1 Secretary for Development speaks about developments in Tin Shui Wai
Following is the transcript of the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, speaking to the media after attending the Building Safety Carnival 2008 in Victoria Park today (October 5):
Reporter: What is this project in Tin Shui Wai is going to do for the people living there and for the temporary project there, if it is successful, is there any chance that the development could be turned into a permanent thing?
Secretary for Development: The collaboration with the Hong Kong Housing Society is not a temporary project. It is a permanent project to develop the first of its kind an integrated elderly community project in Tin Shui Wai. Of course you ask me why we choose Tin Shui Wai, one is because we do have land available in this Area 115, which is big enough to accommodate this sort of project and secondly, it is because a few months ago, the Chief Executive has expressed a lot of concern about residents in Tin Shui Wai and suggested that Development Bureau should try to use land more flexibly in order to address some of the concerns in Tin Shui Wai, namely the provision of jobs, also to inject some economic activities into Tin Shui Wai and if at all possible, also meet some of the needs of the residents there. So we see this project of the Housing Society being able to fulfil all those requirements. First, during the construction stage, as well as the operation stage, the project will be able to create additional jobs. We now estimate that during the construction, it will be able to create between 250 to 400 construction jobs, and then once it is in operation, it will create 700 jobs, and all these are only confined to phase 1. Of course more jobs will be created in phase 2. We estimated that most of the jobs required for the operation of this kind of facility will be suitable for residents in Tin Shui Wai. That is the ultimate objective of working with the Hong Kong Housing Society.
As for other initiatives in Tin Shui Wai, in the land adjacent to Area 115, we have Area 112, which we are now doing land formation work and to put into essential utilities like toilets and so on. The land will be available for use by January next year. Earlier on there have been a lot of suggestions to create shopping malls, factory outlets. But we are not too sure whether a permanent land grant for that sort of commercial investment will be viable, because at the moment, Tin Shui Wai has not got that critical mass. So we have consulted some of the Chambers and felt that perhaps an ensured tenancy of about five years may be able to attract a start-up of some sort of factory or brands outlet, or more activities or recreational activities. Once we have started on that ground, and if we feel that the time has come, the critical mass is there and people always think of Tin Shui Wai whenever they want to do that sort of activities, then we would concurrently consider more permanent land grant to retain that sort of economic vibrancy in Tin Shui Wai.
Reporter: What will this five year temporary project will do for Tin Shui Wai?
Secretary for Development: It is for the same purpose of creating jobs, and bringing economic activities into Tin Shui Wai, by bringing people flow into Tin Shui Wai. For example, Tin Shui Wai is actually very close to the boundary control point. Our statistics show that a lot of Shenzhen residents coming over to Hong Kong and more and more they are doing one day visit, shopping, a bit of sight seeing, and they go back, and they will come another time. So whether we could seize this opportunity to create some shopping outlets in that part of the New Territories is something we need to try. I cannot say that it will definitely succeed, and that’s why we don’t go for a land grant because once doing a land grant, the land is being allocated permanently and if the business fails, we will end up with quite a lot of problems. So we want to try it out through an expression of interest first. If people feel that five years is a bit too short and whether we could do up to seven years, then we could consider that. But anything beyond seven years will have planning problems, because anything above seven years will be more or less permanent and it will have to go through a lot planning process, which means the whole thing will be delayed.
2 24-site heritage tour for Wan Chai Access to some buildings on trail uncertain
Joyce Ng, SCMP 6 October 2008
The government has identified 24 spots to form a heritage trail that tells the story of old Wan Chai, although the fate of some of the buildings is still up in the air and they may eventually be closed off to the public.
There are also concerns that merely erecting information signs to create the trail, as the government has done in the past, does not go far enough.
The locations identified by the Old Wan Chai Revitalisation Initiatives Special Committee cover landmarks like the Blue House on Stone Nullah Lane and the old Wan Chai Market. Two privately owned mansions and the Sikh temple are also on the list. Not all sites are open to the public, however.
Nam Koo Terrace on Ship Street is owned by Hopewell Holdings (SEHK: 0054), which has yet to decide whether to make it open to the public or keep it private.
No64 Kennedy Road may also end up off-limits to the public. The owner applied to allow for higher-density land use, but is facing objections from concern groups.
In addition, the fate of the Wan Chai Police Station is still up in the air. The government has said police would vacate the building, but it is unclear whether it will be preserved.
The Old Wan Chai Market, shophouses on Burrow Street and Mallory Street, and the Blue House have been designated for revitalisation, but when they will be ready is uncertain.
The convenor of the revitalising committee, Stephen Ng Kam-chun, said members were still studying the details to come up with a design for the heritage trail. The committee has suggested putting up signs and decorating two historic temples with special lights to improve the area at night.
Anthony Siu Kwok-kin, a research consultant to the committee, said the trail should take about two to three hours.
Professor Siu suggested starting the route in the east along Queen's Road East, zigzagging through the heart of old Wan Chai along Tai Yuen Street and Spring Garden Lane to end on Johnston Road. "But signs would not be enough to tell history. We need well-informed guides," he said.
Ho Pui-yin, a historian at Chinese University, also said a trail with signs about the buildings would not be enough to put them into proper context.
People on the fringes of society gravitated to Wan Chai in the 19th century, she said. "It was those who could not set foot in Sheung Wan and Central, like coolies working at the piers, that came to live on Queen's Road East."
Buildings such as the Blue House were examples of "primitive" housing. "People cramped in these small buildings. Balconies were narrow and lacked decoration.
