LC: Statement on West Kowloon Cultural District project

 

 

Following is the statement (translation) on the West Kowloon Cultural District project delivered by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, in the Legislative Council today (November 10):

 

Madam President and Members,

 

The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project has been a subject of concern to the Legislative Council (Legco) and various sectors of the community. Today, I wish to brief Members on the results of stage one of the assessment process regarding this project and our next steps, including arrangements for public consultation.

 

The idea of developing a world-class cultural district first arose in 1996. In that year, the Hong Kong Tourist Association conducted an extensive survey of visitors coming to Hong Kong and a proposal was put to Legco in 1998 that a new cultural venue should be built. In his Policy Address for that year, the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, said Hong Kong would be developed into Asia's arts and cultural capital. The construction of the WKCD was one of the key initiatives.

 

We began working on ideas for the WKCD project in 1998. It is now six years on. The Government has consulted Legco and the relevant sectors on various aspects of the project. On November 26, 2003, I spoke at length on the project design, development method and consultation arrangements during Legco's motion debate on the subject, and eventually got the support of the Legco. I won't repeat them here.

 

Between December last year and March this year, the Government held widespread consultations with the arts and cultural sectors as well as professional bodies. We listened to views on the contents of our Invitation for Proposals (IFP), including the assessment criteria. We will certainly refer to these valuable views in assessing the proposals.

 

In building the WKCD, the Government seeks to enhance the quality of life of the public by providing world-class visual and performing arts programmes in facilities that are state-of-the-art. The WKCD will boost Hong Kong's status as a world city. Financial centres like New York and London enjoy their standing as glamour destinations thanks to the great importance they attach to the development of art and culture, including architecture.

 

With its unique landmark design and the abundance of arts, cultural and entertainment events on offer, the WKCD will reap considerable economic benefits for Hong Kong, including attracting more tourists to visit and spend money in Hong Kong. The construction of the WKCD will also create a lot of employment opportunities, including 500 professional posts in the short term and at least over 5 000 vacancies for construction workers over six consecutive years. In the long run, this project will create for the local job market over 1 000 posts engaged in the operation and management of the arts and cultural facilities in the district.

 

Result of the screening

 

The Government issued the IFP for the WKCD in September last year which attracted enterprises and consortiums. At the time, we called on the developers to enter into partnerships with renowned and experienced local and overseas arts and cultural bodies. This shows that we not only consider the project as a unique architectural, arts and cultural icon, but also attach great importance to its substance and management software. In fact, all the screened-in proponents have proposed partnerships with top local and overseas arts and cultural organisations, which is no doubt of benefit to the public, especially the arts and cultural sector.

 

We received five development proposals by the deadline of June 19 this year and briefed the Legco Panel on Planning, Lands and Works on the progress in June this year. The assessment committee has since then been assessing these five proposals and has now finished stage one of the assessment process.

 

So I will now inform Members of the screening result in this stage and the arrangements for the ensuing assessment and public consultation.

 

The five proposals received were from World City Culture Park Limited, Sunny Development Limited, Swire Properties Limited, Dynamic Star International Limited and Mr Lam, Sze-tat.

 

The first stage of the assessment involved screening the proposals against the basic requirements laid down in the IFP. An assessment committee of senior and experienced civil servants, including those from professional departments, carried out the screening based on the assessment criteria in the IFP. All officers involved had to observe the guidelines that were drawn up with the assistance of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). We specifically invited the ICAC to witness the entire screening process to ensure that the process was fair and just.

 

The assessment committee has already presented its report to the Steering Committee which I chair. Subsequently, the Steering Committee recommended the screening result to the Chief Executive in Council and the result has been approved.

 

According to the screening result, the proposal from Swire Properties Limited does not meet the basic requirements specified by the IFP in several aspects. First, Swire Properties Limited fails to provide core arts and cultural facilities, such as a museum cluster, art exhibition centre and theatre complex, in the WKCD in accordance with the IFP. The proponent proposes to use the WKCD site principally for residential and commercial developments. This is not the Government's intention and is not acceptable.

 

World-class arts facilities, such as London's South Bank and West End, succeed in creating a cost-effective and vibrant hub by bringing together arts, cultural, entertainment and leisure facilities. In building the WKCD, the Government hopes to create a world-class cultural district that fosters artistic talent and attracts visitors.

 

Moreover, the proposal from Swire Properties provides no canopy in accordance with the basic requirements laid down in the IFP. It just proposes planting trees on the roofs of some low-rise connected retail buildings in the WKCD to provide a "living roof". This is materially different from the special features and concept of the design of the canopy required by the IFP. It would not create a unique architectural landmark for the WKCD to attract visitors. It would not group together the facilities in the district. It would not allow the public to enjoy the facilities in an open setting. The merits expected of the canopy design are lost.

