Government shares community's aspiration for the Harbour

The Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau today (May 2) responded to media enquiries on the rally staged by the Action Group on Protection of the Harbour.

A Bureau spokesman said the government fully appreciated and shared the community's aspirations to protect and preserve the harbour and was committed to protecting Victoria Harbour, the special public asset of Hong Kong people.

"The newly-formed Harbour Enhancement Committee, comprising broad-based representatives from the relevant professional bodies, green groups, harbour and tourism bodies, business sector, district councillors and community leaders will provide timely advice and help build consensus to make our harbour a vibrant and accessible waterfront for the public to appreciate its beauty," the spokesman said.

In recent months, all other proposed reclamations have been removed from the Outline Zoning Plans. These include the ones at Tsuen Wan Bay, off Green Island on Hong Kong Island West and two piers yet to be reclaimed in West Kowloon.

For the remaining Wan Chai North and Southeast Kowloon proposals, they will be subject to review to ensure that any proposed reclamation will meet the Court of Final Appeal's 'overriding public need test'.

The Harbour-front Enhancement Committee will be consulted at very stage of these reviews while the government will consult widely on these proposals once conceptual plans are ready.

The current works under the CRIII are the final and concluding stage of reclamation in Central which started in 1998. The CRIII has gone through a due process of scrutiny supported by extensive public consultations. As a result of these consultations, the area of reclamation has been reduced from 32 hectares to 18 hectares, which is already the minimum reclamation. Moreover, upon its completion, there will be a waterfront promenade for the enjoyment of the public in the heart of the Central Business District.

The point of law on CRIII had been conclusively settled, the spokesman said, and given the urgency of the works to meet the essential transport needs as well as the contractual implications, there was no valid ground for the government not to proceed with the CRIII works.

The establishment of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee, on which the SPH, amongst others, is represented, marks the beginning of joint efforts by the community and the government to create a vibrant harbour-front for the enjoyment of the public through a common vision and a trustful relationship."

Ends/Sunday, May 2, 2004

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