Minutes of the 21st Meeting of

the Tuen Mun District Council

Date: 5 March 2019 (Tuesday)

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Venue: Tuen Mun District Council (TMDC) Conference Room

Present: Time of Arrival Time of Departure

Mr LEUNG Kin-man, BBS, MH, JP (Chairman) 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr LEE Hung-sham, Lothar, BBS, MH (Vice-chairman) 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr SO Shiu-shing 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr KWU Hon-keung 9:30 a.m. 4:59 p.m.

Mr TO Sheck-yuen, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr CHU Yiu-wah 9:30 a.m. 7:29 p.m.

Ms KONG Fung-yi 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr NG Koon-hung 9:30 a.m. 12:18 p.m.

Mr CHAN Yau-hoi, BBS, MH, JP 9:30 a.m. 7:29 p.m.

Ms WONG Lai-sheung, Catherine 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr AU Chi-yuen 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Ms HO Hang-mui 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr LAM Chung-hoi 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr TSUI Fan, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:47 p.m.

Ms CHING Chi-hung 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Ms LUNG Shui-hing, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr CHAN Man-wah, MH 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr CHAN Manwell, Leo 9:34 a.m. 1:54 p.m.

Mr CHEUNG Hang-fai 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

The Hon HO Kwan-yiu, JP 9:40 a.m. 2:02 p.m.

Ms CHU Shun-nga, Beatrice 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr TSANG Hin-hong 9:30 a.m. 7:31 p.m.

Ms SO Ka-man 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr KAM Man-fung 9:33 a.m. 6:32 p.m.

Mr MO Shing-fung 9:30 a.m. 7:21 p.m.

Mr YIP Man-pan 9:33 a.m. End of meeting

Mr YEUNG Chi-hang 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr YAN Siu-nam 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr TAM Chun-yin 9:30 a.m. End of meeting

Mr LAU Chun-fai, Lawrence

(Secretary)

Senior Executive Officer (District Council),

Tuen Mun District Office, Home Affairs Department

Absent with Apologies:

The Hon LAU Ip-keung, Kenneth, BBS, MH, JP

By Invitation:

Ms LAU Lee-kwan, Vivian Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene,

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr FORK Ping-lam Assistant Director (Operations) 3, Food and Environmental

Hygiene Department

Mr LAU Sui-lung, Jimmy Senior Property Services Manager/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long,

Architectural Services Department

Mr KAM Wing-yin, Wilfrid Property Services Manager/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun-West,

Architectural Services Department

Ms WONG Shuk-han, Diane Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene

(Environmental Hygiene), Food and Environmental Hygiene

Department

Mr CHIU Yu-chow Assistant Director (Grade Management and Development),

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr HUI Fai-wing Senior Superintendent (Public Columbaria Project Team),

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr CHAN King-tak, Alfred Senior Project Manager 338, Architectural Services Department

Mr MAN Ka-ming, Alex Senior Engineer/Housing and Planning/New Territories West,

Transport Department

Ms POON Ming-sum, Santafe Project Manager 378, Architectural Services Department

Mr YEUNG Kwok-on, Keith Principal Environmental Protection Officer (Landfills and

Development), Environmental Protection Department

Ms TSANG Yuen-yan Chief Engineer, MVA Hong Kong Limited

Mr CHUNG Kin-kan Director, Simon Kwan and Associates Limited

Mr LAM King Assistant Director, Simon Kwan and Associates Limited

Mr CHAN Wai-kit, Thomas Chief Engineer/Housing Projects 2, Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Mr LAM Tak-ming, George Senior Engineer/4, Civil Engineering and Development

Department

Mr Edwin LO Representative from Consultant to Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Mr Edmond CHU Representative from Consultant to Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Mr HO Kwok-sing, Julian Chief Architect 3 (Acting), Housing Department

