Minutes of the 1st Meeting of the Housing Affairs Committee (2017) of Kwai Tsing District Council

Date: 7 February 2017 Time: 2:35 pm - 3:37 pm Venue: K&TDO Conference Room

Attendee Time of Arrival Time of Departure (p.m.) (p.m.) Mr WONG Yiu-chung, MH (Chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Miss LO Yuen-ting (Vice-Chairman) Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms CHEUNG Wai-ching, Clarice 2:41 End of Meeting Miss CHU Lai-ling Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr HUI Kei-cheung 2:41 End of Meeting Ms LAM Chui-ling, Nancy, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LAM Siu-fai Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms LAU Mei-lo Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LAW King-shing, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Chi-shing 3:10 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Kam-wai 2:36 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Tsz-wing, Dennis 3:21 End of Meeting Mr LEUNG Wai-man, MH 2:39 End of Meeting The Hon. LEUNG Yiu-chung 3:26 End of Meeting Mr LI Sai-lung Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr NG Ka-chiu Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr NG Kim-sing 3:04 End of Meeting Mr PAU Ming-hong Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr POON Chi-shing, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Ms TAM Wai-chun, MH Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr TANG Shui-wah, MH 2:49 End of Meeting Mr TSUI Hiu-kit 3:04 End of Meeting Mr WONG Bing-kuen 3:08 End of Meeting Mr WONG Yun-tat 2:39 End of Meeting Ms CHEUNG Ip-mei Start of Meeting End of Meeting Mr LAU Pik-kin Start of Meeting End of Meeting

In Attendance Mr FUNG Chi-fai, Frankie Senior Architect 41, Housing Department Mr CHOW Kwok-sang Senior Civil Engineer 4 (Acting), Housing Department Ms YEUNG Suet-sum, May Architect 124, Housing Department Ms YU Pui-sze Planning Officer 18, Housing Department Mrs CHEUNG LO Pik-yuk, Helen Senior Housing Manager (KC), Housing Department Mr MAK Yook-ming, Stephen Senior Property Service Manager/KC, Housing Department Mr WU Tin-yau, Gordon Assistant District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Kwai Tsing District Office Miss MOK Sin-yan, Yvonne Executive Assistant (Kwai Tsing) (Secretary) District Council (5), Kwai Tsing District Office

Absent with Apologies Mr LEE Wang-fung (With prior notice) Mr CHOW Wai-hung, Rayman (Without prior notice)

Responsible Department Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members and departmental representatives to the 1st meeting of the Housing Affairs Committee (2017), Kwai Tsing District Council (K&T DC).

2. The Committee endorsed the application for leave by Mr LEE Wang-fung.

Consulation Paper

Public Housing Development at Tsing Hung Road (Proposed by the Housing Department) (HAC Paper No. 1/D/2017) (HAC Paper No. 1a/D/2017, Tabled)

3. The Chairman welcomed Mr FUNG Chi-fai, Frankie, Senior Architect 41, Mr CHOW Kwok-sang, Senior Civil Engineer 4 (Acting), Ms YEUNG Suet-sum, May, Architect 124 and Ms YU Pui-sze, Planning Officer 18 of the Housing Department (HD) to the meeting.

4. Mr FUNG Chi-fai, Frankie and Mr CHOW Kwok-sang introduced the paper.

5. The Chairman said that, as referred by Mr POON Chi-shing, a joint letter regarding the development concerned from the (RC) Owner’s Committee and the Mayfair Gardens Owners’ Corporation was received prior to the meeting. The Secretariat had already forwarded the letter to Members for information.

6. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan enquired as follows:

(i) Whether HD had any factual data that could prove that the use of acoustic windows and balconies would effectively reduce noise levels to that stipulated by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD);

(ii) Whether the Transport Department (TD) had estimated the increase in bus and minibus service frequencies that should be made during peak hours so as to cope with the demand of the additional households;

(iii) Whether there would be any traffic congestion at road intersections

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Responsible Department or roundabouts; and

(iv) If there was any data to support that the widened roads and roundabouts could handle the additional traffic flow which would be brought about by the future completion of the public rental housing (PRH) development and the commissioning of the -Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

7. Mr POON Chi-shing opined as follows:

(i) In 2015, DC endorsed a motion regarding the development concerned that requested the Planning Department (PD) and the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) to rezone the site concerned and optimize the traffic, environmental and community ancillary facilities before resubmitting a consultation paper to DC for discussion. However, apart from reducing the number of flats, the paper did not report that there would be a more comprehensive plan regarding the traffic and other ancillary facilities. The draft Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) of the site was not yet even approved by the Chief Executive (CE) in Council; and

(ii) The RC Owner’s Committee had already submitted an application to the Town Planning Board (TPB) to revise the plan in accordance with Section 12A of the Town Planning Ordinance (Chapter 131). The site would probably be rezoned as an open space. As the application was still under consideration, the feasibility of the above development was questionable.

8. The Chairman enquired if there was anything different from the original plan regarding transport and other ancillary facilities.

9. Ms YU Pui-sze gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) PD and HD introduced the development to DC in 2015. Members’ opinion was later conveyed to TPB. In December 2016, TPB decided not to accept the details of the further representations and would revise the OZP based on the original recommendations. The gross area of the site was reduced from around 4 hectares to 2.2 hectares. The number of flats and number of blocks were reduced accordingly and completion date was postponed.

(ii) To meet the keen demand for PRH in society, HD would like to seek 4

Responsible Department DC’s advice as soon as possible based on the decisions made by TPB in December 2016.

(iii) TPB had considered opinion from different aspects during the hearing and planning procedure. HD and the relevant departments had already submitted various technical study reports and opinion regarding the development. Information had indicated that Tsing Hung Road (THR) was suitable for residential purpose although the OZP was not yet approved by the CE in Council.

10. Mr CHOW Kwok-sang gave a consolidated response as follows:

(i) The development was subject to both fixed and road noise pollution. Fixed noise pollution was regulated by the Noise Control Ordinance. The design of the development would also have to be determined based on the standards stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (the Guidelines) in order to reduce the impact of road noise pollution. According to the technical assessment, the above two kinds of noise levels would comply with the relevant statutory regulations or standards stipulated in the Guidelines after using architectural fins, acoustic windows and acoustic balconies.

(ii) HA had conducted an assessment on the public transport demand in relation to the development. The Traffic Impact Assessment Report (TIAR) was prepared based on the Transport Planning and Design Manual of TD and on-site investigations. The report findings had indicated that after calculating the additional traffic flow brought about by the development, the reserve capacity of the traffic flow at existing roads (including road junctions nearby) would be sufficient to cope with the future traffic demand.

(iii) Road widening works would be carried out at Road (TYR) and Ching Hong Road (CHR) roundabout. The existing roundabout did not allow two buses to run at the same time. TD had confirmed that the works would help solving the above problem effectively and there would be significant improvements to the traffic flow.

(iv) Moreover, the TIAR also suggested installing traffic lights at TYR/Sai Shan Road (SSR) junction; and improving the traffic light signals to control the traffic at road junctions as well as improving the traffic arrangement between SSR and CHR. The pedestrian

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Responsible Department pavement would be widened to 3 metres or above while those at the south and east side would even be widened to 6 metres. Even though the waiting area shelters might occupy part of the pavement, the remaining space would still be adequate.

(v) The TIAR also suggested the setting up of relevant ancillary public transport facilities. TD would work with the relevant public transport providers to keep a close eye on the completion and intake date of the development. Timely review of the demand of public transport services would also be carried out. Whenever necessary, TD would consider providing additional public transport services to connect the development with the railway stations nearby. TD would also consider extending the existing public transport service routes to the above development.

