59 p.m.)

162. Mr Andy YU raised the following views and enquiries: (i) the Police had only received 48 complaints about night-time noise from the Fruit Market last year, which he considered too few. He asked whether it was the number of complaints received or followed up. He considered that the number would be too low if it was the number of complaints followed up, and that the Police should take enforcement actions in a targeted manner during specific hours, instead of doing so after receiving any resident’s complaint; and (ii) as the Lunar New Year was approaching, there should be many members of the public visiting the Fruit Market, and the noise and nuisance might be heightened. He hoped that the departments concerned would step up enforcement efforts.

163. Mr Derek HUNG raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he asked why the nuisance caused to residents still existed despite the coordination and consultation efforts made by various government departments to improve the operation of the Fruit Market; (ii) he asked whether most of the persons being advised or prosecuted were from the same shops; and (iii) concerning the traffic problem, he considered that loading/unloading activities at the Fruit Market during operating hours were inevitable. However, many private cars were parked near the Fruit Market in defiance of traffic regulations, so he hoped that the law enforcement agencies would strictly handle the cases to reduce the nuisance.

164. Mr Benny YEUNG raised the following views: (i) he had been discussing with the government departments the problems of the Fruit Market, and had seen significant improvements in the recent year, particularly in the morning traffic and environment of Waterloo Road; (ii) with the extended operating model of the Fruit Market, the illegal parking problem had become severe, to which he hoped that the Police would pay attention; (iii) he hoped that the EPD would cooperate with the Police in taking enforcement actions against occasional noise at the Fruit Market in the early hours; (iv) the business expansion of the fruit traders to Mong Kok was undesirable but unstoppable in a free society. He hoped that the law enforcement agencies would step up enforcement actions against unlawful road occupation as well as noise; and (v) he hoped that the Fruit Market revitalisation would be carried out as soon as possible, which could tackle the root cause of the problems.

165. Mr WONG Kin-san said that the Fruit Market revitalisation study report costed a lot of money. He asked that apart from presenting it at a Chinese restaurant on the coming Saturday, whether any representative of the university would be invited to the YTMDC meeting to explain the study report.

166. Mr Henry NG responded as follows:

(i) Before the Chief Executive had announced the Fruit Market revitalisation, the YTMDO and the departments concerned had already communicated closely with various trade associations, logistic associations and trade unions, all of which understood that the operation of the Fruit Market might affect the lives of nearby residents, and were willing to cooperate in explaining to their members and fellow workers on how to minimise the impact on nearby residents.

(ii) The presentation session of the Fruit Market revitalisation study report would be held at a Chinese restaurant on the coming Saturday, where residents, the media and Councillors would be present.

- 36 - (iii) Apart from the presentation at the said venue, the study report would also be covered by the media. How the study report would be presented to the YTMDC would be decided by the WGYMTFM.

167. Mr Adrian MA responded as follows:

(i) The Fruit Market was a major night inspection site of the Yau Ma Tei Police District. So long as manpower was available, the Police would carry out inspections in the nearby area.

(ii) The Police found it quite difficult to issue summonses in respect of noise complaints. In many cases, the noise had already stopped when the Police arrived at the scene after receiving a complaint. Therefore, it was often difficult to identify the source of the noise about which the complaint had been made. Besides, complainants might not be willing to testify. If the source of the noise could be confirmed, the Police would definitely take stringent enforcement actions.

(iii) The Police would increase manpower to patrol the vicinity of the Fruit Market before the Lunar New Year with a view to ensuring smooth traffic in the nearby area.

168. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the government departments concerned for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 15: Deferral of Kwong Wah Hospital Redevelopment Project Basement Excavation Works (YTMDC Paper No. 14/2019)

169. The Chairman welcomed Dr Eric CHEUNG, Hospital Chief Executive, Kwong Wah Hospital, Dr Paulina CHOW, Senior Manager (Redevelopment Project and Executive Support), Kwong Wah Hospital, Mr CHOW Chi-ping, Senior Manager (Capital Projects), and Mr Dick WONG, Manager (Capital Projects), of the Hospital Authority (“HA”).