Mrs CHAN KONG Wing-yee, Iris Chief Architect 6 (Acting), Housing Department

Mr YUEN Kin-cheung, Leslie Senior Architect 36, Housing Department

Mr CHOW Tat-yan Senior Civil Engineer 7, Housing Department

Mr LAM Tak-keung, Barry Senior Planning Officer 4, Housing Department

Mr LIU Chun-san Under Secretary for Development, Development Bureau

Mr MAK Shing-cheung Deputy Secretary for Development (Works) 2,

Development Bureau

Mr CHAN Fuk-yiu, Victor Principal Assistant Secretary for Development (Works)2,

Development Bureau

Mr WU Kwok-yuen, Jacky Principal Assistant Secretary for Development (Works)5,

Development Bureau

Mr FUNG Ying-lun, Allen Political Assistant to Secretary for Development,

Development Bureau

Mr WONG Chi-pan, Ricky Deputy Head of Civil Engineering Office (Port and Land),

Civil Engineering and Development Department

Mr TANG Kai-yan, Alan Chief Engineer/Port Works, Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Ms HO Wai-yee Senior Engineer/Projects 5, Civil Engineering and Development

Department

Mr WONG Chi-sing, Janson Deputy Head of Sustainable Lantau Office (Works),

Civil Engineering and Development Department

Mr LOK Chi-chung, Andy Chief Engineer/Lantau 2, Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Ms LAU Yiu-yan, Joyce Chief Engineer/Lantau 3, Civil Engineering and

Development Department

Mr CHAU Yat-cheung, Lawrence Chief Town Planner/Studies and Research,

Planning Department

Ms PUN Lim-shuet, Paulina Senior Town Planner/Studies and Research 4,

Planning Department

Ms LO Yuen-shan Senior Inspector of Police District Intelligence Section

(Tuen Mun), Hong Kong Police Force

Mr YAN Fong-wai Chief Inspector of Police (Crime)(1)(Tuen Mun District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Mr Laurence LAM Manager (Social Services), Yan Oi Tong

Mr Daniel MA Chief Supervisor (Community Development Service),

Yan Oi Tong

Mr Kim CHEUNG Project-in-charge (Tuen Mun District Council Yan Oi Tong

Youth Space), Yan Oi Tong

In Attendance:

Ms FUNG Ngar-wai, Aubrey District Officer (Tuen Mun), Home Affairs Department

Ms TSUI Man-yee, Joanna Assistant District Officer (Tuen Mun)1, Home Affairs

Department

Mr LEUNG Tsz-hong, Billy Assistant District Officer (Tuen Mun)2, Home Affairs

Department

Ms YAN Yuet-han, Fion Senior Liaison Officer (1), Tuen Mun District Office,

Home Affairs Department

Mr CHAU Ka-nin, Eric Senior Liaison Officer (2), Tuen Mun District Office,

Home Affairs Department

Mr NG Chi-keung, Vincent Senior Liaison Officer (3), Tuen Mun District Office,

Home Affairs Department

Mr CHEUNG Ka-leung, Tony Chief Engineer/West 3, Civil Engineering and Development

Department

Mr CHENG Kwok-yan, Brian Chief School Development Officer (Tuen Mun),

Education Bureau

Mr LEE Kam-ho, Edwin District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Tuen Mun),

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr KONG Man-keung District Commander (Tuen Mun), Hong Kong Police Force

Ms NG Man-wai Police Community Relations Officer (Tuen Mun District),

Hong Kong Police Force

Mr WONG Pui-chun Chief Manager (Tuen Mun and Yuen Long), Housing Department

Ms LI Pui-kun Senior Housing Manager, Tuen Mun, Housing Department

Ms NG Suet-yee, Joyce District Lands Officer/Tuen Mun, Lands Department

Mr TAM Kwok-leung Administrative Assistant, Lands (Acting) (District Lands Office,

Tuen Mun), Lands Department

Mr WONG Shu-yan, Francis Chief Leisure Manager (New Territories North), Leisure and

Cultural Services Department

Ms TAM Yin-ting, Pat District Leisure Manager (Tuen Mun), Leisure and Cultural

Services Department

Mr NG Yuk-man, David District Planning Officer, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West,

Planning Department

Mr YU Wai-yip, Ricky District Social Welfare Officer (Tuen Mun), Social Welfare

Department

Mr LEUNG Chun-him, Damon Senior Transport Officer/Tuen Mun 1, Transport Department

Ms YU Tsz-yan, Blanche

(Assistant Secretary)

Executive Officer I (District Council)1, Tuen Mun District

Office, Home Affairs Department

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I. Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed all participants and government department

representatives in attendance to the 21st meeting of the Tuen Mun District Council

(“TMDC”). On behalf of the TMDC, he also welcomed Ms Vivian LAU, Director

of Food and Environmental Hygiene, to the meeting.

