1 Food Street zone proposed for Tin Hau
Zoe Mak, SCMP, May 17, 2008

Councilors want to promote Electric Road and side streets in Tin Hau as a Food Street

Part of Tin Hau will be revitalised as a Food Street offering local delicacies and international cuisine if a group of district councillors have their way.

Eastern councillor Jennifer Chow Kit-bing said yesterday the idea had been floated in response to feedback from several businesses which wanted to band together to develop the commercial appeal of the area.

The idea also calls for part of Electric Road and side streets to be spruced up with new signs, fences, lighting and greenery.

Other businesses in the district welcomed the idea but worried the upgrade might cause a rise in rents.

Ms Chow, who represents Victoria Park, along with nine others including Choy So-yuk and Frankie Lo Wing-kwan, told Eastern District Council yesterday they would submit a paper to the council's facility management committee as soon as possible.

She said the plan was for a pilot scheme to be established in Electric Road between Tin Hau MTR station and Tsing Fung Street, including side streets such as Lau Li Street and Ngan Mok Street. The second phase would extend from Tsing Fung Street to City Garden.

A bilingual map would be set up at the MTR station to guide visitors.

Ms Chow said the pedestrian-only Food Street in Causeway Bay would be used as an example but because Tin Hau was a busy district, there were no suggestions the road should be blocked or a pedestrian zone made.

She said the government and most district councillors backed the idea, and a Food Street committee would be set up to assist the Tourism Board in promoting the area.Ms Chow said the plan would highlight local favourites but would also offer international fare.

Kwan Wan-fung, manager of The Best Food, a restaurant that sells local favourites like woon jai chi (shark fin in a small bowl) and pork feet in vinegar and ginger, welcomed the idea, though he believed rents would rise.

"I agree with the plan. It'll stimulate more businesses in the district and attract more people to come," he said, noting that most diners were now concentrated in neighbouring Causeway Bay.

Mr Kwan said he hoped more foreign tourists could be attracted to the area to help promote local tourism.

Betty Sze Na-heng, who runs a bird's nest dessert shop, was also positive about the idea but echoed concerns about higher rents. She doubted western tourists would be attracted to shops like hers as bird's nest was not what they liked.

"But maybe it will attract more Asian or mainland tourists."

Alfred Wong Kwok-wah, operator of the Sister Wah Noodle Shop, said he worried the rent would go up if the area was revamped.

"It's already expensive now, who can guarantee the rent?" he said, adding "there are a lot of competitors here too."

But they will likely feel the pinch regardless of the councillors' scheme. Property agents expect rents might rise about 50 per cent as leases fall due for renewal during the year. In fact, rents had already risen in the past few months as home prices increased, they said.

 

2 Upgrade piers for more activities along harbour, study urges
Helen Wu, SCMP, May 17, 2008

Underused ferry piers along Victoria Harbour should be upgraded to include more cafes, restaurants and retail stores, a study has suggested.

Promenades incorporating unique designs and activities should be extended to less prominent areas such as Sheung Wan, Shau Kei Wan and Tai Kok Tsui, according to the study, released by the Harbour Business Forum yesterday.

In particular, it called for more harbourfront connectivity - from the existing 8.8km to 22km - in six areas, from:

• Sai Wan to Sheung Wan;
• Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter to Quarry Bay Park;
• Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter to Heng Fa Chuen;
• Yau Tong to Kowloon Bay;
• To Kwa Wan to Hung Hom; and
• Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter to Tai Kok Tsui.

The study suggested that the piers, including those in North Point, Kwun Tong, Kowloon City and the Western Wholesale Food Market, be upgraded to attract more people.

They should also be used as landing spots for water transport, such as water taxis and sampans, where feasible, it said.

Margaret Brooke of the forum said some of the piers were not used and should be made available for activities along the harbour.

"It gives people more reasons to go to the harbour, even if they don't like fishing," she said.

The forum's previous study, released in December, revealed that 60 per cent of the harbourfront could not be easily accessed by the public.

The group proposed using signs and maps to direct pedestrians to the harbourfront, and running paths underneath the Island Eastern Corridor.

Ms Brooke said the report would be submitted to the government and the public would be able to view it on www.harbourbusinessforum.com.