170. Mr CHOW Chi-ping briefly introduced the paper with a PowerPoint presentation, covering the measures to protect and monitor the Tung Wah Museum, progress of basement excavation, situations before and after the subsidence, immediate measures taken after the subsidence, experts’ assessment, follow-up proposals and latest developments.

(Ms Michelle TANG left the meeting at 8:15 p.m.) (Mr Benny YEUNG left the meeting at 8:20 p.m.)

171. Mr LAM Kin-man raised the following views and enquiries: (i) as the Councillor of the constituency concerned, he thanked Kwong Wah Hospital (“KWH”) for calling him to report the situation after the incident on that day; (ii) after the incident, the HA had estimated that the works would have to be suspended for three months. Since the suspension period was expiring soon, he asked whether the HA would extend the suspension period; (iii) he asked whether further studies would be necessary if any problem arose after the resumption of the works; and (iv) the HA had expressed that the subsidence would not affect nearby buildings, but since no subsidence

- 37 - monitoring points had been set up in the nearby buildings, he asked whether the HA had any evidence showing that the nearby buildings would not be affected by the incident at all.

172. Mr CHAN Siu-tong raised the following views and enquiries: (i) he was concerned that the suspension of works would affect the progress of the redevelopment of the KWH; (ii) since the cause of the incident was unknown, he worried that similar incidents would occur again; and (iii) he asked about the progress of the proposed connection between the KWH and the MTR station.

173. Mr CHOW Chi-ping responded as follows:

(i) At present, the HA stuck to its estimation of the three-month suspension period. The HA and the consulting team would take all follow-up measures with every effort.

(ii) The consulting team had submitted all proposed optimisation measures to the Buildings Department (“BD”) so as to apply for the resumption of the works. Generally speaking, the BD would need about four weeks for vetting. If everything went smoothly, the works were expected to resume in late February.

(iii) The HA had met with the Antiquities and Monuments Office (“AMO”) the day earlier, explaining the follow-up measures for the resumption of the works as well as the survey report on the Tung Wah Museum. The AMO was satisfied with the explanation of the HA.

(iv) The contractor had carried out a pumping test at the construction site. A few days after the test, the water level around the museum had been reviewed to be very stable, showing no sign of subsidence. Therefore, the consulting team considered that the preventive measures could prevent water seepage effectively.

(v) The incident had occurred on a Sunday, where no workers had worked there. After the incident, the contractor had strengthened the monitoring of the construction site, with workers monitoring and measuring the water level of the area around the construction site every day, including Sundays and public holidays. The basement excavation had been carried out for nine months before the incident, with a depth of 16 metres, during which there had not been any case of water seepage. Since the incident had occurred all of a sudden, the experts considered it uncommon. Moreover, the incident had occurred on a Sunday, and was therefore not noticed immediately.

(vi) The consulting team had been monitoring the subsidence in the area around the construction site. The maximum subsidence level around the site had been 7 millimetres before the incident, and had become 9 millimetres after the incident. Based on the standards of the BD, suspension of works would be necessary only if the subsidence level reached 25 millimetres. In this regard, the subsidence around the site was not considered severe.

(vii) Tendering for the cover works of the first stage of the redevelopment project had been completed. The cover works could commence after the completion of the lift pit excavation. The HA would complete the first-stage cover works as scheduled in 2021 with all its efforts.

- 38 -

(viii) The HA had stepped up monitoring and protection measures, such as re-grouting and installing additional recharge wells, to avoid any recurrence of subsidence at the museum as far as possible.

(ix) In respect of the proposed connection between the KWH and the MTR station, the HA had sought technical assistance from the MTR Corporation Limited in carrying out a feasibility study. The study report had been submitted to the Government for reference in July 2018.

174. The Chairman said that he had also received a call from the KWH on that day, reporting to him the situation after the incident. He appreciated the KWH for attaching such great importance to the YTMDC.

175. Mr LAM Kin-man was pleased that there would be a walkway connecting the KWH and the MTR station. He asked whether a cover would be provided for the walkway.

