Minutes of the 20th Meeting of the District Development and Housing Committee (DDHC) Southern District Council (2016-2019) (SDC) Date: 25 March 2019 Time: 2:30 p.m. Venue: SDC Conference Room Present: Mr CHAN Fu-ming, MH (Vice-Chairman of SDC) Mr LAM Kai-fai, MH (Chairman of DDHC) Dr MAK TSE How-ling, Ada, MH (Vice-Chairlady of DDHC) Mr AU Lap-sing, MH Mr AU Nok-hin Mr CHAI Man-hon Ms CHAN Judy Kapui Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH Mr CHU Lap-wai Mr FUNG Se-goun, Fergus Ms LAM Yuk-chun, MH Mr LO Kin-hei Mr TSUI Yuen-wa Ms YAM Pauline Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN Mr LAW Kam-hung Ms LAW Siu-fong Ms TAM May-bo, Jeanette Dr WONG Yat-lung, Philip Mr CHOI Tsung-mang Absent with Apologies: Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP Secretary: Miss CHOW Cheuk-ying, Karen Executive Officer (District Council) 2, Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department 1 In Attendance: Mrs MA CHOW Pui-fun, Dorothy, JP District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department Miss CHENG Wai-sum, Sum Assistant District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department Ms YIP Wai-see, Priscilla Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr CHAN Ip-to, Tony Senior Executive Officer (District Management), Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department Ms LO Kit-sheun Housing Manager/HKI7, Housing Department Mr LING Chi-wai, Jimmy Engineer 13 (South Development Office), Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms HA Chung-wan, Joanne Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) Southern, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms KO Wing-yee, Amii Senior Estate Surveyor/South (District Lands Office, Hong Kong West and South), Lands Department Mr WONG Wai-yin, Vincent Senior Town Planner/HK 1, Planning Department Ms WONG Cho-kwan Engineer/HK (Distribution 3), Water Supplies Department Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 2): Ms WONG Wai-ling, Ivy Senior Estate Surveyor/Land Supply (District Lands Office, Hong Kong West and South), Lands Department Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 3): Mr CHENG Ka-man, Gavin Assistant Environmental Protection Officer (Regional S)31, Environmental Protection Department Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 4): Ms HO Chui-hang Senior Engineer/Consultants Management 6, Water Supplies Department Mr Tommy CHAN Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM 2 Opening Remarks: The Chairman welcomed Members and standing government representatives to the meeting. 2. The Chairman invited Members to note that to facilitate smooth proceeding of meeting, according to Order 15(3) of the SDC Standing Orders, all persons attending or sitting in the meeting should switch off all devices which might emit sound, and should not use any telecommunications devices for conversation during the course of the meeting. Each Member would be allotted a maximum of two 3-minute slots to speak in respect of each agenda item. Members should inform the Secretariat staff if they had to leave the meeting early. 3. Dr CHU Ching-hong, BBS, JP was absent due to sickness. According to the SDC Standing Orders, his application for leave of absence was accepted. Part 1 – Items for Discussion Agenda Item 1: Confirmation of the Draft Minutes of the 19th DDHC Meeting held on 28 January 2019 4. The Chairman said that prior to the meeting, the draft minutes of the aforesaid meeting had been circulated to all Members and relevant government department representatives. The Secretariat had not received any amendment proposals so far. 5. The minutes were confirmed by the Committee. 3 Agenda Item 2: Motion on the Objection to the Inclusion of Ap Lei Chau Inland Lot No. 137 into this Year’s Land Sale Programme (Item raised by Mr AU Nok-hin) (DDHC Paper No. 7/2019) (Ms YAM Pauline, Ms CHAN Judy Kapui and Mr FUNG Se-goun joined the meeting at 2:36 p.m., 2:47 p.m. and 3:37 p.m. respectively.) 6. The Chairman welcomed Ms WONG Wai Ling, Senior Estate Surveyor/Land Supply (District Lands Office, Hong Kong West and South) of the Lands Department (LandsD) to the meeting. 