Minutes of the 5th Meeting of the Fifth Term of the Council, HKSAR

Date: 5 July 2016 (Tuesday) Time: 2:30 p.m. Venue: Conference Room, Wong Tai Sin District Council, 6/F, Lung Cheung Office Block, 138 , Wong Tai Sin,

Present:

Chairman:

Mr. LI Tak-hong, BBS, MH, JP

Vice-chairman:

Mr. LAI Wing-ho, Joe, MH

Wong Tai Sin District Council (WTSDC) Members:

Ms. CHAN Man-ki, Maggie, MH, JP Mr. CHAN On-tai Mr. CHAN Wai-kwan, Andie, MH Mr. CHAN Yim-kwong, Joe Mr. CHAN Ying, Leonard Mr. CHOY Tsz-kin, Timothy Mr. HO Hon-man, MH Mr. HUI Kam-shing Mr. KAN Chi-ho, BBS, MH, JP Ms. KWOK Sau-ying Mr. LAM Man-fai, JP Mr. LEE Tung-kong Ms. LUI Kai-lin, Wendy Mr. MOK Kin-wing, MH Mr. SHUM Wan-wa Mr. SZE Tak-loy Ms. TAM Mei-po Mr. TING Chi-wai, Roy Mr. WONG Yat-yuk Mr. WU Chi-kin The Hon. WU Chi-wai, MH Mr. YUEN Kwok-keung, Stephen

Absent with Apologies: Ms. TAM Heung-man, Mandy

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In Attendance:

Mr. LING Kar-kan, JP Director of Planning PlanD ) Re.: Mr. YIP Chi-kwai, Tom District Planning Officer / Kowloon PlanD ) Item Ms. LAM Fan-yau, Karen (Atg.) Senior Town Planner PlanD ) III(i)

Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen Senior Town Planner / Kowloon 3 PlanD ) Re: ) Item ) III(ii)

Mrs. CHOI MA On-ki, Angel, JP District Officer (Wong Tai Sin) WTSDO

Ms. CHEUNG Hoi-yan (Atg.) District Commander (Wong Tai Sin) HKPF

Mr. AU Wai-ming, Dimitri (Atg.) District Social Welfare Officer SWD (Wong Tai Sin / Sai Kung)

Mr. WONG Hon-kit Chief Housing Manager HD (Wong Tai Sin, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan and Islands)

Mr. CHO Wai-hung, Mike Senior Engineer (Kowloon) 5 CEDD

Mr. CHOY Chik-sang, Mario Chief Transportation Officer (Kowloon) TD

Mr. LEUNG Chi-fai, Stephen District Leisure Manager (Wong Tai Sin) LCSD

Mr. LEE Ying-keung, Henry Chief Health Inspector 2 FEHD

Mr. TSUI Cheuk-fung, Syrus Assistant District Officer (Wong Tai Sin) WTSDO

Mr. TING Tin-sang Senior Liaison Officer 1 WTSDO

Ms. PANG Suk-wah, Phyllis Senior Liaison Officer 2 WTSDO

Ms. NG Wai-lin, Sarah Senior Executive Officer (District Management) WTSDO

Secretary:

Ms. TANG Wai-lan, Cecilia (Atg.) Senior Executive Officer (District Council) WTSDO

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Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed all to the 5th meeting of the Fifth-Term Wong Tai Sin District Council (WTSDC), with particular welcome extended to Mr. LING Kar-kan, JP, Director of Planning, Mr. YIP Chi-kwai, Tom, District Planning Officer / Kowloon, and Ms. LAM Fan-yau, Karen, (Atg.) Senior Town Planner of the Planning Department (PlanD). Besides, he also welcomed: Ms. CHEUNG Hoi-yan, (Atg.) District Commander (Wong Tai Sin) of the Police Force (HKPF), who stood in for Mr. James BETTS; Mr. AU Wai-ming, Dimitri, (Atg.) District Social Welfare Officer (Wong Tai Sin / Sai Kung) of the Social Welfare Department (SWD), who stood in for Ms. Lily NG; Mr. LEE Ying-keung, Henry, Chief Health Inspector of the Department of Health (DH), who stood in for Ms. CHAN Po-yee, Barbara, District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Wong Tai Sin); Mr. LEUNG Chi-fai, Stephen, District Leisure Manager (Wong Tai Sin) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), who stood in for Miss TANG Man-wah, Sylvia, Chief Leisure Manager; and Mr. CHO Wai-hung, Mike, Senior Engineer of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), who stood in for Mr. YUNG Kin-man, Chief Engineer.

2. The Chairman reported the meeting that several District Councillors and local persons in Wong Tai Sin District were awarded with honours and appointed as Justice of the Peace on 1 July 2016, including:

(i) Mr. YEUNG Yuk-sing. He was appointed as Justice of the Peace;

(ii) Mr. MOK Kin-wing, Mr. MA Kiu-sang and Mr. LEE Yiu-fai. They were awarded with Medals of Honour; and

(iii) Mr. YU Wai-hung. He was awarded with Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service.

3. The Chairman extended congratulations to the said persons on behalf of WTSDC.

4. The Chairman said that in June 2016, two fire-fighters, namely, Senior Station Officer Mr. Thomas CHEUNG and Senior Fireman Mr. HUI Chi-kit, sacrificed their lives when attending a No. 4 alarm fire took place at a mini-storage centre in Kowloon Bay. He suggested a one-minute silence in mourning for the two fire-fighters.