176. Mr CHAN Siu-tong responded that as far as he was aware, the walkway would be built underground, connecting the MTR station direct to the basement level of the KWH, with space reserved in the design for providing a lift leading to the main hall entrance of the KWH.

177. The Chairman thanked the representatives of the HA for joining the meeting and engaging in the discussion on this item.

Item 16: Progress Reports

(1) District Management Committee (YTMDC Paper No. 15/2019) (2) Community Building Committee (YTMDC Paper No. 16/2019) (3) District Facilities Management Committee (YTMDC Paper No. 17/2019) (4) Traffic, Transport and Housing Committee (YTMDC Paper No. 18/2019) (5) Food, Environmental Hygiene and Public Works Committee (YTMDC Paper No. 19/2019) (6) Working Group on Concern for Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market (YTMDC Paper No. 20/2019) (7) YTM District Area Committees (YTMDC Paper No. 21/2019)

178. Councillors noted the progress reports.

Item 17: Any Other Business

(1) Cooperation Scheme with District Councils 2019-20

179. The Chairman said that the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education had written

- 39 - to the chairmen of the 18 District Councils on 14 December 2018 to invite the 18 District Councils to submit activity applications or make recommendations on local organisations which would submit applications as appropriate under the Cooperation Scheme with District Councils 2019-20, with a view to organising promotional activities for civic education at the district level. The YTMDC could submit or recommend one or more applications of activities. The maximum total amount of funding was $200,000.

180. The Chairman asked Councillors to consider delegating the Organising Committee on Promotion of Civic Education to coordinate the work in respect of the scheme.

181. Mr WONG Kin-san asked which unit would be responsible for approving the activities.

182. The Chairman said that the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education would be responsible for approving the activities. He then asked whether Councillors agreed to delegate the Organising Committee on Promotion of Civic Education to coordinate the work in respect of the scheme. There was no objection.

(2) “District Council Cup” of the Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2019

183. The Chairman said that the Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2019 organising committee had written to the YTMDC on 11 January 2019, inviting it to participate in the “District Council Cup” of the Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2019. The competition would be held on Sunday, 24 February 2019. Each District Council could send one or more teams, each comprising three members aged between 18 and 65, with one of them being a District Councillor or Co-opted Member. The champion and two runners-up would be awarded, with the former receiving the “District Council Cup”.

184. The Chairman continued that no enrolment fee was required for participating in the competition on behalf of the YTMDC. The Chairman asked whether Councillors agreed that the YTMDC should form a team and participate in the “District Council Cup” of the Vita Green Cycling for Health Marathon Challenge 2019. If so, he would ask Councillors to discuss which Councillor should be responsible for forming the team. It was resolved not to participate in the competition.

(3) Invitation from Junior Chamber International Harbour Requesting YTMDC to be a Supporting Organisation of “The 40th International Children Drawing Contest cum Photography Competition”

185. The Chairman said that the Secretariat had earlier received a letter from the Junior Chamber International Harbour, inviting the YTMDC to be a collaborator of the 40th International Children Drawing Contest cum Photography Competition. Besides, the organisation would like to use the logo of the YTMDC on the publicity materials of the activity and book the display boards at the Mong Kok Road Footbridge from May to June.

186. The Chairman asked whether Councillors agreed that the YTMDC should be a collaborator of the 40th International Children Drawing Contest cum Photography Competition, and that the organisation could use the logo of the YTMDC on the publicity materials of the

- 40 - activity. Concerning the booking of the display boards at the Mong Kok Road Footbridge, it would be discussed at the DFMC meeting. There was no objection.

(4) The About-3-kilometre Invitation Run of the Jockey Club Vitality Run of the 7th Hong Kong Games

187. The Chairman said that the organising committee of the Hong Kong Games had written to the YTMDC on 18 January 2019 to invite it to form a team and participate in the about-3-kilometre invitation run of the Jockey Club Vitality Run of the 7th Hong Kong Games. The activity would be held on the morning of Sunday, 10 March 2019 along the Shing Mun Riverside in Sha Tin. Each District Council could send a team comprising not more than 10 members, without any age limit. Enrolment was free. The activity was not a competition and aimed to let participants enjoy running.

