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1. Alternative reclamation plan may not be technically feasible

2. Activists' plan halves reclamation

1. Alternative reclamation plan may not be technically feasible
Hong Kong Government, 27 November 2003

In response to media enquiries about whether an alternative plan proposed by the Society for Protection of the Harbour (SPH) for the Central Reclamation III (CRIII) is feasible, a spokesman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau today (November 27) gives the following reply:

"Representatives of the Society for Protection of the Harbour met with the Government technical team on November 24 during which the Society presented alternative reclamation plans for CRIII.

"On the reduced reclamation proposal, which the SPH claimed could reduce the reclamation extent by 50%, our engineers pointed out a number of technical problems at the meeting.

"The anticipated technical problems of the proposal include:

- No information has been provided for the seawall;

- The seawall is very close to the alignment of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass. No consideration has been given to the wave-absorbing design of the seawall and the reprovisioning of the pump houses which at present are located along the existing shoreline;

- The reprovisioning of public piers/landing steps appears to be inadequate; and

- The proposal does not give any thought to the work sequence on the implementation of the reclamation scheme.

"We will present to the SPH our views on its proposed plan."

2. Activists' plan halves reclamation
CHEUNG CHI-FAI, SCMP 28 November 2003

Harbour conservationists yesterday released an alternative plan for the Central and Wan Chai reclamation which they say halves the area of harbour to be filled in without compromising the government's main objectives.

Under the plan, sponsored by the Society for the Protection of the Harbour, reclamation along the harbour front on Hong Kong island would be reduced by 25 hectares, from 52 to 27 hectares. Its advocates say it would still allow construction of the Central-Wan Chai bypass and a harbour promenade.

However, the reduction would mean commercial proposals likely to violate the principle of minimum reclamation, laid down by the courts, would be deleted from the plan. They include the Convention Centre extension, hotels in Wan Chai and offices in Central.

The plan, costing less than $100,000 to devise, was produced by independent traffic consultants Geoffrey Rogers and John Patient.

Former society chairman Winston Chu Ka-sun's brother, Robert Chu, a mechanical engineer, also offered free professional advice.

The unveiling of the plan comes less than two weeks before the government appeals against a court decision over the Wan Chai reclamation on December 9.

Society chairwoman Christine Loh Kung-wai said the difference in the two plans was that the conservationists had adopted a "minimum approach" from the design stage.

"We found that where to start the work will affect how much is going to be reclaimed," she said.

"By re-phasing the order of the work method and adopting the minimum approach, the amount of reclamation can be reduced by up to half."

The society also offered a second plan without the bypass, which cut reclamation by 90 per cent.

The plans were presented to government officials on Monday, but the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau yesterday snubbed the society's efforts, saying the plans presented technical problems. These included a lack of information about the design of a seawall and a failure to address a problem related to pump houses on the existing shoreline.

The bureau also said the plan did not give any thought to the sequence for implementation of the reclamation.

"We will present to the Society for the Protection of the Harbour our views on its proposed plan," a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, two Greenpeace activists yesterday ended their protest against the reclamation project after occupying the dredging area in Central for about 32 hours on a life raft.

Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan also joined the raft yesterday morning.

Greenpeace activists handed a box containing toxic mud taken from the seabed to Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung, before concern groups presented their views on reclamation in a panel meeting of the legislature.