(All present stood and observed silence for one minute)

5. Members noted the agenda and proposed discussion timetable on table.

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I Confirmation of the Minutes of the 4th Meeting of Wong Tai Sin District Council held on 10 May 2016

6. Members noted that there was no comment received ahead of the meeting, and hereby confirmed the minutes of the last meeting.

II Progress Report of the 4th Meeting of Wong Tai Sin District Council held on 10 May 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 46/2016)

7. The Chairman invited Members to take note of the contents of the progress report.

III Discussion Items

(i) Visit of Director of Planning to Wong Tai Sin District Council

8. The Chairman welcomed the visit of Mr. LING Kar-kun, JP, Director of Planning, Mr. YIP Chi-kwai, Tom, District Planning Officer / Kowloon, and Ms. LAM Fan-yau, Karen, Acting Senior Town Planner, to the WTSDC. Mr. LING was asked to brief the meeting on the work of PlanD.

9. Mr. LING thanked WTSDC for the invitation and gave a briefing on the work of PlanD in Wong Tai Sin with the aid of Powerpoint presentation, which was consolidated as follows:

(i) He had previously paid visit to WTSDC on 8 July 2014, and PlanD afterwards gave a follow-up reply on 29 August 2014 in response to Members’ concerns raised over the provision of various livelihood facilities, such as medical facilities, parking spaces and library. He said that the above-said provision required on-going endeavours, and he undertook that the Department would make sustained efforts to cooperate with WTSDC and liaise with all the government departments concerned as well in order to provide better community services.

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(ii) Wong Tai Sin District was about 930 hectares in land size. According to the 2011 Population Census, the District was an economic active district with a residential population of about 420 000 and employment population of about 328 000. Currently, Wong Tai Sin District was covered by three Outline Zoning Plans, namely, the “Tsz Wan Shan, Diamond Hill and San Po Kong Outline Zoning Plan”, “ Outline Zoning Plan” and “Wang Tau Hom and Tung Tau Outline Zoning Plan”.

(iii) Land Use Planning and Future Development of Wong Tai Sin District

PlanD had the following planning visions in developing Wong Tai Sin District:

 Livability – Through planning, to turn Wong Tai Sin District into a livable district with its unique local characteristics among the 18 Districts;

 Employment – to formulate plan for San Po Kong, transforming it into a business area and making it an important employment hub of Wong Tai Sin District;

 Accessibility – to make the Diamond Hill MTR Station the convergence point of three railway lines, forging stronger connections between Wong Tai Sin District and other districts;

The more important development projects of Wong Tai Sin District included:

(a) Diamond Hill Comprehensive Development Area (Diamond Hill CDA)

The planning application of the project had been approved by the Town Planning Board (TPB) in May 2016. The Diamond Hill CDA would provide about 3 000 public

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rental housing units and about 1 000 subsidised sale flats. The “Three Historic Structures” were to be restored or re-provided in the water feature park of the Diamond Hill CDA whereas the Confucian Temple and other cultural facilities to be developed on reserved sites could feature the multi-religious characteristics of Wong Tai Sin District. Together with the Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery, a cultural corridor of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in East Kowloon would be created.

(b) Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Holistic Centre for Youth Development (Holistic Youth Development Centre)

This joint project with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals on low-rise development provided services mainly for the youth in the district. It was expected that the Centre would become a landmark development. The at-grade public open space of the development would be opened for public use on a 24-hour basis.

(c) Wong Tai Sin Folk Culture Area (WTSFCA)

The WTSFCA was adjoining the Wong Tai Sin Public Transport Terminus. The future “Pedestrian Link at Chuk Yuen North Estate” would facilitate hillside residents to reach the WTSFCA. The Department would discuss with Members and receive their views on the future development of the adjacent squatter area;

(d) Relocation of Diamond Hill Fresh Water and Salt Water Service Reservoirs (Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs) to Caverns

The site of the current Service Reservoirs vacated upon relocation would be planned for other uses. It was hoped that the site, apart from being used for reprovision of existing sports facilities, could also be used for hospital

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expansion so as to enhance the medical service provision in Wong Tai Sin District. There might also be some other development potentials, and the Department would continue to study with the government departments concerned and seek views from DC;

(e) Livelihood and Recreation Facilities

The various types of open spaces in Wong Tai Sin District had taken up about 87 hectares, which exceeded the minimum standard set out in the “Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines” (HKPSG) by about 50 hectares. The future water feature park and related open space sites would also provide about 2 hectares of public open space.

(f) Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Pilot Scheme

The site of the former Flatted Factory at King Fuk Street in San Po Kong had been rezoned for public housing development by the Housing Department. After the launch of the project, the population of Wong Tai Sin District would be increased and provision of the various community services would dovetail with the population development accordingly.

(g) San Po Kong Business Area (SPKBA)

Currently, there were 62 industrial and office buildings in the SPKBA, with newly completed developments being 4 industrial and office buildings as well as 1 hotel. Development approval for another 3 commercial and office buildings plus 2 hotels in the SPKBA had also been secured. The new development would invigorate the employment market of Wong Tai Sin District. Besides, the Department attached great importance to the connectivity between the SPKBA and the commercial area

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of Kai Tak. For example, road and pedestrian link systems would be provided with a view to generating synergy between the two employment zones.