 

3 Laws on dumping on private land not up to scratch, says minister
Albert Wong and Joshua But, SCMP, May 17, 2008

Environment minister Edward Yau Tang-wah acknowledged yesterday that the regime for regulating the dumping of construction waste on private land was inadequate.

"There are certainly some incidents which we do not like to see happen and yet are, strictly speaking, within the law," Mr Yau told a special meeting of Legislative Council's environmental affairs panel. "To be frank, yes, under the existing regime we are put in a difficult position ... It is clear there are circumstances where we have no lawful authority to act."

The government's willingness to consider legislating for further powers was praised by lawmakers as a "good first step".

The government at present has no authority to act against the disposal of construction and demolition waste on private land, as long as the landowner has given permission.

However, the landowners of the areas affected, often in the New Territories, are sometimes difficult to locate, and the piles of rubble can be a public nuisance and eyesore even when dumped with permission.

The government has pledged to co-ordinate efforts between various departments to enhance monitoring of suspected illegal dumping. It has also floated several additional proposals, requiring legislative amendments, which could see the government given regulatory control over dumping on private land, even when the landowner has consented.

Mr Yau said yesterday he was inclined to move towards expanding the scope of government powers, but he emphasised it was "not a matter the government alone can decide".

In response to a suggestion by Anson Chan Fang On-sang , Mr Yau said he would also consider setting up a single unit to handle all dumping complaints, rather than just co-ordinate the efforts of departments.

Panel chairwoman Audrey Eu Yuet-mee said she felt the government had taken a significant step in recognising there was a problem and measures were required to solve it.

Another option floated by the government would involve a "trip-ticketing system", already in place for public works projects, under which a ticket is issued to trucks leaving a site with waste that must be matched with a receipt at the disposal facility. Representatives from the logistics and construction industries will be invited to a meeting at the end of next month to express their opinions.

Heung Yee Kuk lawmaker Lam Wai-keung, who attended yesterday's meeting, was also in favour of granting the government more power to regulate dumping on private land. But he warned of the need to differentiate between lawful land-filling and unlawful dumping.

Meanwhile, an interdepartmental taskforce has been set up to probe unauthorised dumping at Ting Kok Tsuen, Tai Po. The task force, comprising police and the planning, lands and environmental protection departments, would meet Tai Po District Council on Thursday to discuss the case, reported by the South China Morning Post (SEHK: 0583, announcements, news) on Tuesday.

Councillor Yau Wing-kwong said Director of Environmental Protection Anissa Wong Sean-yee had promised to follow up the case. Mr Yau said some villagers told him the dumpers tried to offer cash to residents to let them continue dumping. "They told the residents the government could do nothing to them," he said. "The government must act upon this immediately."

 

4 Kwun Tong facilities fail to meet standards for the disabled: survey
Peter So, SCMP, May 17, 2008

More than half of community facilities examined in Kwun Tong did not meet government standards for "barrier-free living", causing hardship for the elderly and the disabled, a survey has found.

Almost 2,000 facilities, most built after 1997, were checked in the district last year. A total of 1,088 items, including entrances, footpaths, elevators and toilets, were found inconvenient for the disabled and other people with restricted mobility.

Of those facilities failing to meet the standards, the group re-examined the facilities in February and found only 49 items, or 4.5 per cent, had been improved. The research was conducted by Hong Kong College of Technology, Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth and the Kwun Tong District Council.

They also polled 789 district residents about their awareness of "barrier-free living", which the government introduced guidelines for in 1997. Over 60 per cent said they were unaware of the concept.

Almost half said they did not notice any facilities offering barrier-free access in the district.

Luk Yiu-tung, a researcher at the college, said the result showed public ignorance of the importance of such facilities. Barrier-free features, such as dropped kerbs with warning strips at crossings or flatter ramps at entrances, were not designated for disabled persons only, he said. The elderly, children and pregnant women also benefited.

Ann So Lai-chun, vice chairwoman of Kwun Tong District Council, said the district had an ageing population and many residents had found community facilities inconvenient for years.

Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, all buildings, regardless of when they were built, must provide access unless making alterations would result in "unjustifiable hardship". Kwun Tong District Officer Pauline Wong Po-lin said the government preferred to improve the situation through promotion and education, rather than actively enforce the law.