2. The Chairman said that as Under Secretary for Development would join the

meeting later to discuss the Lantau Tomorrow Vision with Members, he would

adjourn the meeting for a 15-minute break after the discussion of the agenda item

III(A) (i.e. Request for Full Replacement of Composite Panels Non-compliant with

BS 476-4 Part 4 in Government Premises) so that Members could go to the petition

area to present their petitions to Under Secretary for Development during the break

if they wished.

3. The Chairman further said Members who were aware of their personal

interests in any matters discussed at the meeting should declare the interests before

the discussion. The Chairman would, in accordance with Order 39(11) of the

TMDC Standing Orders (“Standing Orders”), decide whether the Members who had

declared interests might speak or vote on the matters, might remain at the meeting as

observers, or should withdraw from the meeting. All cases of declaration of

interests would be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

4. As a number of matters would come up at this meeting, the Chairman said

the arrangements on the time of speaking in Order 28(2) of the Standing Orders

would be strictly adhered to, by which each Member might speak twice - three

minutes and an additional one minute would be allowed respectively for the first and

second time of speaking, and Members who submitted papers would be given

another three minutes to introduce their papers.

II. Absence from Meeting

5. The Secretary said the Secretariat had received no applications from

Members for leave of absence, but it had received a notification from Mr Kenneth

LAU, who left Hong Kong on this day for a conference and was therefore absent

from this meeting.

III. Meeting between Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene and

Tuen Mun District Councillors

6. The Chairman welcomed Ms Vivian LAU, Director of Food and

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Environmental Hygiene, and Mr FORK Ping-lam, Assistant Director (Operations) 3

of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) to the meeting, who

would introduce the department’s work to Members and hear Members’ opinions on

matters of concern to the local community.

7. Ms Vivian LAU started off with a brief introduction to the FEHD’s work as

follows:

(i) The FEHD had a wide range of responsibilities closely related to

people’s lives, and it was the government department with the largest

strength, excluding disciplined services. There were more than 10

000 civil servants working at the FEHD and more than 10 000

contract staff serving the department through employment by

outsourced service providers. The budget for the FEHD was about

$7.5 to $7.6 billion in the current financial year and would be

increased to $8.4 billion in the next year;

(ii) The FEHD’s work had an extremely wide scope that covered two

major areas, namely food safety and environmental hygiene. On

food safety, the Centre for Food Safety strived to ensure food sold in

Hong Kong was safe and fit for consumption by, for example,

carrying out regular and sampling inspections at different stages

including importation, wholesale and retail, formulating relevant

legislation, and promoting public education on food safety; and

(iii) On environmental hygiene, the department’s work included, among

others, food business licensing, hawker and public market

management, street cleaning, refuse collection, public toilet services,

pest and rodent control, water seepage in buildings, dripping from

air-conditioners, management of cemeteries, crematoria and

columbaria, and regulation of funeral services.

8. Ms Vivian LAU introduced the FEHD’s work on district cleaning as follows:

(i) The Government was determined to improve Hong Kong’s cityscape,

and it would take a multi-pronged approach to enhancing

environmental hygiene and cleanliness. Besides additional resource

allocation, the department would explore the use of more innovative

technologies and make greater efforts on public education and

enforcement;

(ii) On additional resource allocation, the current street cleaning service

contracts were for a term of two years, and the current contract for

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Tuen Mun lasted from December 2017 to November this year, with

its amount and manpower up respectively by 15% and 21 staff

compared to the previous one. Staff had been added to high

pressure water jet teams, public toilet attendants, and teams equipped

with vehicles specifically for cleaning central dividers of roads to

strengthen street cleaning work. Also, the department had put

additional staff in place to step up the monitoring of the performance

of street cleaning workers of the department and outsourced service

contractors. Furthermore, the number of pest and rodent control

teams in Tuen Mun had been increased from 19 to 22 with three

teams added;