7. The Chairman said that in addition to Mr Au Nok-hin’s motion (i.e. the Original Motion) set out in the agenda, Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung, MH had also proposed an amended motion (i.e. Amended Motion 1) prior to the meeting. Since the Original Motion and Amended Motion 1 were of the same nature, they would be discussed jointly. The content was as follows: (a) “Original Motion”: (Moved by Mr Au Nok-hin, seconded by Mr LO Kin-hei) “This Council strongly objects to the Government’s decision to include Ap Lei Chau Inland Lot No. 137 into this year’s Land Sale Programme and once again betrayed the Ap Lei Chau residents. Ap Lei Chau is one of the world’s most densely populated islands. Any residential development will inevitably have severe impact on the nearby residences and schools. Besides, this Council is extremely discontented with the Government’s encroachment on a pet garden project that has been included in the District Minor Works programme, which is in conflict with this Council and tramples on the aspiration of the residents for the construction of pet garden at the said location. The Government has time and again been using the unevenly distributed open space shown in the Aberdeen Outline Zoning Plan to conceal the fact that there are excessive residential developments with too little open space in Ap Lei Chau. This Council sternly refuses to accept such a response given by the government department, and demands that the Land Sale Programme be withdrawn immediately to open up the site for use as a pet garden.” 4 (b) “Amended Motion 1”: (Moved by Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung MH, seconded by Ms CHAN Judy Kapui, Ms LAM Yuk-chun MH and Dr MAK TSE How-ling, MH) “The Government has been granting approval for residential developments in Ap Lei Chau without long-term planning for the development of the island. The imbalance in the planning of developments has led to an ever-increasing growth in the population of Ap Lei Chau which has become one of the most densely populated islands in the world. Even though the MTR South Island Line (East) (only 3-car train service is provided) has been put into operation, the drastic rise in population has overloaded the severely inadequate roads, traffic and facilities in the communities of the island. Therefore, this Council strongly objects to the Government’s inclusion of Ap Lei Chau Inland Lot No. 137 into this year’s Land Sale Programme. In the meantime, we also urge the Government to seek a broad spectrum of opinions from the residents before deciding on the most suitable land use for the aforesaid part of land.” 8. The Chairman continued that the written replies from the government departments concerned were set out at Annex 2 to DDHC Paper No. 7/2019, and that the aforementioned motions would be discussed one by one. The Chairman first invited Mr AU Nok-hin to brief Members on the Original Motion. 9. Mr AU Nok-hin briefed Members on the Original Motion as follows: (a) the Government’s decision to include Ap Lei Chau Inland Lot No. 137 into the Land Sale Programme was indeed a betrayal of residents’ interests. With the Government implementing several Land Sale Programmes, the residents of Ap Lei Chau did not wish to see more residential developments, especially luxurious residential buildings, in the area. If the aforesaid Land Sale Programme was approved, it would only increase the population density of Ap Lei Chau, making the lives of the residents more hectic. It would also render the development of open space impossible. He urged Members to join hands to object to the land sale proposal so as to reflect the views of the residents in the Southern District; (b) there were a number of schools and residential developments such as Larvotto and Lei Tung Estate in the vicinity of the site. The overcrowding of Ap Lei Chau would be further aggravated upon the completion of the proposed property development. Moreover, Ap Lei Chau was already among the most densely populated islands in the world, hence he objected to the Government’s plan to implement residential development on such a small lot; 5 (c) Ap Lei Chau had seen a number of developments through land sale in recent years, but such developments were not indeed for meeting demand for housing development of Hong Kong, but to push up property prices to satisfy the needs of private property developers. As regards the proposed project, the concerned lot near Larvotto was previously a refuse collection point of the former Urban Council, and was very small. If the lot was to be used for developing luxurious residential buildings, more private cars would be plying through Ap Lei Chau which would put additional burden on the traffic of the Southern District. In this connection, he enquired the LandsD about the number of units and parking spaces that might be developed in that lot; (d) Working Group on District Minor Works Projects of SDC had approved developing the area into an open space, and his proposal back then was to develop a pet garden. The relevant departments considered that a pet garden could not be built at that stage after site visits, but some basic leisure facilities would be provided in the area. But no progress had been made after a year. He said that the Development Bureau (DEVB) should consult the Southern District Office (SDO) before carrying out land sale. As such, he criticised relevant departments for showing no respect to SDC’s decision and acting against people’s will.