Yuen Long's first public leisure centre opened in Tin Shui Wai yesterday, offering the district's first indoor swimming pool and the second-largest library in the city, but residents' groups said it still wasn't enough.
District councillor Wong Wai-ling led a protest before the official opening of the HK$580 million Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Leisure and Cultural Building, saying it would not meet the needs of residents.
People said the troubled new town needed more facilities for children.
They urged the government to build a smaller, community library in Tin Shui Wai, equipped with more study rooms.
They also want a standard sized, 50-metre swimming pool as the new indoor pool is half that. "Yuen Long District has the largest number of teenagers in Hong Kong. During the summer vacation, the pools are like pots filled with dumplings," Wong said.
Calls for more resources for Tin Shui Wai have increased in recent years as it struggled with chronic unemployment and several incidents of domestic violence and suicides, leading to the town being dubbed the "city of sadness".