(iii) On innovative technologies, the FEHD would continue to try out

automated cleaning technologies and equipment at different

locations, which included the Internet Protocol (“IP”) cameras

installed at a number of fly-tipping blackspots to combat the offence

of illegal refuse dumping. With the TMDC’s support, the

department had installed IP cameras at three locations in Tuen Mun,

including Yip Wong Road Refuse Collection Point, San Hing Tsuen

Refuse Collection Point and Fung On Street Car Park. The

department kept an open mind about the extension of the IP camera

installation scheme to other locations. IP cameras were in place at

some 100 locations across the territory and the department planned to

increase the number of such locations to 300 within two years.

Should Members have any more suggestions on locations for IP

camera installation in Tuen Mun, the department was willing to

consider the suggestions. If the problem of fly-tipping at certain

locations was ameliorated after the installation of IP cameras, the

department would consider moving the cameras elsewhere.

Besides, the FEHD was exploring the use of solar-powered ancillary

equipment at aluminum refuse collection points (“RCPs”). The

department was carrying out a trial to enhance the existing

village-type RCPs by replacing them with enclosed aluminum RCPs.

The sensor-activated openings of the new RCPs saved residents using

their hands to lift refuse bin lids, and the enclosed design could

improve environmental hygiene at RCPs. Moreover, after trials, the

department had provided two mini street washing vehicles equipped

with pressure washer surface cleaners for each district in Hong Kong,

including Tuen Mun, to boost the efficiency of street cleaning

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services. If the result was satisfactory and there was demand in the

district, the department was willing to provide more resources to

further enhance its services;

(iv) Increasing resources was only one of the approaches to

environmental hygiene problems in districts. If the public kept

fly-tipping, even if resources were increased endlessly, the problems

would still be hard to solve; therefore, the department would also

ramp up enforcement in the future. In June 2018, a new dedicated

enforcement team against violation of cleanliness legislation had

been formed in Tuen Mun to step up prosecution at blackspots for

cleanliness offences. In 2018, a total of more than 1 000 fixed

penalty tickets and summonses had been issued in Tuen Mun; and

(v) Thanks were extended to Members for always being supportive of the

department’s work and joining efforts to promote public education on

district cleaning. In addition, the department disseminated district

cleaning messages to the public through the Facebook and Instagram

pages of “Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak” and TV announcements

in the public interest.

9. Ms Vivian LAU then introduced the FEHD’s work on pest and rodent control

as follows:

(i) To optimise pest and rodent control efforts, the high-level

Anti-Mosquito Steering Committee chaired by Under Secretary for

Food and Health had been upgraded as the Pest Control Steering

Committee, which comprised of more than 20 members including

high officials from various departments and representatives from

related organisations such as the Hospital Authority. In the future,

the committee would work towards the objective of strengthening

prevention, coordination and surveillance;

(ii) On mosquito control, the Government believed the most effective

measure was early prevention by initiating stronger efforts

specifically against mosquito breeding before the rainy season and

mobilising staff to conduct fogging operations to exterminate adult

mosquitoes upon the arrival of the rainy season. The department

knew the TMDC also attached great importance to, and would remain

involved in, mosquito prevention efforts. Besides stepping up its

own efforts to prevent and exterminate mosquitoes, the FEHD would

continue to provide not only advice and working instructions on pest

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and rodent control but also technical support for various departments

to take effective prevention and control steps within their purview.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of various parties, mosquito

infestation in Tuen Mun West was already under control. The

department would further step up anti-mosquito efforts in Tuen Mun

West before the rainy season;

(iii) As data showed serious mosquito infestation in construction sites, the

FEHD had formed the Pest Control Inspection Teams two years

before to strengthen construction site inspection in various districts

and take enforcement action against mosquito breeding sites. There

had been prosecution cases about mosquito breeding in construction

sites in Tuen Mun the year before, some of which were conviction

cases;

(iv) On rodent infestation, the FEHD’s anti-rodent operations in

designated target areas were effective. The department would

continue with the operations in various districts and further enhance

inter-departmental collaboration by providing technical support for

other departments like the Housing Department (“HD”). In

addition, the department would apply technologies to its mosquito

and rodent disinfestation work; and

(v) The pest and rodent control efforts of government departments alone

were of limited effectiveness. The department hoped Members

would educate the public through their own networks, reminding

locals and the public to join hands to maintain personal and

environmental hygiene, make adequate efforts to prevent and

exterminate mosquitoes, and take proper precautions against

mosquito bites.

