Rethink needed on plans for harbour
In releasing its latest estimates on the length of accessible shoreline along Victoria Harbour, which we report on today, the government says its plans for a new promenade between Central and Wan Chai will almost double the walk, making the waterfront 'a harbour for the people and a harbour of life'. The more interesting figures are the ones on how much of the shore is currently accessible to the public - 17.5 per cent on the Hong Kong island side and just 12.6 per cent on the Kowloon side.
To be sure, the shorelines as they stand now reflect much about the city's social and economic development. Many of the inaccessible areas are devoted to industrial use, including the port and shipping industry which is a major reason for Hong Kong's prosperity. For a city where sampans once sailed directly to the front steps of stately harbourside hotels, the current lack of access is deplorable. It is difficult to argue with the need to beautify the waterfront walks and, on the Hong Kong side, to increase substantially the amount of space for use by the public. Yet it is the idea of building a promenade through the filling in of our much-abused harbour that many find objectionable. Public opposition to this method will remain, regardless of the good intentions.
That is why the government should take up the Town Planning Board's suggestion that the entire waterfront plan for the Central and Wan Chai reclamations be reconsidered. The proposed re-evaluation, revealed at the end of last week, could include whether a freeway bypass, upon which much of the reclamation is predicated, is necessary. At a time when major cities around the world are managing traffic through measures such as electronic road pricing and adjustment of tolls, Hong Kong's preferred solution of building more roads - on reclaimed land - is behind the times and not the most environmentally friendly of options.
Now that the Central and Wan Chai reclamations are, for the most part, on hold, pending court cases over the projects and a review of the recent decision that the tendering process for one contract may have breached World Trade Organisation rules, the government should consider this the perfect opportunity for a complete re-evaluation.
There is the matter of the ordinance on harbour protection, which sets a very high standard of need that must be met before reclamation can take place. But there are other considerations. Hong Kong has, in the past, made deliberate planning choices in order to protect its green spaces, including building high-density housing and setting aside large parcels of land for public parks. If it pursues this goal for the harbour as well, there is no doubt it could become a harbour for the people and a 'harbour of life'. Access is key, but access to a lifeless harbour will not be worth the cost.