188. The Chairman asked whether Councillors agreed that the YTMDC should form a team and participate in the about-3-kilometre invitation run of the Jockey Club Vitality Run of the 7th Hong Kong Games. If so, he would ask Councillors to discuss which Councillor would be responsible for forming the team.

189. Mr LAU Pak-kei asked whether an individual could be regarded as a participating team.

190. The Chairman responded that the organiser had only mentioned in its letter that each District Council could send a team comprising not more than 10 members.

191. Mr LAU Pak-kei nominated Mr CHUNG Chak-fai to form a participating team.

192. The Chairman asked whether Mr CHUNG Chak-fai would like to do so.

193. Mr CHUNG Chak-fai said that he could contact the interested Co-opted Members to form a team.

194. The Chairman concluded that Mr CHUNG Chak-fai would be responsible for forming a team and participating in the above activity. There was no objection.

(5) Community Members of Hospital Governing Committees of Kwong Wah Hospital & TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital

195. Mr Derek HUNG recalled that at the YTMDC meeting held in January 2017, two Councillors had been nominated as community members of the above two Hospital Governing Committees. Given that their term of office was soon expiring, he asked about the arrangement for nominating Councillors as community members for the next term.

196. The Chairman responded that the HA would normally write to the YTMDC if new community members had to be nominated.

197. Mr Derek HUNG asked the Secretariat to follow up on the matter and make an enquiry to the HA.

- 41 - 198. The Chairman responded that the Secretariat would learn about the case after the meeting and reply to Mr Derek HUNG.

199. Mr CHAN Siu-tong said that currently as a community member of the Hospital Governing Committee of Kwong Wah Hospital & TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital, he had not been informed of nominating any community member for the next term. He would inform the Secretariat as soon as possible when he received such information since he considered that community members of Hospital Governing Committees should be re-elected in due course.

200. There being no other business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8:52 p.m. The next meeting would be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, 28 March 2019.

Yau Tsim Mong District Council Secretariat February 2019

- 42 - Only Chinese version is available Annex 1 ∴㗡妹堳ạ⯯⌧数巖曢好䳢䵘

⮝㧩✱

∴㗡妹堳ạ⯯⌧数巖曢好䳢䵘

卞㜵㴢 Annex 2

前旺角行人專用區閉路電視系統前旺角行人專用區閉路電視系統

於 2019 年 1 月 24 日舉行的油尖旺區議會第 20 次會議上，與會人士

討論了前旺角行人專用區閉路電視系統的事宜。內容提到閉路電視系

統快將須要維修，以及安裝閉路電視系統的原意，即因發生高空墮物

事件而須要監察行人專用區的公眾安全。

旺角警區在此回應當日的討論內容，提供補充意見，供區議會參

考：-

雖然該閉路電視系統拍攝到的影像的解像度，與現時市場上可供

選用的相對較低，但警方認為即使難以量化保留影像的好處，此

舉仍可帶來阻嚇性。

有關影像質素問題，警方歡迎提升閉路電視系統，以拍得較佳的

影像作調查用途。就此，警方非常樂意就提升系統的選擇向機電

工程署及油尖旺區議會提供技術支援。

有關影像使用事宜，檢取所拍得影像的現行指引僅限協助警方調

查高空擲物案件之用。然而，由於旺角行人專用區自 2018 年 8

月已停止運作，使用該系統的原有理據需再作考慮。因此，警方

致力與社會人士及其他持份者如律政司及個人資料私隱專員公

署合作，務求繼續充份利用這項資源。

香港警務處香港警務處香港警務處`

旺角警區旺角警區旺角警區

2019 年年年 2 月月月

Annex 2

CCTV System for Former Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct (MKPP)

At the 20th YTM District Council Meeting held on 2019-01-24, the issue of the CCTV System for Former Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct (MKPP) was discussed in view of the impending need for maintenance works and the fact that the original purpose of the CCTV system i.e. monitoring the public’s safety in the pedestrian precinct due to object fell from height cases was no longer relevant.

