For information WCDC DWFMC Paper No.2/2021 9 February 2021

Report on the Management of Recreation and Sports Facilities and Progress of Works in the District by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department between September and December 2020

Purpose

This paper reports to Members on the management of recreation and sports facilities by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in the .

Impact of the Epidemic on Recreation and Sports Facilities managed by LCSD

2. In light of the latest situation of COVID-19, LCSD has temporarily closed some of its leisure venues/facilities until further notice from 10 December 2020, including public swimming pools, sports centres, hard-surfaced soccer pitches, grass soccer pitches, cricket grounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, handball courts, tennis courts, sports grounds, outdoor fitness equipment, children's play equipment, etc. LCSD will continue to closely monitor the latest epidemic situation and review the above-mentioned arrangements in due course. The updated arrangements on venue facilities and the services that have been affected will be disseminated to the public through webpage and press release.

Management of Facilities

3. To enable the District Council to have a better understanding of the services provided by LCSD, papers are submitted on a regular basis to report to Members on the utilisation and management of the recreation and sports facilities in the district as well as the service levels and performance of LCSD’s outsourced services contractors.

4. The utilisation of the recreation and sports facilities in the district between September and December 2020 is set out in Annex I. During the same period, the performance of the outsourced services contractors of LCSD in the district providing cleaning services, horticultural maintenance services and security guard services was good.

Greening Works

5. Between September and December 2020, LCSD planted 81 trees and 48 956 shrubs at the following locations in the district:

(i) Trees

Parks and Victoria Park, Wong Nai Chung Road Gardens: Crescent Garden and Tunnel Approach Rest Garden

Playgrounds: Happy Valley Recreation Ground

Other venues: Amenity Plot under Hung Hing Road flyover, , Expo Drive East Amenity Plot and Perkins Road/Henderson Road Amenity Plot (ii) Shrubs

Parks and Victoria Park, Wan Chai Park, Stone Nullah Gardens: Lane Garden, Ventris Road Garden, Watson Road Rest Garden, Wong Nai Chung Road Rest Garden, Sing Woo Road Rest Garden, Road Rest Garden, Lin Fa Kung Garden, Tin Hau Temple Garden, Tung Lo Wan Garden, Garden, Gloucester Road Garden, Rest Garden and Tin Hau Temple Road Garden No.3

Playgrounds: Kwai Fong Street Playground, Morrison Hill Road Playground, Tai Hang Road Children's Playground, Bowrington Road Market Roof-top Playground, Hennessy Road Playground, Wong Nai Chung Gap Children's Playground and Coombe Road Children's Playground

Other venues: Tung Lo Wan Road Sitting-out Area, Lin Fa Kung Street East Sitting-out Area, Perkins

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Road Sitting-out Area, Wong Nai Chung Road Sitting-out Area, Whitfield Road Amenity Plot, Electric Road/Hing Fat Street Amenity Plot, Yee Wo Street/Causeway Road Amenity Plot, Gloucester Road/Sugar Street Amenity plot, Amenity Plot under O'Brien Road bridge, Tai Hang Road/Perkins Road Amenity Plot, Gloucester Road Amenity Plot, Tai Hang Road Amenity Plot, Tunnel Approach Amenity Plot, Central Library, Amenity Plot at the middle lane of Gloucester Road, Wong Nai Chung Gap Amenity Plot, Lau Sin Street Temporary Sitting-out Area, Wing Ning Street Sitting-out Area, Tung Lo Wan Road Amenity Plot, Causeway Road Amenity Plot, Fire Dragon Path Amenity Plot, O'Brien Road Amenity Plot, Amenity Plot at the middle lane of Hennessy Road and Mount Butler Road Amenity Plot

6. During the same period, LCSD removed a total of 43 trees located at Victoria Park, Stone Nullah Lane Garden, Wong Nai Chung Road Rest Garden, Wong Nai Chung Road Crescent Garden, Amenity Plot under Caine Road flyover, Tai Hang Road/ Children’s Playground, Coombe Road Children's Playground, Morrison Hill Road Playground, Oi Kwan Road, Tin Hau Temple Road, Wan Chai Park, Gloucester Road and Wong Nai Chung Road. They had withered due to typhoons and natural process, and were infected by pests and diseases or affected by inclement weather and found to have health or structural problems. Despite the careful maintenance by LCSD, the trees continued to deteriorate in health and showed no sign of recovery. LCSD only resorted to removing them in the absence of feasible alternatives. Replanting of trees will be considered depending on the actual circumstances of the sites.

