Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Hok-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (April 6):
Question:
It has been reported that there are concerns among various sectors of the community that the arrangement for the Chief Secretary for Administration (CS) to serve concurrently as the Acting Chief Executive (Acting CE) following the resignation of the former Chief Executive will affect the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that CS's workload has increased as a result of his serving concurrently as Acting CE, of the amount of time he spends in handling the WKCD project, and whether it has assessed if the progress of the project will be affected because of his increased workload;
(b) apart from extending the period of public consultation on the project, whether the authorities will make other changes to the original timetable for the project; if so, of the details;
(c) whether it will make public the views collected during the consultation period, such as by publishing a compendium of views; and
(d) whether the authorities will further consult the public on the development option for the project before making the final decision?
Reply:
Madam President,
My reply to the four-part question is as follows:
(a) While assuming the role of Acting Chief Executive, the Chief Secretary for Administration continues to perform his original duties, including those on the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). The Government has a sound mechanism and system to handle any personnel changes in the Government. Civil servants will continue to perform their duties vigilantly so as to ensure that the daily operation of the Government and the progress of various development plans will not be affected by any changes in the Principal Officials.
(b) The public consultation on the WKCD is still in progress. We shall consider carefully all public views received before deciding the way forward. We shall therefore not make any changes to the timeframe set out in the Invitation for Proposals at this stage.
(c) After the consultation period on the WKCD ends, we will make public the views received if individual respondents do not object.
(d) The public consultation on the WKCD is still in progress. We encourage the public to submit their views during the consultation period. We will continue to consult the Legislative Council and listen to views from all sectors of the community in different stages of the development process. In addition, we will consult the Town Planning Board (TPB) before selecting the preferred proposal. Development parameters of the preferred proposal must be agreed by the TPB before the Government signs the provisional agreement with the successful proponent. We will then formally submit the proposed development parameters to the TPB. The TPB will incorporate these development parameters into the draft South West Kowloon Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) and gazette the draft OZP pursuant to the Town Planning Ordinance for public inspection. Members of the public may comment on or raise objection to the draft OZP. The TPB will consider and process all the views received in accordance with the statutory process. Only after the required town planning and other statutory procedures have been completed will the Government sign a final project agreement with the successful proponent.
Ends/Wednesday, April 6, 2005
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