1  Move to cut opposition to bypass plan Size of contested reclamation may be reduced by 20pc
Olga Wong, SCMP 30 June 2008

The size of the temporary reclamation proposed for building the Central-Wan Chai bypass could be shrunk by 20 per cent under changes being considered by the government in an effort to reduce opposition to the project.

The revised proposal would eliminate a breakwater providing temporary shelter for boats unable to use the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter.

The government has been forced back to the drawing board over its 10.7-hectare reclamation plan after a judicial review sought by the Society for the Protection of the Harbour found that even a temporary reclamation cannot be carried out without establishing overriding public need.

The original plan includes 8.3 hectares of reclamation at the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter and the former public cargo handling area in Wan Chai and a 2.4-hectare breakwater 420 metres offshore to provide temporary shelter for boats affected by the typhoon shelter reclamation.

A source close to the government said plans for building the breakwater might be scrapped to avoid being caught in another legal challenge in future.

"The yachts could be moved to other shelters," the source said. "It is difficult to argue that the temporary breakwater has an overriding public need."

The government believes the 8.3-hectare reclamation is necessary, however, and in the public interest.

At a meeting this month with five professional institutions, a government consultant said the 8.3 hectares of temporary reclamation was the minimum needed and would be carried out in four stages, a source with knowledge of the meeting said.

The largest reclaimed area would be 3.7 hectares at the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, with another 1.2 hectares reclaimed at the former Wan Chai public cargo handling area, the consultant said.

The meeting was told the reclamation was needed to facilitate construction of the bypass under the seabed.

A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said the public would be consulted on the revised proposal over the coming month, beginning with a meeting with Eastern District Council on Thursday.

Society for the Protection of the Harbour director Hardy Lok Kung-chin, who also attended the recent meeting, agreed that the 8.3-hectare reclamation had already been minimised.

"But we strongly request the government review the need for the breakwater," he said, adding that the public consultation on the temporary reclamation should be carried out seriously.

Harbourfront Enhancement Committee member Gregory Wong Chak-yan, who also chairs the Task Group on Urban Design Study for the New Central Harbourfront, said the yachts could be temporarily moved to the shelters at Kai Tak, Sai Kung or Clear Water Bay. "Yacht owners might have to change their location for boarding, but there are alternatives to building a breakwater."

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Construction of the bypass, held up intermittently by legal challenges, was originally scheduled for completion in 2016. The government said it would take seven years to build the bypass, including installing traffic control and surveillance systems.

Without a bypass, the commuting time from Causeway Bay to Sheung Wan could be tripled from 15 minutes to 45 minutes by 2011, a government transport study says.

 

2 Public views are welcome in the planning for MTR Kwun Tong Line Extension
MTR Press Release, 30 June 2008

Members of the public are invited to give their views in the planning of MTR Kwun Tong Line Extension which will connect the MTR Yau Ma Tei Station to Ho Man Tin and Whampoa area. The Public Consultation for this new railway line is jointly organized by the Kowloon City District Council and the MTR Corporation.

Roving exhibitions and public fora are organized for members of the public at various locations in Hung Hom and Ho Man Tin from today (30 June 2008) until late July.

Mrs Miranda Leung, General Manager – Corporate Relations of the MTR Corporation, said, “We are looking forward to sharing our initial design with the local community and listening to their views before we put together the preliminary design of the railway line.”

“The local community has been asking for railway service to be extended to the Whampoa and Ho Man Tin area,” said Mr Wong Kwok-keung, Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council, “We are happy to work closely with the MTR Corporation in conducting the public consultation of this new rail line that can best suit the needs of the community.”

The construction of the railway extension is expected to commence in 2011 for completion in 2015. The Kwun Tong Line Extension will extend from the existing Kwun Tong Line at Yau Ma Tei to Whampoa, with an intermediate interchange station at Ho Man Tin. Upon completion of KTE, the journey time from Whampoa to Mongkok will only be around 5 minutes.

Photo caption:
(From left) Miss Maggie So, Senior Manager – Projects and Property Communications of MTR Corporation, Mr Wong Kwok-keung, Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council, Miss Winky So, District Officer of Kowloon City and Ms Li-lin, Chairman of Traffic and Transport Committee of the Kowloon City District Council put together Ho Man Tin and Whampoa Stations as the new line map for the Kwun Tong Line Extension, inviting the community to participate in the public consultation for the new extension.