1 MTRC plans $500m Light Rail facelift
Jennifer Lai, SCMP 9 July 2008
The MTR Corporation will spend close to HK$500 million on modernizing the Light Rail system, previously run by the KCRC.
The company has acquired 22 new carriages from Australia costing HK$400 million to meet rising demand: a third of the 380,000 Light Rail passengers now transfer to West Rail daily to get to urban areas.
The company will spend HK$90 million on refurbishing.
The program will start in the fourth quarter of 2008 and will involve replacing 69 first-generation trains.
The main aim is to project a dynamic new image. While the modernization work will be completed in 2011, new trains will start service early next year to coincide with the opening of the Kowloon Southern Link from Nam Cheong station to East Tsim Sha Tsui station.
Meanwhile, a supervisor of a social service center in Tin Shui Wai, who did not want to be named, said the new look Light Rail trains are unnecessary, but will give a positive message to residents. She added that the Light Rail is a commonly used mode of transport and passengers will take note of the vibrant new design.
Chief MTR architect Wilfred Yeung Sze-wai said the interior colors of the new Light Rail trains will provide a more tranquil atmosphere: purple will give off a feeling of comfort while green underscores Light Rail's environmental friendliness. Bright colors will be used for the poles, outer edges of the doors and designated wheelchair parking areas to help the visually impaired and the disabled.
The arrangement of the poles and handles will be changed for improved passenger flow. All seats will face forward to avoid any passenger discomfort. On the technical side, new static inverters will be installed in the trains to make operations quieter and more efficient.
Out of the current 119 Light Rail trains running, the remaining 50 trains may be modernized later.
2 Re-tender for development of a new cruise terminal in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Government, 9 July 2008
The Government today (July 9) announced it would re-tender for the development of a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak, with the Government funding the site formation works and facilities required for the provision of necessary government services.
The Government issued an open land tender for the new cruise terminal project in November 2007, which closed in March 2008. Two submissions were received, neither of which fully conformed with the requirements laid down in the tender document. One of the tender submissions requested hotel rooms to be individually sold off, while the other requested to develop more commercial area.
“To ensure open and fair competition, and after careful consideration, the Government decided to re-tender the project,” the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Frederick Ma, said.
“Subject to funding approval by the Legislative Council, the Government aims to re-tender by the end of this year. The target is to begin operation of the first berth of the cruise terminal in the second quarter of 2013,” Mr Ma said.
Unlike a conventional commercial development, the cruise terminal project requires extensive site formation works and the provision of government facilities such as customs, immigration, health quarantine and police, as well as a landscaped deck.
“Through the last tender, the market was tested and the response demonstrated that the project with the current terms and conditions lacked attractiveness to the market, and that the market was not willing to take up the project,” Mr Ma said.
He said that for Hong Kong to capitalise on growth opportunities in the cruise market and in view of the substantial economic benefits the development would bring to Hong Kong, the Government decided to seek the approval of the Legislative Council to fund the site formation works for, and the construction costs for government facilities in, the cruise terminal project.
“In taking forward comprehensive development area projects, it is not uncommon for the Government to require in the land lease the successful tenderer to design and construct specified Government or public facilities,” Mr Ma said.
“This approach has the advantages of making more efficient use of the land resources, minimising interface issues and ensuring an integral design. There are also precedents of Government paying the successful tenderer the capital cost of basic infrastructure or government facilities. In the case of the cruise terminal, such funding support would help enhance the attractiveness of the project to the market.”
The Government will seek the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council to fund the site formation works for and the provision of government facilities in the cruise terminal in the fourth quarter of 2008. Subject to the Finance Committee’s approval, the Government will re-tender the site by the end of this year with the aim of awarding the tender by the third quarter of 2009. The first berth of the new cruise terminal is expected to begin operations by the second quarter of 2013.
“With experience from the last tender, the Government will take the opportunity to update and elaborate relevant requirements to enhance commercial flexibility, add clarity to our requirements, and track the latest market trends,” Mr Ma said.
He said Hong Kong was committed to developing into a leading cruise hub of the region. The world’s top three cruise operators have been expanding their presence in the region, and have redeployed three new vessels for homeporting in Hong Kong. The number of international cruise vessels visiting Hong Kong as port-of-call is on the upward trend, increasing from 44 calls in 2006 to 49 calls in 2007, and it is expected to increase by 20% in 2008 (from 49 in 2007 to 59 in 2008). The total cruise passenger throughput (excluding Hong Kong residents) increased by 52% from 2006 (412,000) to 2007 (626,200).
“We appreciate the urgent need to develop a new cruise terminal and will endeavour to complete the funding application and tendering process as early as possible.
“The new cruise terminal will become an important tourism infrastructure for Hong Kong. It will help diversify our tourism products, and enhance our attractiveness to tourists from different market segments, in particular the high-end market,” Mr Ma said.
Cruise market studies indicate that with the availability of new cruise terminal facilities and appropriate marketing strategies, the economic benefits are estimated to be between $1.4 billion and $2.2 billion per annum by 2020. The facilities will provide 6,900 to 10,900 employment opportunities.