"The drainage pipes exposed on the exterior walls are symbolic of the contemporary sewerage," Professor Ho said.
Spring Garden Lane was a red-light zone, said the historian, and there was an orphanage on the same street, run by nuns, to take care of abandoned babies.
Towards the west of the trail, Wo Cheong Pawn Shop and Nam Koo Terrace, with western-style facades and wider balconies, signalled the rise of the middle class by the turn of the century, she said.
"Wan Chai is an important part of modern Hong Kong identity. When the government says this is its first district-based conservation project, it should use the trail to show how society evolved."
3 Rental flats for elderly set for Tin Shui Wai
Dennis Chong, SCMP 6 October 2008
The Executive Council has agreed in principle to allocate 60,000 square metres of land in Tin Shui Wai to the Housing Society for a residential development for the elderly.
When the two-phase project is completed, the land near Hong Kong Wetland Park will feature 1,250 rental flats for the elderly plus recreational facilities and guesthouses.
Officials have boasted it would be an ideal retirement environment, and even touted it as an attraction for youngsters and medical tourism.
The first phase, with 600 rental flats, is expected to be completed in about five years and create 800 jobs. Facilities such as clinics and care homes will also be built to cater for the needs of the elderly.
Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said yesterday the project was the first of its kind.
"This innovative plan includes a guesthouse. As the scenery is beautiful in Tin Shui Wai, I believe youngsters are going to come and visit their elderly relatives," she said.
Housing Society chairman Yeung Ka-sing said the Integrated Elderly Community Project was aimed at creating job opportunities.
In return for the land, the Housing Society will return a lot on Tsing Luk Street, Tsing Yi, which it bought for about HK$370 million.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung described the project as "out of the ordinary".
He said the wide range of facilities would benefit locals, and the medical facilities could be attractive to those who visited Hong Kong for medical tourism.
The project is part of the government's wider plan to create jobs and revitalise the economy in the northwest New Territories, distant from the city and home to a large number of less-well-off new immigrants.
However, Tin Shui Wai Development Network chairwoman Chung Yuen-yi said she had reservations about the number of jobs that could be created through the project.
"Elderly-related jobs are likely to be part-time jobs. For example, a domestic helper only gets to work for a few hours from time to time."
Even if the number of jobs to be created was correct, the project would provide little help to the unemployed in the new town.
"There are about 20,000 unemployed people in Tin Shui Wai," she said. "Eight hundred jobs could only help very few people in this sense."
Meanwhile, the government is calling for expressions of interest for the development of recreational and commercial facilities on 30,000 square metres of land nearby.
4 Government approves HKHS' elderly housing project at Tanner Road
Hong Kong Government, 6 October 2008
The Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) announced today (October 6) that the Chief Executive-in-Council had given in-principle approval for lease modification of the site of the former Tanner Hill Estate at Tanner Road, North Point for the development of an elderly housing project by the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS).
HKHS' proposal comprises about 700 purpose-built elderly rental flats together with various recreational, elderly-related and ancillary supporting facilities, including a residential care home for the elderly, a day care centre for the elderly, a medical centre, shops, a restaurant and a multi-purpose hall. It will provide integrated accommodation, health care and related support facilities for the elders under one roof.
The elderly rental flats are targeted at affordable elders who are willing to pay for the rental flats and the services under a market-driven approach. The tenure of tenancy may include both short-term leases as well as lease-for-life arrangement to meet the different needs of the elderly. The facilities would be open to both residents and non-resident elders on a charged basis.
“The project will provide another housing choice to elders who wish to age in the community. It was HKHS' response to the Chief Executive's commitment in the 2007 Policy Address to expand the elderly housing scheme on Hong Kong Island,” a THB spokesman said.
Unlike the two pilot projects at Jordan Valley and Tseung Kwan O under the “Senior Citizens Residence (SEN) Scheme” which enjoy nominal premium, the proposed elderly rental flats at the Tanner Road site will not involve nominal or concessionary land premium. HKHS will pay the full market value land premium which will reflect the lease, but not sale, of the housing units to elders aged 60 or above. HKHS will operate the project on a self-financing basis without subsidy from Government. Also, the project promotes elderly care and “ageing in the community”.
HKHS anticipates that the construction works would take three to four years to complete, counting from the date of the commencement of works.
5 Proposals sought for Tin Shui Wai Area 112 Site B
Hong Kong Government, 6 October 2008
The Government today (October 6) launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) exercise, seeking innovative ideas from interested parties for making best use of Tin Shui Wai (TSW) Area 112 Site B to give fresh economic impetus and create more jobs for the district.
"The EOI exercise is conducted to ascertain market feedback and interest in using the site on a temporary basis, say for five years, for achieving the social objectives of meeting the specific needs of the TSW community," said a spokesman for the Development Bureau.
The proposals shall endeavour to:
(a) create economic activities, jobs or training opportunities in TSW areas;
(b) enhance social support, networking or services to TSW residents;
(c) boost the vibrancy of the TSW community through means, such as recreational and entertainment facilities, and so on; and
(d) enable TSW to become an attractive location for both locals and visitors, with a view to increasing consumption and business in the district.
The ideas and suggestions received may be used by the Government in formulating the way forward for the subsequent tender exercise.
More details of the EOI exercise are available at www.devb.gov.hk and www.landsd.gov.hk. Interested parties should submit their EOI proposals to the Development Bureau by noon on December 12 this year.