(h) Railway Transport Hub with Convergence of Three Railway Lines

After the commissioning of the Shatin to Central Link (SCL), the Kwun Tong Line would share the use of Diamond Hill MTR Station with the SCL whereas the East Kowloon Line, one of the seven priority railway lines set out in the “Railway Development Strategy 2014”, would also be connected to that station. By then, the Diamond Hill MTR Station would become the convergence point of the three railway lines, and PlanD would, in conjunction with other relevant government departments and the MTR Corporation Limited, study the detailed arrangements, including the interchange and entrance designs. Members would be timely consulted as well;

(i) Enhancement of Pedestrian Facilities of Tsz Wan Shan in the SCL Development

It was to enhance livelihood-related facilities when developing strategic infrastructure. Through the project, more pedestrian linkages, such as footbridges, lift towers and escalators, would be provided to facilitate hillside residents to walk downhill for railway facilities; and

(j) Kai Tak River

The project of rehabilitation of Kai Tak River was expected to be completed in 2018. Kai Tak River would be by then extended to the Kai Tak Development Area (KTDA) and re-vitalised into an urban river, enhancing the ecology and serving as an integral part of enhanced

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living environment. The planning results of Kai Tak River would set example for other relevant planning initiatives in the territory.

10. Mr. LEE Tung-kong welcomed the Department’s plan for developing Wong Tai Sin District, which would invigorate the district. Pointing out that the Wong Tai Sin District had the highest elderly population rate in the territory, Mr. LEE opined that population ratio of the district and age profile of its neighbouring districts should be taken into consideration when planning for provision of infrastructural facilities relevant to peoples’ livelihood, such as wet market. He said that the Link REIT was currently monoplising many shopping malls of public housing estates and provision of wet market would be subject to the Company’s decision. Therefore, he hoped that PlanD could include non-private wet market as ancillary community livelihood facility in its planning for ageing districts. In addition, Mr. LEE learned from the talk and consultation forum of the WTSFCA that on average there were over 10,000 tourists visiting the Wong Tai Sin Temple of Sik Sik Yuen during the opening hours in each morning. There was suggestion that beautification and enhancement works should be carried out at this tourist spot. He hoped that the Department could, together with other departments concerned, improve the surrounding environment and hygienic condition of the lower Wong Tai Sin Estate which was located opposite to the Wong Tai Sin Temple. It could not only bring benefits to the residents, but also avoid giving an impression to the tourists that there was a world of difference between the two places. Other than this, Mr. LEE also said that there were not many water sports venues in Hong Kong and they were mainly located in the New Territories. He suggested the Department to draw reference from the Dragon Boat Races held on the Shing Mun River and incorporate the element of developing water sports activities in its plan for the KTDA.

11. Ms. LUI Kai-lin, Wendy said that she had all along been very concerned about the traffic issues of San Po Kong, worrying that when the development of new commercial buildings and hotels was completed, the traffic congestion of the district would worsen. Besides, provision of parking spaces in the district was also gravely inadequate and there was no sizeable parking site available for the time being. The only large-scale carpark in the district would be gone when the Holistic Youth Development Centre started its development on the existing temporary carpark site.

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She wished to know how PlanD would address the problem of inadequate parking spaces in the district. She also enquired the Department whether pedestrian conveyors would be provided to the underground shopping streets that stretched across the SPKBA and commercial area of Kai Tak in order to facilitate access by the elderly and persons with disabilities. Moreover, she said that two schools in San Po Kong would be relocated to the KTDA in the coming September and would like to know whether the Department would still zone the site adjacent to Block 1 to Block 5 of Rhythm Garden as school site.

12. Mr. CHAN On-tai raised the following six points. First, he quoted a research study conducted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on the land use of Kai Tak area, saying the study recommended that the plot ratio of the KTDA site could be increased from 5.4 to 6.7 without causing significant environmental and traffic impacts on the district. He asked Mr. LING’s view on the recommendation. Second, he said that the current difference in provision of private car parking spaces between Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong Districts was over 20 000 and suggested that PlanD should at least provide a large-scale underground carpark when developing the squatter area adjacent to the WTSFCA. Third, he enquired the Department whether it was cost-effective to relocate the Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs to caverns. Considering that the current site of the Service Reservoirs was not a flat one with inherent constraints of being used as service reservoirs, he doubted if the foundation of the site was suitable for developing high-rise buildings and opined that the costs of relocating the Service Reservoirs to caverns would also be dear. Fourth, he suggested developing the hilltop of the Lion Rock into a tourist area, with a view to bringing about higher exchange gain and making the best use of the reputation of our renowned tourist spot Lion Rock. Fifth, he suggested the Department to consider providing a railway extension line running from the Diamond Hill Station to Shek Mun Station, and then to the University Station. In his opinion, such provision could make possible full connectivity among the railway lines of Hong Kong, the New Territories and Mainland, and the travelling time from and to the Mainland could be saved. Lastly, having regard to the frequent traffic congestion at the Cross Harbour Tunnel, he suggested the Department to install pedestrian conveyors connecting Hung Hom and Wan Chai when constructing the SCL.

