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1."Construction Industry Council to harmonize Construction Standards for HK"

2. Drop hub for large green park: survey

1. "Construction Industry Council to harmonize Construction Standards for HK"
CII-HK Press Release, 24 January 2006

The Project Leader, Prof CM Tam, and Mr Michael Arnold who is the Chairman of the Construction Standards Research Task Force, jointly delivered a presentation on the research findings and recommendations derived from the CII-HK research project "Construction Standards for Hong Kong" to the members of PCICB on 13 Jan 2006. An information paper has been prepared for distribution and the findings were welcomed by the PCICB's members. Interested parties can browse the full paper at http://www.ciihk.org.hk.

2. Drop hub for large green park: survey
AndreaChiu, The Standard 24 January 2006

A substantial majority of Hong Kongers want to see a "large green park" with cultural and leisure facilities replace the planned West Kowloon cultural district mega-development, according to a survey.

With the government under pressure to reevaluate the HK$40 billion project, the survey, conducted by Hong Kong University's Public Opinion Programme, shows little public backing for the massive project, contradicting the administration's claim that there is widespread support for a cultural hub.

Rather than see the harborfront site used as a cultural hub with commercial and residential buildings, 81 percent of respondents said they prefer it be used for public recreation - culture, leisure and a park.

The West Kowloon site belongs to the people, said Tony Chan, the spokesman for Hong Kong Alternatives, one of the study's co-sponsors, Monday.

He added that the site was originally zoned for an open park.

The group, comprising architects, lawyers and consultants, has long lobbied for the site to include an urban oasis similar to Central Park in New York.

"This independent survey gives a clear indication of the true aspirations of the public. There is no support for the West Kowloon cultural district as envisaged by the government," said Paul Zimmerman, convenor of the second sponsor, Designing Hong Kong Harbour District, a sustainable development group that aims to protect the harborfront.

Public Opinion Programme project manager Karie Pang said the 510 respondents were representative of the public and the study had a margin of error of less than plus or minus 4 percent.

In other findings, 72 percent objected to any commercial and residential development on the site and 62 percent said Hong Kong suffers from a lack of green space; a similar number feel Hong Kong is lagging behind other major international cities in terms of open space and parks.

The results contradict those of the government's public consultation, which the administration said included 33,000 comment cards and 600 written submissions. Based on those responses, Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui said "the development of the cultural district had basically won widespread public support."

But much of the government public poll was done in conjunction with exhibitions of the three development proposals, which Zimmerman said was misleading.

"The government survey is an instrument designed by the government to give it the results it wants," Zimmerman said. "Results were like an exit poll. It's like if you polled Rolling Stones fans who just saw the band at Harbour Fest and asked them if they liked Harbour Fest, 99 percent of them would say yes."

Despite his criticism of the government's approach, Zimmerman said he is still surprised by the latest poll.

An overwhelming 90 percent of the respondents also were against the current single-developer proposal and want an authority or quasi-government agency to plan and develop the site.

Three bidders are still in the running to develop the cultural hub but there's discontent among them.

One source said Sino Land does not like the current government proposal. Sino Land is one third of the Sunny Development consortium with Wharf Holdings and Chinese Estates.

Henderson Land, developer of the World City Culture Park bid, said it's still interested in the project but is concerned with some "technical things," according to a spokeswoman.

She said Henderson Land has filed questions with the government and is awaiting its response before the company can comment on the way forward.

The third bidder, Dynamic Star, is a consortium involving Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties. A spokeswoman for Cheung Kong said the company is still studying the government proposal announced in October.

The bidders must confirm their interest to the government by Sunday.

The survey is the latest salvo launched against the beleaguered government proposal, which has garnered little support.

Earlier this month, the Legislative Council's subcommittee on West Kowloon attacked the administration over a number of concerns.

The single-package development approach, the absence of an overseeing public authority, the massive mandatory canopy designed by Norman Foster, and the absence of public support were among the lawmakers' worries.

So far, the government is standing firm.

"The West Kowloon cultural district project has adopted a public-private partnership approach to tap resources from the private sector for the development of cultural facilities," said a spokeswoman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau, repeating Hui's response to the Legco subcommittee.

Zimmerman said the public acknowledges the need for cultural facilities.

"People say, `Yes, we want cultural development, but not in the way the government has proposed it,"' he said.

The government spokeswoman said: "The government recognizes the public's desire for more open space such as parks. We have required that public open space in the West Kowloon cultural district should not be less than 20 hectares, that is, half of the area."