The Tsuen Wan waterfront enhancement project was initiated by the local community. The community was also engaged throughout the development process. At the planning stage, the DEVB took part in the Tsuen Wan Promenade Placemaking Project co-organised by the Working Group on Management of Facilities in the Coastal Area of the Coastal Affairs Committee of the Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC) and the Hong Kong Public Space Initiative in January 2017. Multiple exchanges and site visits were also arranged for members of the Harbourfront Commission and the TWDC. The DEVB subsequently invited two young planners from the Hong Kong Institute of Planners to provide assistance and offer suggestions during the place-making exercise. They in turn optimised the design concept for this section of the Tsuen Wan harbourfront by exemplifying district characteristics and responding to the advocacy of "making every section special" by the DEVB and the Harbourfront Commission in harbourfront development. Specifically, the newly installed balustrades with timber handrails, featured seating and arbours were designed taking into account the history of the textile industry in Tsuen Wan. In response to local views, paving and lighting have been beautified, while weeds along the sea wall have also been removed. Additional activity space has been created by removing the planters and opening the lawn area.
The Harbour Office under the DEVB has also, under the "limited edition" concept, introduced place-making initiatives to this harbourfront to enhance visitors' experiences. As a debut event, local creative group Postgal Workshop has built the "Din Dong Happy Village by the Harbour" featuring the cartoon character Din Dong. To foster greater interaction with the installations, the design team has specifically installed railing tables along the harbourfront balustrades and moveable chess tables along the low kerb. Visitors may hence put aside their belongings and cups and enjoy the harbour view in even more relaxing ways. Moreover, in order to create a more inclusive harbourfront, the design team has collaborated for the first time with Beyond Vision Projects, a non-governmental organisation, to translate different graphic designs into tactile graphics so that, by simply navigating with their fingertips, the visually impaired may feel the vibrancy of the Tsuen Wan harbourfront and the charm of local comic artworks.
"We have commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct a study on enhancing the biodiversity of the sea wall at the Tsuen Wan harbourfront. By investigating the effectiveness and feasibility of implementing both imported and locally designed eco-shoreline modules there, the study could help establish a scientific basis and gain experience for eco-shoreline implementation in busy harbour areas such as Victoria Harbour," the spokesman said.
With a total area of about 14.7 hectares, the harbourfront between Riviera Gardens and Bayview Garden is zoned "Open Space" in the relevant Outline Zoning Plan. The whole 2.5 kilometre-long harbourfront is currently fully connected for public use. Apart from the Enhancement of the Tsuen Wan Waterfront (Phase I) project, the Cycle Track between Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun - Advance Works project by the Civil Engineering and Development Department is also close to completion. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Drainage Services Department are also actively planning for the Improvement of Tsuen Wan Riviera Park and Tsuen Wan Park project and the dry weather flow interceptor works that would further improve the water quality of the coastal area of Tsuen Wan. Through the dedicated funding for harbourfront enhancement, the Harbour Office will also continue its planning for the Tsuen Wan Waterfront Enhancement (Phase 2) project with a view to further improving the environment of the harbourfront between Hoi On Road and Hoi Hing Road.
The spokesman added that the departments will continue to improve the harbourfront environment with reference to the experience and feedback of users, thereby creating an attractive, vibrant, accessible and sustainable Victoria Harbour for the public to enjoy.
Ends/Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Issued at HKT 15:48
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