Saving the harbour
'Harbour pride' (October 22) presents an emotive and well-connected view. While I agree with the letter's sentiments, I take issue with some statements.
Statement: 'The existing reclamation in Central, apart from a small uninviting strip, is inaccessible.'
This morning I walked from the Macau ferry to the Exhibition Centre, via the Star Ferry, all along the waterfront, and the only major area of exclusion is the government flying services helipad in front of Tamar. The only place where one can dip one's feet in the water, if one is so brave, is at Queen's Pier, but I do not believe the letter meant access quite so literally.
Statement: 'Keep the reclamation to a minimum ... and I believe this has now been done'. The scale of the government's plan is staggering. Just a road and promenade - surely not.
Statements: 'A golden opportunity to design a promenade of beauty worthy of our world vision' and 'undo the damage done by the existing protrusion'.
If the new Central reclamation was a mistake, why compound it with more ugly, flat, artificial land? This reclamation represents the golden opportunity for imaginative design. A podium built in front of the International Finance Centre, over the bus terminals and service roads to the ferry terminals, would give an ideal promontory from where to view the harbour and could incorporate the features David Akers-Jones wants.
Filling in the harbour to overcome water pollution is a truly novel (though somewhat radical) approach. However, I believe this to be a red herring - an increasingly common species in the harbour.
ROGER EMMERTON, Wan Chai
