Tree-lined alternative proposed to 'Tiananmen-style' Tamar design

A huge green area with shaded walkways and open spaces, and a slow-speed boulevard has been proposed to replace what are described as 'massive sun-blasted squares' at the Tamar development.

A group of harbour protection activists, who unveiled their zoning plan for the harbourfront yesterday, said the government's plan would make a 'big Tiananmen Square' and that people would not go there.

They want the government to scrap plans for tunnels near the waterfront, saying a slow-speed, tree-lined street should be built, with the area being served mainly by trams or a mass-transit railway.

Activist Markus Shaw, chairman of the Hong Kong branch of environmental group WWF and a member of the government's Advisory Council on the Environment, said: 'The weather here is hot. People would not like to go to the waterfront if there are only massive squares.'

The activists' plan, modelled on Darling Harbour in Sydney and Pier 39 in San Francisco, is to break up the land along the waterfront into smaller plots for parks between shops and restaurants.

Mr Shaw said their plan had the same gross floor area as that proposed by the government, and also accepted the current level of reclamation. The activists have been lobbying legislators for support before the Legislative Council Finance Committee considers funding approval for the Tamar project at the end of next month.