11. The Chairman further enquired as follows:

(i) If there was factual data that could support the effectiveness of adopting the noise reduction measures and whether the noise levels of all 2,000 flats could meet the statutory requirement;

(ii) The actual number of vehicles that the widened roundabout could accommodate; and

(iii) Whether there would be any additional ancillary facilities provided when compared with the original plan although the number of blocks had been reduced from 5 to 2.

12. Mr CHOW Kwok-sang responded as follows:

(i) HD had carried out on-site measurements at the other sites. The results revealed that the acoustic windows could reduce noise levels by 4dB to 8dB while the acoustic balconies could reduce that by 12dB at most. Yet, the actual result might be affected by different site locations, designs and building orientations.

(ii) The TIAR had preliminarily estimated the saturation of traffic during the morning peak hours at the 3 road junctions. TD had also confirmed that there would still be reserve capacity for traffic flows after the completion of the project.

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Responsible Department Location of Junction Before Project After Project Completion Completion TYR Roundabout 0.624 0.786 TYR/CHR Junction 0.569 0.788 TYR/SSR Junction 0.435 0.573 (Note: 1 as saturated)

13. Mr POON Chi-shing opined as follows:

(i) The development plan currently submitted by HA could not fully respond to the suggestions made by TPB. There should be a need to provide additional retail, social welfare, education and parking facilities.

(ii) The CE in Council had not yet approved the draft OZP. Further discussions would end in vain given that there were many uncertainties. In the future, HD should report the details of the development to the Committee together with TD and EPD.

14. Ms YU Pui-sze responded as follows:

(i) HD had several considerations when developing the PRH project. Apart from complying with the requirements as stipulated in the Guidelines, HA would also take into consideration the existing facilities nearby. For example, there were adequate district and neighbourhood open spaces in Tsing Yi. The northern part of the site was currently rezoned back from “Residential (Group A) 4” to “open space” for leisure purpose. According to the current design, the THR site would provide an open space of around 0.65 hectare and a green coverage of around 30%. Generally speaking, the planning intention of providing landscape and recreational facilities at the THR site could be maintained.

(ii) The area of the site was currently reduced by almost a half when compared to the original plan. The number of flats, estimated population and number of blocks were all reduced. Yet, the development would still provide the proposed recreational, retail, education and social welfare facilities. Residents could also go shopping at the nearby wet market in Cheung Ching Estate. The number of private car parking space provided was raised from the

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Responsible Department original ratio of 1:30 to 1:26 (i.e. 1 private car parking space for every 26 flats).

15. Mr POON Chi-shing said that HA should not use the minimum planning standard as an index and hoped that it would consult DC again. He continued by quoting comments made by certain TPB Members in relation to the development. Some TPB Members considered that HD should input more effort in the design of the proposed PRH development in order to provide a good living environment for future residents, instead of just meeting the minimum standards of the relevant regulations.

16. Mr WONG Bing-kuen enquired by when HD would arrange a visit to the HD housing site in San Po Kong so that Members could examine the effectiveness of the noise mitigating facilities.

(Post-meeting note: HD said that in response to the request of the Committee, a visit on the 29th March, 2017 would be arranged for Members to inspect the noise mitigating facilities.)

17. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan enquired if HA would put the shopping centre on sale.

18. Mr FUNG Chi-fai, Frankie said that HA had no such plan at the moment.

19. The Chairman summarized the discussion as follows:

(i) The development attracted great attention in society. It was hoped that HA could meet the needs of both existing and future residents. The shopping centre should have a barrier-free access so that the residents of RC could access TYR directly;

(ii) HA should further review the opinions made by both DC and TPB Members; optimise the design and increase the supply of ancillary facilities whenever feasible. HA should not merely adopt the minimum standard when conducting the planning procedure; and

(iii) DC would definitely support measures that might benefit the public including the road improvement works mentioned above.

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Responsible Department

Information Papers

Housing Department’s Statistical Returns and Progress Reports on Housing Affairs in the District (November to December 2016) (HAC Paper No. 2/I/2017)

20. The Vice-chairman said that the suspension of salt water supply in Hang Chui House and Hang Chun House of Cheung Hang Estate (CHE) lasted for about 4 to 5 days each time. HD should enhance the monitoring of the salt water pipes inside the building and consider installing section gate valves.