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13. Mr. CHAN Ying, Leonard opined that PlanD should take the provision of parking spaces into consideration in its planning and he enquired how the Department would address the inadequacy of parking spaces in the old areas such as Fung Tak Estate and Chuk Yuen Estate. Other than this, he would like to know the study progress and feasibility of relocation of the Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs to caverns. Besides, he said Mr. LING had mentioned that barrier-free access facilities such as footbridges and lift towers would be installed at the mid-levels in the district in the future. Having regard to the higher elderly population in Wong Tai Sin District requiring such facilities, he enquired whether the Department had considered installing barrier-free access facilities in Tsui Chuk Garden and Chuk Yuen (North) Estate, as well as at Chuk Yuen Road to connect Tsui Chuk Garden and Ma Chai Hang Recreation Ground, echoing the Chief Executive’s “Universal Accessibility” policy.

14. Mr. SZE Tak-loy, pointing out that the roadways of San Po Kong was narrow while the pedestrian flow and demand for private car parking spaces would increase after the district’s transformation into a business area, asked PlanD how it would deal with the provision of ancillary transport facilities for the district and suggested the Department to consider developing multi-storey carpark to increase the supply of parking spaces. Mr. SZE also pointed out that the patronage rate of the Choi Hung Road Market and Cooked Food Centre was low and the nearby recreation facilities had aged as well. He suggested the Department to bring improvement to the situation when making the long-term planning. Apart from this, he was also concerned about the future use of the idle sites in the district, such as, sites of vacant school premises and the derelict toilets near Tung Tau Estate, and he suggested the Department to make plans in this regard.

15. Mr. CHOY Tsz-kin, Timothy opined that traffic issue was one of the top concerns of Wong Tai Sin District. He said that neither the mono-rail system project under the Energising Kowloon East initiative nor the East Kowloon Line project had confirmed schedule, and the pressure on road traffic in the vicinity of Ngau Chi Wan and Road would be heightened after the flat intake of On Tat Estate, Anderson Road. However, the Government did not have any concrete proposal in place to improve the traffic situation of the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, most of the roads in the vicinity of Choi Wan East and Choi Hung were one-way roads. The traffic would be jammed in case of traffic accidents. He hoped that PlanD could,

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together with the Transport and Housing Bureau, examine if more roads could be built in the Kowloon East to improve the transport network. Besides, for the site at Fung Shing Street near the Scenic View, he said that if residential buildings were to be developed, further pressure would be posed to the traffic flow in Choi Wan area. He also pointed out that there was no school site in the area and hoped that the Department could consider retaining the site for school use. He was also concerned that the redevelopment of the St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged had been long due without progress and requested the Department to discuss with the developer for early implementation of the redevelopment proposal so as to improve the road system of the area.

16. Ms. CHAN Man-ki, Maggie, MH, JP said that although she supported PlanD’s principle of making the best utilisation of resources in relocating the Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs to caverns, she considered that best utilisation of resources required prioritisation. On the stance of Tsz Wan Shan residents, she considered that traffic issues and medical demand of the area should be addressed before taking care of other more general needs. She said that not long ago a questionnaire survey had been conducted among the residents of Tsz Oi Court Stage I to Stage III, Shatin Pass Estate and Tsz Ching Estate. The findings showed that the residents objected to the development of residential buildings on the 3-hectare site vacated upon relocation of the Service Reservoirs and they opined that the traffic issues of the area could never be addressed if the site was developed for residential purpose. She continued that currently there was neither mass transit system nor circular MTR feeder bus service available in Tsz Wan Shan area. Residents there had to solely rely on minibus services to travel to and from the MTR Station, and the waiting time was too long. The situation was intolerable. At present, the area was already heavily-populated with four to five large housing estates and two primary schools therein, and it was impossible to absorb more population. Besides, she also pointed out that the elders there requested the Department to plan for more medical facilities. Other than this, she suggested the routing of the escalators connecting Wong Tai Sin Road and Chuk Yuen (North) Estate be further extended to Shatin Pass Estate via the Service Reservoirs so as to facilitate pedestrians descending from Tsz Lok Estate, Tsz Oi Court Stage I to Stage III, as well as Shatin Pass Estate. To sum up, she said the residents had expressed a very clear stance that the traffic issues, as well as demand for medical, community and parking facilities in the area had to be addressed first.

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17. Mr. MOK Kin-wing, MH pointed out that in light of San Po Kong’s transformation into a business area, there was a huge upsurge of rental level in its vicinity and some young people could no longer continue their business or drama operation there. He suggested the Department, in the planning of the Diamond Hill CDA, incorporating some low-rent shop units for young people so that the latter could continue their creative and cultural business. Besides, he suggested the Department to, in furtherance of the development of WTSFCA, consider provision of pedestrian subway and footbridge in the CDA to connect the Chi Lin Nunnery and Wong Tai Sin Temple. Also, he enquired if the planning of underground streets connecting the CDA and KTDA was still underway. Other than this, he suggested that bazaars and temple fairs could be held or food truck be placed in the peripheral areas of the Wong Tai Sin Public Transport Terminus to attract more tourists.

18. Mr. CHAN Yim-kwong, Joe said that the current green minibus stop of Route 37M was near the squatter area off the to-be-developed Wong Tai Sin Public Transport Terminus. Alighting passengers were commonly found walking on the carriageway because of the narrowness and poor hygienic condition of the pavement, and the situation was unsatisfactory. Noting that the ownership there was complicated and the Government also encountered difficulties in land resumption, he hoped that the above situation could be minimised after relocation of the green minibus stop to the new Terminus. He enquired if the Government would consider developing a temporary carpark on the consolidated site after completion of the new Terminus development and suggested the Department to conduct greening works in the vicinity of the site for environment beautification before the site being under development. Also, he wanted to know more about the Department’s future planning.

