Avenue of the Stars in the hands of a single developer: how wary should Hongkongers be?
When the Avenue of Stars project was awarded to New World Development without an open tender in 2003, the idea of upping the glam factor at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront met with little opposition.
But 12 years down the line, the developer is shrouded in controversy for trying to exercise its exclusive right to redevelop and expand the project, even sparking queries from Town Planning Board members.
A former lawmaker, who objected to the lack of a bidding process back in 2003, said the resistance to the plan showed Hongkongers were increasingly wary.
"The social atmosphere has changed and there are more negative labels on developers," Fred Li Wah-ming, of the Democratic Party, said.
"People have become more vigilant of what developers do."
Watch: Are local and tourists in favour of a new Avenue of Stars?
The idea to build a 440-metre Avenue of Stars stretching between the Cultural Centre and the developer's New World Centre was first floated in 1998 by the Hong Kong Tourist Association.
When the Legislative Council's panel on economic services discussed the plan in May 2003, Li was the only member to complain about the absence of open bidding, the minutes showed. His party colleague, Sin Chung-kai, asked if the government could end New World's operating right early if its management performance was below par.
Both the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Liberal Party supported the government's partnership with New World.
Li recalled why he raised objections at the time. "There should have been a process as fair and as open as possible," he said.
"If a public space fell into the hands of a single developer, the government could easily lose control over how the place was managed. In fact, the Tourism Board could have taken up the operation by itself."