21. Mr HUI Kei-cheung opined as follows:

(i) The lifts in Fu Tai House of Tai Wo Hau Estate (TWHE) had failed frequently during January. HD once said that a warning letter had been issued to the contractor Otis Elevator (HK) Company Limited;

(ii) The periodic routine inspections often failed to truly reflect the problem of lift failures. HD should actively consider replacing the aged lifts and enhance the monitoring of contractors; and

(iii) The paper did not reflect how HD would impose relevant penalties to monitor the contractors. He enquired about the ways to define the failures caused by human factors.

22. Mr LAU Pik-kin opined as follows:

(i) The lift failures at TWHE were mostly caused by human factors. HD should step up inspections of the building, install closed-circuit television systems and strictly enforce the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in order to increase deterrence; and

(ii) Escalators were available at some of the estates in Kwai Tsing District. HD should include the failure of escalators in the report.

23. Mr WONG Bing-kuen queried that the contractor was trying to use human factor as an excuse to shirk its responsibility and asked whether the relevant cases had been verified by HD.

24. Mr MAK Yook-ming, Stephen gave a consolidated response as follows :

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Responsible Department (i) HD would closely monitor the condition of the lifts at TWHE with the contractor. The number of lift failures in January 2017 had already reduced when compared to that in November and December 2016. HD would actively study ways to improve the operation of the lifts.

(ii) HD would replace the aged lifts according to the established timetable and monitor the maintenance progress of the contractor regularly.

(iii) Regarding the lift failures caused by human factors, the details mentioned in the paper were all written based on the reports submitted by the contractor. Some of the lift components, such as buttons, would indeed be easily damaged after collisions. HD would issue notices regularly to educate residents on the correct way of using lifts. HD would later review with the contractor about Members’ queries on whether most of the failures were actually caused by human factors.

25. Mrs CHEUNG LO Pik-yuk, Helen gave a consolidated response as follows :

(i) The suspension of salt water supply at CHE had spanned across the weekend. The staff of the management office said that the household concerned had refused the maintenance staff from entering the flat to perform the work during the weekend. HD would have to suspend the salt water supply until the maintenance work had been completed as the damaged pipes and the water leakage at gate valves might probably cause the salt water pipes to burst and the flat to flood.

(ii) HD would examine the installation of section gate valves with the management office of CHE so as to reduce the scope of the impact due to a suspension of salt water supply.

26. Mr LAM Siu-fai said that a household had once altered the location of the salt water pipes and water tanks inside the flat which caused the pipes to burst. In the long run, HD should check the salt water pipes at estates in the district regularly and conduct minor maintenances as early as possible.

27. The Chairman urged HD to consider Members’ opinion and install section

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Responsible Department gate valves and enhance the inspection of salt water pipes.

Hong Kong Housing Society’s Statistical Returns and Progress Reports on Housing Affairs in the District (Novermber to December 2016) (HAC Paper No. 3/I/2017)

28. Members noted the above paper.

Report Items

Reports of the Working Groups

(i) Public Housing Affairs Working Group (HAC Paper No. 4/R/2017)

(ii) Private Housing Affairs Working Group (HAC Paper No. 5/R/2017)

29. Members noted the above papers.

Any Other Business

Details of the Private Development near Mayfair Gardens (MG)

30. Mr LEE Chi-keung, Alan said that a site near MG was sold to a private LandsD developer recently but no news had been released so far. He requested the BD relevant departments to report the details and commencement date of the project to the Committee.

(Post-meeting note: Please refer to HAC Circulation Paper No. 2 and 3/2017 (Circulated on 10 March 2017).)

Date of Next Meeting

31. The next meeting was scheduled to be held at 2:30p.m. on 5 April, 2017 (Wednesday).

Kwai Tsing District Council Secretariat March 2017

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