Should the height limit for Quarry Bay be relaxed? I refer to the report ('Eased height limits pave way for taller buildings in Quarry Bay', May 16). People concerned about sustainable development would like to raise the question of why Swire Properties is going to demolish three large buildings in Quarry Bay: Somerset, Cornwall and Warwick houses? Are these buildings in a dangerous condition? Have they reached the end of their useful life? The demolition of these buildings will create enormous quantities of construction waste at a time when our landfills are overflowing into our country parks. Residents and workers in the district will be exposed to years of dust and noise pollution, streets blocked with deliveries of construction material and all the deterioration in quality of life that comes with large construction projects. This is just a short time after the disruption caused by the construction of Swire's Island East. The impact on society of the constant destruction of perfectly sound buildings is being ignored while property developers tout their latest state of the art development, all of which look depressingly similar and are invariably much higher and of greater density than the buildings they replace. The promised improvements to ventilation and increased open spaces never materialise as the developers with the assistance of the ever accommodating government departments find ways to bend the rules. If sustainable development was really at the core of Hong Kong's outline zoning plans, redevelopment would be taking place in the districts that really need it, and not in the core central districts where much of it is an endless cycle of build and destroy for no other purpose than to give our property developers even more money to spend on fung shui masters, private planes and other frippery. In order to reduce the hidden costs to society of unnecessary redevelopment and to encourage sustainable development a substantial premium should be payable on redevelopments other than those that can be proved to be necessary because of the deteriorating condition of the building. High buildings should be built back so that they are not stuck like glue to their neighbours and block ventilation to our streets. It is time that the sustainable in development comes with a capital S. Candy Tam, Wan Chai Should the smoking ban be delayed? I see bar owners are calling on staff and patrons to protest on Sunday against the long-overdue smoking ban due to commence in July. Could I make a suggestion to these bar owners if they want to stimulate their business? Lower your prices. Hong Kong bars sell some of the most expensive beer in the world. To ask a customer to pay HK$50-HK$60 for a pint of beer is simply outrageous. I was recently in London, one of the top three most expensive cities in the world, and thought that paying nearly ?3 (HK$36) a pint was pretty steep. When I can buy the same brand beer from a supermarket for the equivalent of around HK$10-HK$12 a pint, where is the incentive for the consumer to pay these ridiculous prices? Until the bars start offering more reasonable prices, I will continue to use them as a one-drink meeting place before retiring home to enjoy the offerings provided by the delivery services of our supermarkets. Rob Weiler, Mid-Levels Should parents have a say on the choice of textbooks? Parents have to spend a lot of money on buying textbooks for their children nowadays. Since the prices of these textbooks goes up every year, parents on low incomes face a heavy financial burden. In my opinion, they should have a say on the choice of textbooks for their children. If they are consulted, they will be able to compare the quality and the prices of the books supplied by different publishers. They would then be able to express their views to school management about which books should be used. This could reduce the financial burden they face. Warren Chan, Sha Tin Should more ice-cream hawker licences be issued? I think that more of these licences should be issued. These ice-cream hawkers are a unique part of Hong Kong's culture. You do not see them in many countries. I would not like to see this tradition die out, but I am concerned that it could disappear. Most Hong Kong people can remember buying ice cream from hawkers. It is part of our collective memory. I would hate to see this valuable memory being erased. Some people have raised concerns about the lack of hygiene regarding food supplied by hawkers in Hong Kong, but I do think it is still worthwhile having ice-cream hawkers operating in the city. Kitty Lung, Sha Tin On other matters... As a person trained in design and having worked in the architectural profession for many years, I am dismayed and appalled to see government bodies like the Urban Renewal Authority and other related departments blame the glaring dissimilarities between proposed urban renewal projects and artists' impressions on the artists themselves ('What you see is not what you get', May 18). As anyone who has worked in the design and building professions knows, the artists are only following instructions, and it is the developer or client - in this case the government - that decides and approves what kind of design is presented to future users or stakeholders. It is the government bodies responsible for building these projects that are to blame for the discrepancies. They use these drawings to lull the public into thinking the development is going to be aesthetically pleasing and enveloped in greenery that they have no intention of actually creating. They do so in order to avoid criticism of the design or avoid putting in the required effort and commitment to complete it as it was intended. This is dishonest, and they should be held accountable. Leon Kennedy, Kwai Tsing
