Lai See | Gentrification brings tensions to Kennedy Town

Kennedy Town has been gentrifying rapidly because of the influx of people fleeing high rents in Central and the Mid-Levels in recent years and in anticipation of the new MTR extension. This has been accompanied by new bars and restaurants to such an extent it has been called the new Soho or Lan Kwai Fong. These outlets are owned by both Western and Chinese investors. But the changes have not been welcomed by everyone.

District Councillor Chan Hok-fung, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, appears to be gaining reputation as something of a scourge for some bar owners.

The Quay West bar sitting on a prime waterfront site last week lost its licence at a hearing of the Liquor Licensing Board. There were no objections from the police or the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. But Chan objected, saying residents of the building in which the bar was located were opposed to the bar. He said he sent out 350 letters, and of the responses he got, six were objections while the rest offered no comment.

The letter, which appears to have only been sent out in Chinese, came with a printed message: "I personally think the Quay West bar has led to deterioration in the serenity and environmental sanitation. It is also destroying our building's quiet living environment. Therefore, I request the application for licence renewal be rejected." This varies quite markedly from a letter he sent out soliciting views on the licensing applications of Chinese-owned establishments. They went out in both English and Chinese and adopted a more open-ended format.

Chan also told the hearing a drunken customer from the bar had fallen into the harbour, a claim the police dismissed as untrue. The board has yet to give a reason for withdrawing the licence, but the owners say they intend to appeal.

Chan told Lai See that he was not against Western bars and restaurants in the area, "only those that were noisy and did not obey the requirements of their licence". He has said people frequently stood outside the bar drinking on what is an unusually wide pavement in Hong Kong.