19. Mr. HUI Kam-shing said it had been under the discussion of the Traffic and Transport Committee of WTSDC that currently tour coaches carrying tourists to Wong Tai Sin Temple were frequently found parking on Wong Tai Sin Road, which affected the residents and traffic in the vicinity. He hoped that PlanD would improve the relevant ancillary facilities in its long-term planning. Besides, he said that many residents in the district were making their living by driving commercial vehicles and hoped that the Department could, when tackling the inadequacy of private car parking spaces, also add some parking spaces for commercial vehicles to grant convenience to

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those drivers. Also, he enquired whether the Department was responsible for formulating and regularly reviewing the HKPSG, and he wished to know the latest review date and whether flexibility would be allowed when applying the standards and guidelines having regard to the particular situation of each community.

20. Mr. WU Chi-kin said that as far as he understood, there was a GIC (“Government, Institution and Community facilities”) site next to the Hammer Hill Road Swimming Pool. However, nothing about the development planning of the site had been heard all these many years. He pointed out that at present the utilisation of Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre had almost reached saturation and many organisations had reflected that it was very difficult to book the venue there. He suggested that PlanD should plan for an integrated leisure and cultural service centre at the said GIC site so that the problem of utilisation saturation of Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre could be alleviated whereas the current site of the Civic Centre vacated in future could be used for other purpose. Also, it was hoped that the Department could improve the living environment as well as the leisure and cultural facilities of in its plan-making.

21. Mr. LAI Wing-ho, Joe, MH, Vice-chairman, was of the view that the issues that Members had mentioned, including among others, road issues, concerns over adequacy of welfare organisations’ services as well as recreation facilities and open space, were exactly what a typical densely-populated small community was facing. He pointed out that Wong Tai Sin District was 9.3 square kilometres in size with a population of as much as over 400 000, i.e. over 40 000 people per square kilometre on average. Its population density ranked second among the 18 Districts. He cited Paragraph 4.1.7, Chapter 2 of the HKPSG issued by PlanD which set out that the developable population capacity of a site should be subject to provision of ancillary facilities such as roads, open space and GIC facilities. However, Wong Tai Sin District, after the development, was not provided with sufficient ancillary facilities. He hoped that the Department could take full account of the provision of ancillary facilities in its planning before expanding population of the district.

22. Ms. CHAN Man-ki, Maggie, MH, JP supplemented the findings of questionnaire survey conducted by her in Ching Oi area since last year up to the present, saying that of the 671 questionnaires returned, 62.3% and 83.8% of the respondents respectively objected development of residential buildings and

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columbarium; 75.6% of the respondents supported development of community facilities at the current sites of the Service Reservoirs while 9.5% of them expressed opposition and 11% of them had no comment. Among those who supported development of community facilities, 17.3% of them requested provision of escalator system connecting Tsz Wan Shan and Wong Tai Sin MTR Station and 12.8% demanded for extension of Our Lady Maryknoll Hospital or provision of other medical facilities. Those who went for provision of indoor games hall and elderly centre respectively constituted 8.5% and 7.2%. Besides, more than half of the respondents objected provision of vehicular ingress/egress at the cavern site near the Shatin Pass Estate for large vehicles. Ms. CHAN said that relevant information of the questionnaire survey would be submitted to the Department for study and follow-up after the meeting.

23. Mr. LING thanked Members for their constructive suggestions and said their comments would be studied and followed up. His consolidated reply was as below:

(i) The Government attached great importance to the provision of wet market, for example, the Diamond Hill CDA would also be provided with market facilities, and PlanD would continue to follow up on the provision.

(ii) The Department would vigourously study the feasibility of providing water sports facilities at KTDA and the water quality of the inner bay of Kai Tak was incrementally improving. After the district cooling system at KTDA had come into operation, the water would be pumped from the inner bay of Kai Tak and discharged back to the inner bay of Kai Tak after cooling down by the system, in order to augment water circulation and in turn improve the water quality. Meanwhile, the relevant government departments would also make sustained efforts in inspecting the sewerage connections of the old areas in San Po Kong to prevent the sewage from draining into inner bay of Kai Tak to affect the water quality there. He was also concerned about the provision of venues for other cultural

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activities and explained that review on the adequacy of facility provision would not be confined to one single district. Quoting the to-be-developed East Kowloon Cultural Centre in Ngau Tau Kok as an example, he illustrated that the residents of Wong Tai Sin District and Kowloon City District could also be benefited from the development.

(iii) He agreed that a holistic planning was required for the development of WTSFCA. Since the traffic arrangement of SCL had become clearer, a more detailed planning could be started. He undertook that the nearby squatter area would also be included for consideration. He pointed out that the Department would suggest development of mainly lower-rise buildings in the WTSFCA for provision of community cultural facilities. He also agreed that temple fairs could be held at the cultural avenue and said that the planning direction of “place-making” would be followed so as to accommodate various residents and cultural activities. He also considered that the WTSFCA had the conditions to provide public parking spaces and said that the Department would continue to seek DC Members’ views on and liaise with other relevant government departments for the development of WTSFCA. At the same time, he pointed out that the ownership of the squatter area was complicated and its development direction required long-time and cautious consideration so as to achieve optimal use of land resources and improve the living conditions of the squatter residents.

