HK$10.2billion body proposed to develop Hong Kong’s harbourfront sites
Authority needed which can work with private firms to develop eight waterfront sites, advisers say, but doubts lurk on public’s role in process
The government should consider forking out HK$10.2 billion to set up an authority tasked with creating a vibrant “world-class harbourfront” for Hong Kong, a report submitted by an advisory body yesterday recommended.
The Harbourfront Authority would be charged with developing and managing eight sites along the city’s shoreline. It would not have the power to acquire land on its own but would be able to partner with the private sector to develop sites allocated to it by the government.
The recommendation for such an authority was contained in a report submitted by the Harbourfront Commission to the government yesterday that aimed to set out a holistic policy on waterfront development free from red tape.
The commission advises the government on harbourfront development.
READ MORE: Turn Hong Kong’s harbourfront into an urban haven for people, rather than cars
The eight proposed sites are newly reclaimed areas of land or sites zoned as open space ready for immediate development on the new Central harbourfront, the Wan Chai-North Point harbourfront, the Kwun Tong harbourfront, the Hung Hom harbourfront and the Quarry Bay harbourfront. The body should also have the power to propose developing potential sites, the report said.
The authority, expected to be accountable to a government minister, should be run by a governing board with broad-based representation comprising not more than 20 members, including senior public officials, legislative councillors, district councillors, and professionals, with either the chairman or the vice-chairman being a government official. All board members would be appointed by the chief executive on a personal basis, it said.
