Open Letters and Documents
Central Reclamation in the public interest
Public interest is the Government's key concern in deciding to go ahead with the Central reclamation.
In an exclusive interview with news.gov.hk, Director of Territory Development Wong Hung-kin said minimum reclamation will only be carried out when there is an imminent need and no viable alternative.
"The Government fully recognises the importance of harbour protection, and shares with the public concern that the need for reclamation should be minimised. Our policy is to carry out minimum reclamation when we see such a need," Mr Wong said.
Wong Hung-kin
Central Reclamation Phase III
Road works on Central reclamation
Imminent and legal: Director of Territory Development Wong Hung-kin reiterates that Central Reclamation Phase III has passed the three tests laid down by the High Court.
"We have given proper and genuine regard to the requirement against reclamation set out in the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance when considering the design of Central Reclamation Phase III."
"After an extensive public consultation, we have scaled down the area of reclamation from the originally proposed 32 hectares to 18 hectares."
Review confirms reclamation works legal
The department has, together with Transport and Highways Departments, completed a review on the project.
The review came in light of the High Court judgment on July 8 on the Wan Chai Reclamation, which holds that the presumption against reclamation as set out in the Ordinance can only be rebutted when a reclamation scheme passes the three tests, namely: compelling, overriding and present need; no viable alternative; and, minimum impairment to the harbour.
The review has confirmed that Central Reclamation Phase III meets the tests, and the works currently underway are lawful.
Project aims to relieve traffic congestion
The land will be used for key transport infrastructure to ease traffic congestion in Central.
Mr Wong said comprehensive studies reveal it is impossible to build roads on existing land in Central which is packed with buildings, and has an MTR tunnel and other infrastructure facilities underground.
"To bring urgent relief to traffic congestion, the only feasible and environmentally acceptable way is to construct the four-kilometre-long Central-Wan Chai Bypass through the reclamation, and enhance the existing road network."
The new link will connect the Rumsey Street Flyover with the Island Eastern Corridor via the Island Eastern Corridor Link.
There is general consensus in the community that the road projects are essential and urgently required. The Society for Protection of the Harbour itself also shares this view.
"The traffic problem in Central will deteriorate if the roads are not ready in time to meet the needs arising from new developments in the area," Mr Wong said.
Reclamation to keep harbour impact to a minimum
The shoreline will move slightly northward owing to the construction of the bypass. The Star Ferry piers, Queen's Pier, various public landing steps and groups of cooling water pumping stations serving major office and commercial buildings in Central have to be reprovisioned along the future Central shoreline.
"After extensive discussion and consultation with owners of the pumping stations, we have come up with the current configuration which is acceptable to all parties concerned and which will cause minimum impairment to the harbour," he said.
"Because the harbour is valuable to us, we need to have the vision to perceive what is best for Hong Kong on the whole and look at the project objectively, in light of the benefits it will bring to Hong Kong. We believe that it is in the public interest to continue with the Central reclamation works."
(Content reproduced from news.gov.hk with permission)