Harbourfront facelift wins more friends
The government has been urged to turn derelict land along the harbourfront into parks and promenades that will give the public better access to the water's edge.
A meeting of the advisory Harbourfront Enhancement Committee yesterday approved a recommendation by the Business Environment Council that, if adopted, would see ugly sites now filled with waste, construction materials and government cars turned over to trees, parkland, arts spaces and even boat ramps.
Land now zoned as 'temporary land' - marked for development but still up to a decade away from construction - accounted for up to 40 per cent of the harbourfront, Business Environment Council spokesman Andrew Thomson said.
Government fencing and billboard advertising that kept the public away from the harbour would also be removed under the scheme.
Some of the examples of temporary land that could be converted include sites at Central, Kai Tak and Kowloon.
Fences blocking the harbourfront at Sun Yat Sen Park could also be removed.
The Business Environment Council also believes that billboards along the Wan Chai cargo handling area block views of the harbour and fences along the Shau Kei Wan typhoon shelter prevent public access to the promenade.
At yesterday's meeting, government representatives were quick to question where funding would come from for the work.
They also ruled out giving the committee extra time to reassess the Central-to-Wan Chai development.
