‘Major consensus’ needed for proposed Hong Kong ‘Darling Harbour’ project
At least 11 government departments and various bodies as well as private owners will have to agree on waterfront development
The proposed transformation of an old Hong Kong neighbourhood into a world-class waterfront in the style of Australia’s Darling Harbour will require determination and major consensus among at least eight government departments and private owners, a watchdog and district councillors have warned.
“The real challenge is the implementation, because the proposal actually involves [cooperation among] quite different departments and policy bureaus,” Harbourfront Commission chairman Ivan Ho Man-yiu said on Monday.
“It is important to reach a consensus inside the government,” he added, citing Kai Tak Sports Park, the Marine Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Transport Department and the Environmental Protection Department.
Ho said that Kai Tak Sports Park should also be considered one of the project’s stakeholders, as any events at the To Kwa Wan typhoon shelter could affect the facility’s operations.
All proposed activities related to the body of the water in the typhoon shelter, such as converting barges into floating restaurants, would have to be approved by the Marine Department, he said.