In response to the discussions on that day, the Mong Kok Police District would like to provide the additional supplementary comments for the Council’s reference: -

Whereas it is a fact that the images captured by the CCTV system are of a low resolution compared to that which is now available on the market, the Police are of the view that its retention offers benefits, albeit unquantifiable, in terms of deterrent value.
Regarding the quality of images, the Police welcome the upgrading of the CCTV system so that better images could be captured for investigative purposes. In this respect, the Police are more than happy to provide technical assistance to the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and YTM District Council on options to upgrade the system.
Concerning the usage of images, the current guidelines on the retrieval of the captured images is restricted to the purpose of assisting police investigations in cases of throwing objects from height. However, as the MKPP has ceased to operate since August 2018, the original rationale for the system is less strong and thus Police are committed to working with the community and other stakeholders such as the Department of Justice and Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on continuing to make full use of this asset.

Hong Kong Police Force Mong Kok Police District February 2019 Only Chinese version is available Annex 3

香港特別行政區政府 OFFICEOFTHE GOVERNMENTCHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER 政府資訊科拉總監 辦公室 I宜EGOVERNMENTOF THEHONG KONG SPEαALADMIN器，'RATIVE REGION 香港海馬ꪞ美道二號 19/F,West Wing, C個叫Gov=ent 間，Offic 政府總部商翼十九縷 2 TimMei Aven 間， lllmar, HongKong

本函檔號Our Ref﹔ : G臼0 025-076-065 來函檔號Your Ref. Y白白C/13-10/20/16 電話Tel叩hone : (852) 2810 2610 켟Fax line : (852) 3153 2666

九龍旺角聯還街三十號 旺角政府合署四樓 油尖旺區議會秘書處 鍾小蘭女士 貓 （號碼：2722 7696)

鍾女士：

“ 就區當會文件 蠢俠落實建設「檟能智慧⏱ J ” 加快推動智慧城市發展 的回覆

有關貴會於2019年1月10日致函政府資訊科技總監辦公室（「資科 辦 j ）及路政署，轉達油尖旺區議會議員對「多功能智慧燈柱」計割的關注， 在獲得路政署同意下，現由資科辦綜合回覆如下：

「多功能智慧燈柱」試驗計劃由資科辦與路政署合作，聯同相關數據 應用部門（包括通訊事務管理局辦公室、運輸者、旅遊事務署、環境保護署、 天文台及地政總署〉共同推展。試驗計劃為期三年，會在四個選定的市區地 點（包括中環／金鐘、銅鑼灣／灣仔、尖沙咀及觀塘／敵德發展區）設置約 400支附設智能裝置、攝影機、感應器、數據網絡及相關數碼設施的新型燈 柱，協助相關部門收集各類實時城市數據，包括實時交通、空氣質蒙及氣象 等數據，加強城市和交通管理。我們同時會在「資料一線通」網站兔費發放 自智慧燈柱收集所得的城市數據，讓公眾運用這些數據開發更多創新應用。 在똈智慧燈柱時，我們會確保系統符合資訊保安以及保障私隱的規定和標 準。

試驗計劃亦會配合第五代流動通訊（5G）網絡的發展，讓流動網絡營辦 商在智慧燈柱安裝較高密度的小型基站，並可用以提供免費Wi-Fi服務，方 便市民及遊客使用。

Only Chinese version is available Annex 4

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⋩ቆᰪ॰䆠ᴳ 2019.1.24

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18 䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḵ) 烉⃒⊾⛘⋨忂忻䵚䴉

৩ًൂޑᆘϯѳѠቫ

䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḵ) 烉⃒⊾⛘⋨忂忻䵚䴉 ՉΓ৩Ϸൂً৩ޑၠӦ୔

20 䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḵ) 烉⃒⊾⛘⋨忂忻䵚䴉

嶐⛘⋨䘬埴Ṣ⼹⍲╖干⼹

21

䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (ᶱ) 烉㍸⋯䑘⠫岒䳈炻㷃Ỷ䨢㯋㰉㝻⍲☒枛㹳㒦

22 䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (⚃)烉㳣⊾⛘⋨炻⡆≈䴻㾇㓰䙲

཮ޑҔӦ(ወӧޑว৖ወΚڀܗ໒ ᝼Ϸ႟୧ҔӦၲ30,000 Կ40,000 ѳБԯ)