 

In addition, Swire Properties scatters the required arts and cultural facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui, Tamar and Fenwick Piers, which will not create the clustering effect envisaged by the original design and will occupy several valuable public sites at the harbour front. It would also involve the demolition of some of the existing arts and cultural facilities in Hong Kong, including the Space Museum and the Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui. These facilities now operate well with very high utilisation rates. Their demolition would, in addition to being a waste of public money, cause inconvenience to the public.

 

For the above reasons, we consider that the proposal submitted by Swire Properties Limited does not meet the basic requirements laid down in the IFP. In fact, Swire Properties has not declared that its proposal met all the basic requirements as stated in the IFP.

 

The proposal submitted by Mr Lam, Sze-tat does not meet the basic requirements since it does not show that the proponent possesses the required relevant direct experience for the project. It also fails to propose the core arts and cultural facilities.

 

The Government is grateful to Swire Properties Limited and Mr Lam, Sze-tat for the submission of their proposals. However, according to the rules set out in the IFP, the Government will not consider these proposals further.

 

The next steps

 

I wish to point out that the Government has just completed the first stage of the assessment process. The proposals that meet the basic requirements will be further assessed. This does not mean that the Government has formed any opinion on these proposals. We now need to proceed to the next stage of the assessment process, in which the assessment committee will continue to assess these proposals in accordance with the criteria set out in the IFP. The assessment covers three aspects, namely, technical, financial, and operation, maintenance and management. The ICAC will continue to witness the entire assessment process as an observer.

 

At the same time, the Government will consult the public on these screened-in proposals.

 

The Government announced in March this year that it planned to start public consultations early next year. Public can air their views on proposals that meet the basic requirements. These views will serve as reference in the selection and negotiation of proposals.

 

As the assessment process has been smooth, the Government will bring forward the public consultation exercise to mid-December to allow the community to become involved in this important and meaningful project earlier. We will invite the three screened-in proponents to take part in the public consultations. They will provide exhibits for public comment, including models made to scale and the contents of their proposals. This public exhibition will take place at the Hong Kong Science Museum and will last about six weeks. At the exhibition venue, the Government will distribute questionnaires to collect visitors' views on the screened-in proposals.

 

To let more people learn about the screened-in proposals, the Government will also display a summary of these proposals at places where people converge, including five venues under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. All information displayed will also be uploaded onto the WKCD website. The public will then be able to browse the information on the internet and fill out an online questionnaire to express their opinions on the proposals.

 

I call on the public to visit the exhibition and to complete the questionnaire. Public views are valuable and will help the Government select the proposal that is in the best interests of the public. Those unable to go to the exhibition hall or unable to hand in the questionnaire at the exhibition venue are welcome to present their views to the Government through the post, email, etc.

 

In addition to the exhibition, the Government will also hold a series of discussion forums in various districts to collect views from various sectors of the community. We will invite representatives of each proponent to attend these forums to explain the contents of their proposals. This will provide a good opportunity for the public, cultural sector and relevant professionals to get to know the proposals and to give their views.

 

To ensure the information to be exhibited by the screened-in proponents is in line with the proposals submitted to the Government, proponents participating in the exhibitions will be required to submit such information to the Government in advance. They will also be required to sign an undertaking, promising that all the information provided in the exhibition, displays and discussion forums held by the Government truly reflects their proposals submitted earlier. The rules to be followed by these proponents will be uploaded onto the WKCD website later. Following the public consultation, we will publicise all the public views received to ensure a high level of transparency throughout the process.

 

Consultation with Legco

 

The Government will, of course, consult Legco on the proposals. We welcome Members to visit the exhibition and displays to see the contents of the screened-in proposals. We will be pleased to make arrangements for visits by Members. We also plan to arrange for the proponents to brief the relevant Legco panels on their proposals.

 

Making good use of public views

 

I would like to point out that the valuable views of the public and the Members are crucial to our further assessment of the proposals. All views collected will be taken into account before we decide on which proponents to negotiate with for improvements of their proposals. At the final stage of the assessment, we will consult the Legco and the Town Planning Board before signing the provisional agreement with the successful proponent. Development parameters such as plot ratio, gross floor area and maximum building height set out in the provisional agreement will be submitted to the Town Planning Board for inclusion in the South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan and approval under regular statutory procedures. After Town Planning Board has approved the zoning plan and the selected proponent has successfully performed its obligations under the provisional agreements, which include the preparation of the detailed masterplan, the Government will conclude the project agreement with the successful proponent.

 

Conclusion

 

The core development concept of the WKCD is that it is "people-oriented". We hope to select from the screened-in proposals one that is in the best interests of the public to develop world-class arts and cultural facilities and provide arts and cultural programmes of high standard to the public. By integrating the cultural and leisure facilities, the WKCD will bring economic benefits to Hong Kong and enhance its status as a world city and tourist destination.

 

I sincerely hope that the community will actively participate in this public consultation exercise. Your views are important in shaping the WKCD. I also look forward to Members' continued support. Let's create a vibrant artistic and cultural environment for the people of Hong Kong and our future generations.

 

Thank you, President.

 

Ends/Wednesday, November 10, 2004

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