3 LCQ18: Town Planning Ordinance
Hong Kong Government, 9 July 2008
Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):
Question:
There is public concern that the natural environment in the New Territories, comprising important and ecologically sensitive natural habitats, has fallen as a constant target of unauthorized and illegal activities. These activities include, but not limited to, unauthorised land filling and excavation, as well as illegal tree felling. Previous uncovered cases have revealed that as the Planning Department does not have the power to enforce the Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131) in areas which are covered by statutory zoning plans but not Development Permission Area Plans ("DPAPs"), there is a large loophole in the existing planning control mechanism. As a result, the Planning Department is not empowered to take action against the above activities, although they are not in line with the planning intention of the zoning plans concerned. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the areas on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories in which existing legislation against unauthorised and illegal activities which violate the planning intention is not enforceable (i.e. areas which are currently not covered by a DPAP), as well as the location of such areas and the land area involved;
(b) of the number of cases uncovered in the past three years in which enforcement action could not be taken against the relevant unauthorised and illegal activities because of the above loophole; and
(c) given that there is an increase in the number of cases in which the above loophole in the Town Planning Ordinance is exploited, and the unauthorised and illegal activities involved will damage the environment and affect the future development of the areas concerned, what action the Government will take to plug the loophole, and whether it will consider amending the existing legislation?
Reply:
Madam President,
Unauthorised and illegal activities that may have an adverse impact on the natural environment in the New Territories take various forms. It must remain the responsibility of the respective land owners to prevent such activities from occurring. The relevant Government departments will also adopt measures to deter such activities or take enforcement action under their respective legal powers. To address the problem more effectively, concerted efforts are being made by relevant Government departments.
Since the Hon. Choy So-yuk’s question is apparently focused on unauthorised land filling activities and the relevance of the town planning regime, I shall respond to her three-part question on these aspects:
(a) The prime objective of the Town Planning Ordinance is to regulate land use and related developments. Except for certain zonings which prohibit development, developments conforming to the zonings are permitted as of right, and land filling operations are considered as part of the development process. Development control in these areas is exercised by way of statutory Outline Zoning Plans (OZPs) and the planning permission system under the Town Planning Ordinance, as well as building controls under the Buildings Ordinance and the relevant control provided for in the land leases.
The Ordinance does not confer enforcement authority in respect of areas not covered by Development Permission Area (DPA) plans. These areas comprise mainly the urban areas and new towns. Even for DPAs, the Planning Department’s enforcement action against unauthorised land filling activities is confined to "Green Belt", "Agriculture" and conservation-related zonings (such as "Sites of Special Scientific Interest", "Conservation Area" and "Coastal Protection Area"), as designated areas in the rural New Territories are also planned for suitable developments, such as "Village Type Development", "Residential (Group D)" and "Open Storage". Land filling operations in these development-related land use zonings would not be prohibited as they are incidental to development. Areas in the New Territories, including the Frontier Closed Area, which are at present neither included in country parks nor subject to statutory planning (OZP/DPA) control make up about 10.8% of all land in Hong Kong, mainly scattered in the less developed and remote parts of the rural New Territories.
(b) The report submitted to the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs on June 30 2008 has listed 152 cases uncovered in the past three years about inert construction and demolition materials being deposited on private land. Out of the 152 cases, Planning Department has undertaken enforcement action on 92, the majority of which fall in "Green Belt", "Agriculture" and conservation-related zonings within DPAs. It was either not possible or appropriate to take enforcement action under the Town Planning Ordinance against the remaining 60 cases. These comprise 19 cases which fall within development-related zonings within DPAs; 20 cases where there was insufficient evidence for action or where planning permission had been obtained; 15 cases were located within OZP areas not previously designated DPAs; and 6 cases were in areas not covered by any statutory plans.
It should be noted that enforcement action was not or would not be taken in many cases because the respective land filling operation was not prohibited under the prevailing zoning or planning mechanism.
(c) Given the background outlined in part (a) above, we do not consider the Town Planning Ordinance to be the most appropriate tool to control land filling activities per se. To lightly contemplate overhauling the planning regime to forestall a particular form of illegal or unauthorised activities on the land would have far reaching implications. In practice, for most parts of the urban areas and new towns where development is to be facilitated rather than prohibited, introducing control against land filling in the planning permission process would also unnecessarily prolong the development approval process.
At present, relevant Government departments exercise control over the deposit of construction and demolition materials on private land in accordance with the legislations and administrative measures under their purview. As reported to the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs on June 30 2008, the Environmental Protection Department is, in collaboration with other Government departments, setting up a database on such activities to capture all basic information including site locations, their zonings, sizes, land uses, etc., and will also record all the actions taken by the concerned Government departments. The database will be readily accessed and updated by the concerned Government departments. They will also meet regularly to ensure effective and co-ordinated actions are taken in accordance with the legislation under their respective jurisdiction.
