In response to press enquiries concerning the open letter issued on June 8 by Chairperson of the Society for Protection of the Harbour (SPH), Ms Christine Loh, a spokesman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau reiterated today (June 9) that the Government had not awarded the CRIII contract in a hasty manner.
"We deeply regret the accusations leveled by the SPH at the Government. They are groundless and factually incorrect," the spokesman said.
"Similar query has been raised by the Society in their judicial review against Central Reclamation Phase III (CRIII) Works. We have in the Government submission to the Court fully addressed it. It is important for us to set out the facts again.
"The main contract of the CRIII works was awarded on 10 February 2003 and the works commenced on 28 February 2003. The Town Planning Board (TPB) received the notification from SPH on 27 February 2003 that it had applied to the High Court for judicial review over the draft Wan Chai North Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). The application for judiciary review was targeted at the decisions made by the TPB on the draft Wan Chai North OZP and had nothing to do with the CRIII works. On 28 February 2003 the High Court granted leave to the SPH's application for judicial review.
"It was on 25 September 2003 that SPH applied to the High Court for judicial review and an interim injunction against the CRIII works. Before that, the Government had not received any notification from any organization of the lodging of any judicial review on CRIII. The award of the CRIII contract works was done in full compliance of well-established procedures and after the due process. It is absolutely not done in a hasty manner. There was no attempt to create a fait accompli nor would this be possible as the Government could not have known that there would be a judicial review on Central reclamation at the time," the spokesman said.
Ends/Wednesday, June 9, 2004
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