(iv) Regarding the project of relocation of Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs to caverns, he thanked Ms. CHAN Man-ki, Maggie, MH, JP for providing the findings of questionnaire survey and said that the Department’s preliminary ideas were similar to the residents’ views reflected in the survey. He elaborated that when developing a new site, consideration had to be given not only to its housing potential but also to how the residents’

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livelihood there could be improved. He undertook that consideration on provision of pedestrian linkage would be definitely given, taking the opportunities of the re-planning of the Service Reservoirs. He pointed out that the hospitals in Tsz Wan Shan were developed as early as in the 1950s or 60s and there was a need for redevelopment as the quality of these buildings had become outmoded. However, hospital redevelopment was a very complicated process that would take a long time, and various medical services had to be relocated to the new site by phases in order to maintain the service provision unaffected. The Department was ready to study whether the current sites of the Service Reservoirs could provide space to accommodate hospital redevelopment there. Besides, he said that provision of facilities such as elderly centre and indoor games hall could be considered in the development of residential buildings. Regarding the vehicular ingress/egress of the Service Reservoirs, he thought it was an important planning consideration. The process required a study of its impacts on the nearby residents and traffic flow, as well as safety of the incoming/outgoing heavy vehicles. He said that all these would be carefully considered and DC would definitely be consulted again when proposals had been worked out. Besides, he said that the study currently underway would also look into the cost-effectiveness of the proposal. He explained that in examining whether a project should be implemented, costs would not be the sole factor for consideration. Provision of opportunities by the project for enhancing the district’s livelihood facilities had to be considered as well. To him, if the project would be beneficial to the people’s livelihood, it had to be launched even if loss would be incurred.

(v) For the concerns over the provision of ancillary traffic facilities upon transformation of San Po Kong into a business area that many Members had expressed, he pointed out the traffic flow of industrial vehicles would reduce as a result of the transformation

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whereas that of private cars would move up. He said that the Department would study various options for increasing the number of parking spaces with Transport Department (TD). During the process, PlanD would ensure that the new development project would provide sufficient ancillary parking spaces for use. If there was any site identified to be able to provide more public parking spaces, PlanD was ready to work with TD and make efforts of support, such as making changes to the land lease or land sale. Other than this, he explained that as multi-storey carpark would lead to convergence of vehicle flows and might cause other traffic issues, therefore, he suggested seeking to increase the supply of public parking spaces at different locations in implementation of the project instead. He also pointed out that it would be more suitable for commercial vehicles to park in the business area, and the Department would therefore continue to work with TD to study the supply of commercial vehicle parking spaces.

(vi) Regard the traffic issues of the district, he said that Wong Tai Sin District was a developed district and currently there was hardly any space for building more roads. He further explained that the Department would, in the planning, consider developing strategic highways at the fringe of the congested areas in order to facilitate cross-district traffic and relieve traffic pressure of the district. For the issue of insufficient frequency of some public transport services in Tsz Wan Shan as reflected by Members, he understood that the road traffic capacity there should be enough and hoped that TD could provide assistance in this regard by liaising with the service providers to increase the frequency. Separately, he pointed out that the East Kowloon Line was a priority railway line under the “Railway Development Strategy 2014” and that the proposed stations would mainly be on the developed and higher locations which rendered complex technical challenges to be overcome. He said that PlanD would carefully study the proposal and in the

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planning make the best use of the opportunities arising from the new railway development with a view to bringing maximum benefits to the district. The Department would continue to seek Members’ views on the project.

(vii) For the enquiries on the HKPSG, Mr. LING replied that the Guidelines were updated regularly. PlanD was playing a role as a coordinator and would incorporate the guidelines that relevant government departments had come up with after study in provision of facilities into the HKPSG for public’s information. The HKPSG was planning guidelines applicable for the whole territory, with flexibility allowed when applying in respective districts. He quoted the provision of major medical or cultural facility as an example, saying that the population of a district would not be the sole factor taken into account. Instead, a wider regional perspective would be adopted when considering the overall planning.

(viii) Mr. LING said that the suggestion on provision of pedestrian conveyors for the underground shopping streets in the commercial area of Kai Tak would be considered.

(ix) He said that the Government was currently still considering whether the site adjacent to Block 1 to Block 5 of Rhythm Garden would be used for school purpose.

(x) For the suggestion on relaxation of the KTDA’s plot ratio, he said that PlanD was liaising with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to obtain the relevant information for reference. He pointed out that the Department was currently, together with the CEDD, conducting a planning review of KTDA, in the hoped that better utilisation of the site could be achieved. When considering the suggestion on relaxation of the KTDA’s plot ratio, PlanD would take into account the following factors. First, the various urban design principles encompassed in the

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current proposal that came into being after prolonged district consultation and DC discussion process, such as reservation for ventilation corridors, preservation of landscape views to the Lion Rock and avoidance of wall effect, etc. Besides, PlanD would also study the coping capacities of the transport and other facilities, as well as the environmental impact on the inner areas.

(xi) Mr. LING said that the Department was still mulling over the land use of the site at Fung Shing Street adjacent to the Scenic View.

(xii) The site of the St. Joseph's Home for the Aged was on a private land. As far as he understood, the TPB’s approval for the development project had already been secured many years ago. The Lands Department was currently discussing with the developer regarding the land premium and change in land lease. He explained that since the site was on a private site, the Government could only play facilitating and monitoring roles. However, it would continue to provide assistance in completing the planning work.

