Kwun Tong is Kai Tak's weak link, says board
Airport site's redevelopment needs a bridge to its neighbours, say planners
Poor access, a shortage of roads and the size and location of a multipurpose stadium complex were among concerns raised at a meeting of the Town Planning Board yesterday to discuss the blueprint for the redevelopment of the Kai Tak area.
Several board members, along with Chan Wai-kwan, who chairs the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee's subcommittee on Southeast Kowloon Development, pointed out that the 700,000-odd residents of Kwun Tong would be cut off from Kai Tak.
According to the preliminary outline development plan released this week, no pedestrian or vehicle links will be built across the water between Kai Tak's former runway and Kwun Tong, which lies north of the runway's southeastern end.
Board members also expressed concern over the transport facilities within the 328-hectare Kai Tak area. Only one road will run along the 3km former runway, connecting a rail station at the northwestern end to features including a cruise terminal, Metro Park, low-density residential development, tourism facilities and hotels.
Greg Wong Chak-yan, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, said the one road might not be enough to serve the area's cruise passengers, tourists, visitors and residents.
Dr Chan said the poor connections could deter the public from visiting Kai Tak and its Metro Park, which might then become an exclusive recreational area for residents of the luxury flats along the former runway.
Bosco Fung Chi-keung, director of planning, conceded that the development's proposed connection with Kwun Tong was particularly weak. He promised to study options to solve the problem, including the introduction of passenger sampans and a moveable bridge across the water separating Kwun Tong from Kai Tak.
The government is also considering using environment-friendly vehicles to help traffic flow within the district, Mr Fung said. But he did not address the need for more roads.
Another board member, Bernard Lim Wan-fung, criticised the location of the development's multi-purpose stadium complex.
Spanning 23.5 hectares of land on the sea-side junction between the runway and the rest of the Kai Tak site, the complex will include two stadiums - one with 45,000 seats, the other 5,000 - and various recreational facilities.
'There is no reason why the stadium should be put at such a strategic location, and why we should build such a huge complex, except that the government wants to show it off as one of the icons of Hong Kong,' Professor Lim said. 'The location and size of the complex will have a profound impact on the planning of Kai Tak. The government should not sacrifice Kai Tak for the sake of showing off.'
Mr Fung denied that the complex would serve only as a new icon of Hong Kong, while a spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau said there was a need for world-class sports facilities and that only half of the 23.5 hectares would be devoted to the stadiums.
The government has been assessing the feasibility of removing 600 metres of the runway to improve water circulation and reduce sedimentation in the Kai Tak nullah, according to a spokesman from the Civil Engineering and Development Department. A conclusion should be reached within nine months.
The preliminary plan outlining the development of Kai Tak will be open to public consultation for two months. A draft of overall zoning plans is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