Modification of Public Play Spaces (PPS) Managed by LCSD

7. To make PPS more innovative and fun, while meeting the needs of residents, the Government has planned to modify more than 170 PPS managed by LCSD across the territory from 2020-21 to 2024-25. We will offer different degrees of challenges and fun, introduce more natural elements in order to provide more innovative, challenging and interesting play spaces.

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8. The children’s play spaces in Tuen Mun Park under LCSD have been converted into an innovative inclusive playground and well received since its opening. In view of the positive feedback of the community to the modification works for children’s play spaces in Tuen Mun Park, the Architectural Services Department and LCSD proposed adopting the model of Tuen Mun Park playground to modify the existing play spaces.

9. To enable early implementation of modification of PPS, LCSD has planned to modify more than 40 PPS managed by LCSD in 2020-21 and 2021-22, including the implementation of modification works at Tung Lo Wan Garden and Kwai Fong Street Playground in the Wan Chai District. LCSD took into consideration factors such as the usage of venues, wear and tear condition of facilities, accessibility to the venues by public transport, etc. in selecting the venues. Furthermore, LCSD has also planned to implement about 2 modification works in PPS in each district in each of the coming 3 years (i.e. 2022-23 to 2024-25).

10. To encourage and promote community participation and engagement in the modification works, LCSD will hire professional companies to organise workshops or listen to the suggestions of the local community on the modification of PPS, including school students and their parents, members of District Councils and Area Committees, as well as representatives from relevant organisations through other means. The suggestions collected will be consolidated and analysed and feasible and suitable designs and facilities will be incorporated into the play spaces in an effort to determine the theme of modification of PPS of the district. LCSD will also provide the design framework of the modification of PPS and prepare a list of venues where modification works will be carried out in PPS in the next few years and plan to report the achievements to the District Council in 2021-22.

11. Funding will be sought for the modification works under Subhead 3101GX of the “Capital Works Reserve Fund” and cost of hiring professional companies will be met by LCSD. Hence, there is no need to carry out the modification works for PPS with the funding for the District Minor Works programme.

Improvement Works

12. Upgrading works for the venue facilities of Tai Hang Drive Playground will be carried out in phases from January to late May 2021. The works include renovation of toilet facilities and replacement of lighting system, fences, arbours and benches in the venue.

13. The children's play equipment and impact absorbing surfaces of Coombe Road Children's Playground will be replaced from mid-January to mid-February 2021, during which other passive facilities will remain open to the public.

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14. Victoria Park Swimming Pool will be closed from 22 February to 23 April 2021 to undergo annual maintenance works. The facilities will reopen to the public on 24 April 2021.

15. The model boat pool at Victoria Park is expected to be closed from late February to late September 2021 to undergo improvement works on its facilities. The works include the replacement of the tiles on the pool bottom and the filtration system, etc. The facilities are expected to reopen to the public in October 2021.

16. Maintenance works on hard-surface soccer pitch Nos. 1-6 of Victoria Park will be carried out from 27 March to 30 June 2021, during which some venues will be open to the public in phases.

17. Fitness Room (No.2) of Lockhart Road Sports Centre will undergo works to replace the air-conditioning system from 1 April to mid-May 2021. The facility is expected to reopen to the public in June 2021.

Presentation

18. This paper is for Members’ information at the meeting of the District Works and Facilities Management Committee of the Wan Chai District Council on 9 February 2021. Members are invited to support the modification of PPS managed by LCSD mentioned in paragraphs 7-11 above for following up on the planning work by the department.

Wan Chai District Leisure Services Office Leisure and Cultural Services Department February 2021

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