24. Mr. LEE Tung-kong, noting that the Chief Executive had mentioned the idea of “better utilisation of the space underneath the flyovers”, enquired whether PlanD would rezone the use of the space underneath the flyovers in the district for provision of motorcycle parking spaces.

25. Ms. LUI Kai-lin, Wendy, saying that the Cognitio College (Kowloon) and Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School would soon be relocated to Kowloon City, enquired whether the site adjacent to Block 1 to Block 5 of Rhythm Garden would still have to be rezoned for school use. Pointing out that rooftop greening became more popular nowadays, she suggested the Department to consider turning the site into a community garden to green the surrounding environment.

26. The Chairman pointed out that with the opening of the Wong Tai Sin Public Transport Terminus in the near future, members of the public from the Wong Tai Sin MTR Station would, via Lung Cheung Road or through the pedestrian

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walkways of Wong Tai Sin Square, walk to the Terminus for minibus services. If no covered pedestrian walkway connecting the two locations would be provided, it might arouse discontents among the residents. However, he was still not sure which department should be responsible for the follow-up and expressed concerns over the situation. Besides, the Chairman also pointed out that the redevelopment of the St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged had been under discussion for long time but no substantial progress was made so far because the site concerned was on a private land. He hoped that PlanD could, in planning the development of the site, consider upgrading the ancillary transport and providing barrier-free access facilities in the vicinity to improve the environment of Choi Wan area. That said, if the redevelopment could not be further implemented in the coming few years due to the land ownership issue, the Chairman suggested the Department that it might find another site for developing the livelihood facilities so that the development of the whole district would not be impeded. The Chairman also hoped that the Department could rezone the use of the site premises of the two to-be-shortly-relocated schools in San Po Kong for the development of multi-storey carpark and proposed that the school site of the Cognitio College (Kowloon) could also be rezoned for developing a shopping mall with carpark facility to dovetail with the development of the nearby shopping malls and address the problem.

27. Mr. LING gave a consolidated reply on the second round of questions as follows:

(i) While acknowledging the development potential of the space underneath the flyovers, he opined that developing the space there into a carpark would be constrained by the incoming/outgoing vehicular flows. He welcomed Members to, on the basis of their district knowledge, suggest suitable sites for provision of parking spaces for follow-up by PlanD and other departments concerned. He also said that it would be quite difficult to provide more parking spaces in an old district. If Members identified any sites or opportunities that could increase the provision of parking spaces, they were welcomed to raise them for discussion with PlanD.

(ii) Mr. LING explained that the existing school premises of the two to-be-shortly-relocated schools in San Po Kong were under the purview of the Education Bureau. If the Education Bureau

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returned the site for rezoning, PlanD would consider the suggestion raised by Members. He continued that inadequacy of parking space was the problem commonly faced by many other districts. PlanD would, through various short-term initiatives and long-term policies, tackle the problem. It would also work closely with TD, the department believed to have a better grasp of the demand for and supply of parking spaces. He pointed out that if TD had any parking-space-increasing proposals that required PlanD to amend the layout plan or involved planning application, PlanD was ready to give consideration.

(iii) Regarding the latest development ideas in respect of the site adjacent to Block 1 to Block 5 of Rhythm Garden, Mr. LING asked Mr. Tom YIP to, after the meeting, seek information from the government departments concerned.

(Post-meeting note: The Government was still studying and considering the feasibility of using the site adjacent to Block 1 to Block 5 of Rhythm Garden for school purpose.)

(iv) He would also ask his colleagues to follow up on the proposal on provision of barrier-free pedestrian access facilities across Chuk Yuen Road for connecting Tsui Chuk Garden and Ma Chai Hang Recreation Ground. He said that PlanD was ready to take any opportunities to provide such kind of facilities. From a planning perspective, he opined that such kind of facility could help hillside residents reach the public transport system at the foothill level more conveniently, which would in turn alleviate pressure on the road traffic of the district, and mitigate vehicular emissions and noise nuisances caused by road traffic.

(Post-meeting notes: The Highways Department expressed that it had already given a written reply on the proposal to the Secretariat of WTSDC on 14 July 2015. The Department

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would make sustained efforts to explore ways for taking forward barrier-free access facilities for Tsui Chuk Garden and report to DC accordingly.)

(v) Mr. LING said he noted that the pedestrian flow within the WTSFCA was quite high and he would assign his staff to follow up on the short-term initiatives for enhancing the pedestrian link facilities therein. Ways for making the best use of the site would also be considered in the long-term planning. He said that one of the Department’s objectives was to strive to turn Hong Kong into a “walkable city” through planning and development. PlanD would continuously make strenuous efforts and study Members’ views to achieve the target.

(Post-meeting notes: The planning of and short-term enhancement initiatives for WTSFCA had been included as a discussion item of the Wong Tai Sin District Management Committee, and would be followed up by the Home Affairs Department, PlanD and government departments concerned.)

28. The Chairman thanked Mr. LING, Mr. YIP and Ms. LAM again for attending the meeting and called on the Department to take note of and follow up on Members’ views and suggestions.

(ii) Draft Planning Brief for the “Comprehensive Development Area (1)” Zone in Kai Tak Development (WTSDC Paper No. 47/2016)

29. The Chairman invited Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen, Senior Planning Officer of PlanD, to present the paper.

30. Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen presented the paper, with the aid of Powerpoint presentation.