Potential space for conventions / other Potential space for uses (e.g. retails) conventions / other uses (e.g. retails)

23

䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (⚃)烉㳣⊾⛘⋨炻⡆≈䴻㾇㓰䙲

24 䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḽ)烉Ὣ忚㕭忲㤕 (⺢嬘䘬㚫嬘ᷕ⽫)

䵈⊾⸛⎘ᶲ䘬 㚫嬘ᷕ⽫

25

䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḽ)烉Ὣ忚㕭忲㤕 (⺢嬘䘬㚫嬘ᷕ⽫)

㯜ᶲ䘬⢓䡤柕⇵⼨ 楁㷗㚫嬘⯽奥ᷕ⽫

䵈⊾⸛⎘ᶲ䘬 㚫嬘ᷕ⽫

26 䵈⊾⸛⎘ⷞἮ䘬㓰䙲 (Ḽ)烉Ὣ忚㕭忲㤕 (⺢嬘䘬㚫嬘ᷕ⽫)

䵈⊾⸛⎘ᶲ䘬 㚫嬘ᷕ⽫

27

⚳晃⃰ἳ

伶⚳㲊⢓枻ᷕ⽫晏忻ⶍ䦳 - Big Dig

Inter-district cycling and pedestrian connection

28 ⚳晃⃰ἳ

䲸䲬䨢ᷕ℔⚺

Inter-district cycling and pedestrian connection

29

⚳晃⃰ἳ

椾䇦㶭㹒ⶅ

Inter-district cycling and pedestrian connection

30 䣦⋨⍫冯

31

䣦⋨⍫冯

32 妰∫㥖䌚2014䑘ᾅ⺢䭱⣏䋶䘬⃒䔘䋶炷䞼䨞⍲夷∫栆⇍炸

䵈⊾⸛⎘䘬䥹⬠䞼䨞

䞼䨞枭䚖 䎮⣏䞼䨞Ṣ⒉

1 䵈⊾⸛⎘⮵㓡┬Ṣ㳩⍲㰥干⺊㯋㌺㓦䘬䞼䨞 ➺≨䚄⌂⢓

䵈⊾⸛⎘⮵㓡┬⛘⋨☒枛⓷柴䘬䞼䨞 䝗ݶᕧᮉᦸ 2

3 䵈⊾⸛⎘⮵㓡┬⛘⋨䨢㯋岒䳈䘬䞼䨞 ᵾ丶䃐ᮉᦸ

4 䞼䨞⎗ℵ䓇傥㸸⛐䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖ᶲ䘬ㅱ䓐 ὺ⍚㠸ᮉᦸ

5 ⶜⢓䫱῁⋨⍲ᶲ句⭊忂忻䘬忂桐䲣䴙䞼䨞 ⢋ᔪ⻺ᮉᦸ

6 䞼䨞⽒䑘ἧ䓐㡬伖䍣䐫䈑㕁⺢㥳䵈⊾⸛⎘ █Ც⭏ᮉᦸ

7 䞼䨞䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖⮵㍸⋯⛘⋨㦻⬯₡ῤ䘬⼙枧 䁡ᘇ᮷ᮉᦸ

8 䞼䨞㊩ấ侭⛐䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖ᷕ䘬⍫冯 䲣╒䴢ᮉᦸ

34 䵈⊾⸛⎘䘬䥹⬠䞼䨞

䞼䨞枭䚖 䎮⣏䞼䨞Ṣ⒉

9 䞼䨞䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖⮵Ṣ⎋䧈⭮⛘⋨㇨ⷞἮ䘬‍⹟␴䣦㚫⼙枧 哳䠁ᴸᮉᦸ