10. Ms Vivian LAU went on to introduce the FEHD’s work against shop-front

extension and illegal extension of food business area as follows:

(i) The department knew there were many shop-front extension (“SFE”)

blackspots in Tuen Mun, which included San Hui, Chi Lok Fa Yuen,

Kei Lun Path, Tat Yan Square, Goodrich Garden, Glorious Garden,

the Tsing Ling Path area and so forth. Since the commencement of

a fixed penalty system on 24 September 2016, the FEHD had joined

related departments to conduct a number of enforcement operations at

SFE blackspots in Tuen Mun, and the SFE problem had been

significantly mitigated. The department would continue to work

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with related departments and carry out joint operations when

necessary in a bid to maintain, or even further ameliorate, the current

situation; and

(ii) On illegal extension of food business area, blackspots in Tuen Mun

included Kei Lun Path, Tat Yan Square, the Tsing Chui Path area,

Glorious Garden, Goodrich Garden and Richland Garden. Thanks

to the FEHD task force’s support in inspection and enforcement, the

situation was generally under control. Besides taking prosecution

action, the department also punished restaurants that had illegally

extended their business areas by suspending or cancelling their

licences under the Demerit Points System for licensed food premises.

The above measures had been highly effective.

11. Finally, Ms Vivian LAU introduced the FEHD’s work on burial management

as follows:

(i) More than 40 000 people had died in Hong Kong the year before, and

90% of the dead bodies had been cremated. Taking a three-pronged

approach, the FEHD currently addressed the public’s demand for

burial services by increasing public columbaria, regulating private

columbaria and promoting green burial;

(ii) On public columbaria, thanks were extended to the TMDC, whose

support had enabled the department to commence the building works

for Tsang Tsui Columbarium earlier. The works were due for

completion in the third quarter of this year. While the main works

were already complete, interior decoration and electrical and

mechanical works were underway. Tsang Tsui Columbarium would

supply a total of about 160 000 niches, which would be allocated in

batches in eight years in response to the TMDC’s concern about

traffic impacts. The department would closely monitor the

columbarium’s impacts on traffic in the area after its completion and

adjust niche allocation arrangements where appropriate. In addition

to Tsang Tsui Columbarium, the columbaria at Wong Nai Chung

Road in Wan Chai and Wo Hop Shek in North District would also be

complete this year to provide about 800 and 44 000 niches

respectively. The Government had suspended in 2016 and expected

to resume in the second quarter of this year the allocation scheme for

public niches, which also covered public columbaria that were not yet

fully complete. The Government had proposed subsidiary

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legislation amendments to the Legislative Council (“LegCo”) to

determine the fee levels of extendable public niches;

(iii) On private columbaria, the Private Columbaria Ordinance (“PCO”)

had been gazetted and come into effect on 30 June 2017. After the

PCO took effect, only private columbaria that met requirements on

planning, land administration, fire safety, ancillary transport facility

management etc. were issued with licences to sell or newly let out

niches; and

(iv) On green burial, it was increasingly difficult to find suitable land to

build columbaria in Hong Kong, a small city with a large population.

While the department was expediting relevant work in various

districts across the city, land resources were scarce after all and the

community was divided over land use. To meet the public’s demand

for burial services in a sustainable manner, the department was

making greater efforts to promote green burial. Green burial had

been used as a means to dispose of the cremated ashes of about 15%

of the deceased in Hong Kong the year before. The department

would further strengthen promotion. In January this year, it had

introduced a central register for voluntary green burial, so that

members of the public who wished for green burial after their death

could register early to tell the Government and their families about

their wish. The department would make large-scale education and

publicity efforts shortly and it looked forward to the support of

Members.