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31. Ms. LUI Kai-lin, Wendy said that being the District Councillor of San Po Kong Constituency, she was particularly concerned about the underground shopping streets in the KTDA and was pleased to note that the streets could bridge up the old and new areas. Regarding the two underground shopping streets with respective length of 1 100 and 400 metres to be developed in Kowloon City and San Po Kong as mentioned in the presentation, she enquired if they would be inter-connected and whether space had been reserved for provision of pedestrian conveyors for the convenience of persons with disabilities and the elderly.

32. Mr. CHAN Yim-kwong, Joe said he noted that the maximum building height of the CDA was 200 metres above Principal Datum [mPD] and would like to enquire about the height of the principal datum.

33. Mr. SZE Tak-loy enquired if the developer would be responsible for the future management and maintenance of the underground shopping streets and whether the Department would add a requirement on the opening hours of the underground shopping streets in the Planning Brief. In his view, the CDA was mainly connected by the underground shopping streets and it would cause inconvenience to the public if it would not be opened around the clock.

34. Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen replied that the underground shopping streets developed in Kowloon City and San Po Kong would be fully linked up, branching out from the Kai Tak Station as centric point and running through the various development zones and open spaces. Besides, having regard to the wider utilisation of barrier-free access facilities, PlanD could add relevant requirements in the land lease. The details arrangement would be confirmed when drafting the land sale conditions. Regarding the enquiry of Mr. CHAN Yim-kwong, Joe, Mr. CHAN said that the height of the principal datum of KTDA was 5 to 6 metres on average. Moreover, he replied the enquiry of Mr. SZE Tak-loy, saying that the developer should be responsible for the development, management and maintenance of the underground shopping streets, and that the CEDD’s study also showed that such arrangement would be more financially viable. Regarding the opening hours of the underground shopping streets, Mr. CHAN replied that the Planning Brief (Appendix I of the Paper) had already clearly set out the planning requirement of “The underground shopping streets should connect with the SCL Kai Tak Station via the

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station entrance at basement level and passageway of the underground shopping streets should be opened to the public on a 24-hour basis”.

35. Mr. LEE Tung-kong, saying that it had been difficult to determine the responsible organisations or departments of many sites currently located between the underground facilities and open space zones, enquired whether PlanD would add conditions to require the developer to be responsible for construction of shelters at MTR exits in the CDA.

36. Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen replied that PlanD had, during the design process, given comprehensive consideration to the connectivity between the various development sites and their surrounding areas. The connectivity among the underground facilities and at-grade facilities had also been taken into account as well with a view to attaining a fully linked up development. To this end, the Department had already incorporated requirements on provision of pedestrian walkways and relevant facilities in the Planning Brief.

37. The Chairman said the importance of the underground shopping streets was that it could boost the development of small business economy and provide passage for public circulation. He suggested that reference should be made to the pedestrian walkways between the Tsim Sha Tsui Station and East Tsim Sha Tsui Station of MTR in provision of the underground shopping streets of KTDA, and he hoped that PlanD could add a requirement in the land lease on provision of pedestrian aid system. He pointed out that it took about 15 minutes to walk from San Po Kong or Kowloon City to Kai Tak Station. Although the pedestrian aid system would not substantially reduce the walking time, it would enable pedestrians (especially the elderly) walk more comfortably. A well-designed pedestrian aid system could effectively connect the KTDA, SCL Kai Tak Station, San Po Kong Business Area and Kowloon City Business Area, which would attract more users and in turn avoid the KTDA and its surrounding areas from being over-reliant on the at-grade transport feeder services in the future.

38. Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen took note of the comments of the Chairman and Members, and said he would relay those comments to the TPB and relevant government departments.

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39. The Chairman thanked Mr. CHAN Chung-yun, Stephen for attending the meeting.

(iii) Changes in Membership of the Traffic and Transport Committee under the Wong Tai Sin District Council (WTSDC Paper No. 48/2016)

40. The Secretary presented the paper which was then endorsed by Members.

IV Progress Reports

41. Members noted the following papers:

(i) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the Community Building and Social Services Committee held on 17 May 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 49/2016)

(ii) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the District Facilities Management Committee held on 24 May 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 50/2016)

(iii) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the Traffic and Transport Committee held on 31 May 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 51/2016)

(iv) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the Finance, General and Economic Affairs Committee held on 7 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 52/2016)

(v) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the Housing Committee held on 14 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 53/2016)

(vi) Progress Report of the 3rd Meeting of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee held on 28 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 54/2016)

(vii) Progress Report of the 1st Meeting of the Task Force on Shatin to Central Link held on 7 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 55/2016)

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(viii) Progress Report of the 2nd Meeting of the Working Group on Government and Public Utilities Works Projects held on 14 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 56/2016)

(ix) Progress Report of the Wong Tai Sin District Management Committee Meeting held on 1 June 2016 (WTSDC Paper No. 57/2016)

V Any Other Business

42. The Chairman said and Members noted that the Secretariat had received a letter from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals on the progress of the “Holistic Centre for Youth Development” (Annex).

VI Date of the Next Meeting

43. The sixth meeting of the Fifth Term of WTSDC would be held at 2:30 p.m. on 13 September 2016 (Tuesday) in this Conference Room.

44. The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

Wong Tai Sin District Council Secretariat Ref.: HAD WTSDC 13-5/5/53 Pt. 44 August 2016

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Chinese Version Only (Please refer to: http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/wts/doc/2016_2019/tc/dc_meetings_minutes/DC_M5_M.pdf)