10 䞼䨞䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖⮵㕤⚃␐㇞⢾䑘⠫㹓⹎䘬⼙枧炻᷎↮㜸䔞ᷕ䘬ㆸ㛔␴㓰䙲 䲣╒䴢ᮉᦸ

11 䞼䨞❶ⶪ℔⚺⮵㹓⹎䑘⠫䘬⼙枧 ઘᘇඔ⌂⢓

12 䁢䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖⇞妪姕妰⣏䵙 Jachna, Timothy Joseph

13 ↮㜸䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖䘬ㆸ㛔㓰䙲 ᗀᴨ䅉⌂⢓

14 䞼䘤⮯⣒春傥䘤暣ㅱ䓐㕤䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖ᶲ ὺ⍚㠸ᮉᦸ

15 䞼䨞䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖ⷞἮ䘬䴻㾇届䌣 ᆻ⎧ዙᮉᦸ

16 德忶ᶱ䵕䨢攻↮㜸㈨埻炻䞼䨞䵈⊾⸛⎘枭䚖䁢⮾㜙ⷞἮ䘬䘤⯽㼃≃ ⊸ዀᒣᮉᦸ

35

ཊ䅍

36 Only Chinese version is available Annex 5

拖足 50 年 果 欄 搬 遷 難 ?

多 謝 油 尖 旺 區 議 會 余德寶議員及 林健文議員就 上 述 標 題 事 宜提呈文件，並要求食物環境衞生署（下稱「本署」）作出回覆。 本 署 現 就 文 件 中 提 出 有 關 衞 生 問 題 方 面 的 查 詢 綜 合 回 覆 如 下 ：

本署一向十分關注油麻地 果欄(下 稱「 果 欄 」 )附 近 一 帶 的 衞 生 情況。本 署 除 了 每天安排潔淨服務承辦商工人 於 果 欄 附 近 一 帶 清掃街 道 及 定 期 清 洗 街 道 外 ， 亦 會 使 用 抓 斗 貨 車 (夾車)清 理 垃 圾 及 棄 置 雜 物，並在 有 需 要 時 安 排 洗 街 車 及高速自轉式高壓清洗盤 加強清洗街道，以改善果欄附近一帶的環境衞生。

此 外，本 署 如 發 現 任 何 物 品 擺放於 行 人 路 上 妨 礙 街 道 潔淨工 作，會 向物主發出《移走障礙物通知書》， 要 求 物 主 於 指 定 時 間 內 把 物 品 移 走，若 不 遵 辦，本署會將物品檢取及扣留，違者亦可 被檢控。過 去 一 年，本 署 在 果 欄 附近一 帶 共 發 出 130 張《移走障 礙 物 通 知 書 》及 就 店 鋪 阻 街 和非法棄置垃圾／廢物違法行為分別 發出 10 張 和 43 張《 定 額 罰 款 通 知 書 》。 除 執 法 工 作 外 ，本 署 亦 希望透過宣傳教育，遏止非法棄置垃圾的情況。本署在前年及去 年曾多次向果欄欄商及附近一帶的店鋪發 出 勸 喻 信 及 宣傳單張， 呼籲商戶妥善處理垃圾及 廢物，保持公眾地方清潔衞生，否則可 被檢控。

為 進 一 步 改 善 果 欄 周 遭 衞 生 情 況，本署自 今 年 1 月 1 日 開 始， 已要求潔淨服務承辦商增派人手在早上加強清理垃圾和棄置雜 物 ，現時 清 理 工 作 已 更 有 成 效 。

在 防 治 蟲 鼠 工 作 方 面，本署防 治 蟲 鼠 組 人 員 每 星 期 於果欄附 近 一 帶 的 公 眾 地 方 進 行 巡查及 採 取 防 治 蟲 鼠 措施，包括在 可 能 滋 生蚊蟲的地點施放蚊沙，噴灑蚊油及清理盛水器皿 等，以 預 防 蚊 蟲滋生。

本署會繼續密 切 監 察 果欄附近一帶的衞生情況及 採取適當 行動， 以保持街道潔淨及環境衞生。

食 物 環 境 衞 生 署 油尖區 環 境 衞 生 辦 事 處 2019 年 1 月