Last week, colleagues of the Development Bureau briefed the Task Force on Kai Tak Harbourfront Development of the Harbourfront Commission (HC) and the respective committee of the Kowloon City District Council (DC) on the proposed development of the waterfront public open space fronting the hotel sites at Kai Tak Runway. HC and DC members shared the vision of our development principle. They also provided a lot of positive comments and supported the general direction we put forward. In our proposal, the ownership of the harbourfront land will remain with the Government and the entire open space will be open for the public 24 hours a day.  Meanwhile, we are also mindful of the worries expressed by some that development and management by the private sector would lead to commercialisation of the harbourfront and encroachment of the open space area for public enjoyment. Let me explain here to allay some of these concerns.

First, I hope you would all understand that to create "a harbour for the people and a harbour of life", the Victoria Harbourfront, with its extensive length of 73km, would need to encompass diversity and variety. Different sections of the waterfront should be designed and developed based on the needs and potential of the community in order to further exemplify the unique character for the particular locality. Some parts of the harbourfront could be implemented through public works projects, while there are also numerous examples where the private sector is engaged for collaborative development. Some waterfront areas are landscaped leisure spaces for more passive activities like sitting, strolling and jogging. At the same time, other waterfront areas could be used for a wider range of activities, for example sitting down for a good read, sharing an ice-cream with children while appreciating the panoramic view of the Harbour, paying a visit to handicraft stalls. These are definitely choices how the public could enjoy the harbourfront. Diversity, robustness and innovative designs are what make the harbourfront vibrant and lively, and this is the vision we have cultivated, valued and been promoting with HC all along.

In fact, public open space in private development (POSPD) is not a new attempt. Its primary objective is to achieve better quality design for public open space, optimise land use and improve the environment. After comprehensive reviews and consultations with relevant stakeholders in the past years, the Development Bureau promulgated the “Public Open Space in Private Developments Design and Management Guidelines” (the Guidelines) in 2011 with the view to providing a set of clear and practical guidelines. Standards and responsibilities for the design and operation of these public open spaces on the part of the private developers are set out in the Guidelines to protect public rights in using the areas.

The public open space at the centre of public discussion this time is located adjacent to five hotel sites at Kai Tak Runway facing Victoria Harbour. This section of the harbourfront is around 850 metres long, 35 to 50 metres wide, and is zoned as “open space”. The five neighbouring sites are zoned for “commercial” use, providing about 5.4 hectares of land for hotel development (see picture). Taking into account the progress of infrastructure projects in the runway area, it is expected that the subject waterfront land could be released for development in the next few years.

Kai Tak Development has in total a stretch of 11km of harbourfront land. While actively taking forward various infrastructure works and the provision of public facilities, we also hope that other development and open space projects in Kai Tak could be completed in time for early public enjoyment. With this in mind, we plan to follow the established policies on POSPD and request under land lease for successful purchasers of the five hotel sites to develop and manage the adjoining public open space including the promenade. The entire public open space will still be owned by the Government and will not be leased to the hotel operators. The Government may resume management responsibilities of the open space at its discretion at any time.

The five hotel sites would be disposed of through open tender.  Successful lot purchasers will be requested to design, construct, manage and maintain the respective public open space including the promenade adjoining their sites in accordance with the land sale conditions.  The hotel operators will be required to submit design proposals of their public open space for Government’s review and approval to ensure accessibility and continuity along the entire waterfront area.  To enrich the vibrancy of the public open space, the land lease would also be drawn up permitting a certain level of activities, such as outdoor cafes, shop kiosks and art and crafts markets. According to the Guidelines, areas for such kind of activities should not exceed 10per cent of the public open space. In other words, 90per cent of the public open space would be open to the public freely for their leisure and recreational use and no commercial activities should be allowed thereon. Our goal of the proposal is clear, that is to inject more vitality and vibrancy into the harbourfront of Kai Tak, achieving a win-win situation and bring wider benefits to the public.

Victoria Harbour is an important public asset. It would be worthwhile for the community to contemplate collectively the need of featuring certain commercial elements at the harbourfront. In fact, many of the successful waterfront spaces around the world, such as Sydney, Singapore and Copenhagen, are an embodiment of passive and more dynamic components.  Many times, public open space could be enhanced through collaboration between the public and private sectors. With the opportunity presented at the hotel sites of Kai Tak runway, we hope to facilitate timely completion and release of this waterfront open space for early public enjoyment and take a step forward in the realisation of creating a vibrant harbourfront.

We are grateful for the valuable comments given by HC and Kowloon City DC members. We will consider the feedback received from the community in order to create a better harbourfront for all.