12. Ms Vivian LAU concluded by saying that the FEHD’s work was closely

related to the public and district councils served as a major medium for

understanding and communicating public opinions at the district level. While

looking forward to a closer partnership with the TMDC, the department hoped

Members would give more feedback and guidance on its work, making concerted

efforts towards better environmental hygiene in Tuen Mun.

13. A Member commended the FEHD for putting up screens in Tuen Mun’s

Lunar New Year fair this year to show TMDC Members’ new year greetings. He

hoped such arrangements would continue next year. He said that according to

residents’ reports and his personal observation, the FEHD’s supervision of

outsourced cleaning workers was inadequate. He had noticed some cleaning

workers sweeping waste into drains rather than using dustpans to collect waste. He

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considered this one of the reasons why flooding often occurred during heavy rains.

He hoped the department would take note of this. He further noted that all morning

trails were not cleaned regularly and cited the morning trail at Shan King Estate as

an example, where cleaning operations were often not carried out until a request was

made through the Tuen Mun District Office (“TMDO”). Besides, he said the

performance of the department’s team for water leakage required improvement,

adding that despite the department’s new measures to tackle the problem of water

leakage, the wait for a water leakage report was more than six months and the

unduly long processing time left affected residents in considerable distress. He

hoped Ms Vivian LAU would get a realistic picture of the above problem to make

improvements.

14. A Member said illegal feeding of birds, cats, dogs and even wild pigs was a

serious problem in Tuen Mun. Illegal feeding of birds, for example, had caused the

population and body size of birds to keep growing, thus affecting environmental

hygiene; the population of wild pigs was rising too, and she hoped the department

would look squarely at the problem. She noted that after receiving complaints

about illegal feeding, the department often merely responded that clean-up efforts

would be stepped up. But in her view, enforcement was more effective as a

deterrent against people engaging in illegal feeding. Besides, she supported the

introduction of the 20-year interment period for public niches, opining that it could

speed up the turnover of public niches. She said that under the current ballot

allocation of public niches, some members of the public were not allocated niches

after a number of ballots, and they failed even though their applications were made

through coffin shops. Some members of the public could not stand a long wait and

were forced to purchase private niches. She therefore suggested a “queuing system

for public housing for the dead” be put in place to let the public know the queuing

time for niches. Moreover, problems of dripping from air-conditioners were often

not properly dealt with. After receiving complaints about dripping from

air-conditioners, FEHD staff carried out inspections in office hours only; however,

residents usually used air-conditioners at night, so it was difficult for the

department’s staff to detect water dripping problems. She suggested the

department assign its staff to carry out inspections at night. Furthermore, it was

often only after one or two months from receipt of complaints that the department’s

staff made inspection visits. If a public complaint was lodged in summer, it would

already be autumn when the staff made an inspection visit and the public already

used less air-conditioning. A true picture of water dripping problems was not

reflected as a result. She said the public had once had expectations of the Joint

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Offices for Investigation of Water Seepage Complaints (“JO”), but disappointingly,

the problem remained unsolved after years. She hoped the department would use

advanced technologies to solve the problem.

15. A Member said she had received many complaints about water seepage, a

problem plaguing residents; however, Tuen Mun was not covered by the JO’s trial

scheme underway to test new equipment. In her opinion, the Government had

housed a number of obnoxious facilities in Tuen Mun but did not test the new

equipment in the district. She was dissatisfied about this. She said residents

hoped the JO could help identify sources of water seepage, but the JO often closed

complaint cases perfunctorily on the grounds that standards were not exceeded,

leaving residents stumped by water seepage problems. She took the FEHD, the

Water Supplies Department (“WSD”) and the Buildings Department (“BD”) to task

for passing the buck to each other and leaving many water seepage cases unsolved

for two to three years. She opined the infrared camera scanning device currently

used by the JO was outdated and suggested the department put resources into

introducing more advanced equipment.

16. A Member said the performance of FEHD street cleaners was poor and in

many places, things were back to square one the day after a cleaning operation.

The Member suggested Ms Vivian LAU make a site visit to Kai Man Path and Yan

Ching Street after the meeting. He said San Hui Market had become the busiest

market in Hong Kong after air-conditioners had been installed there in 2007. He

had suggested to the FEHD that the car park next to San Hui Market be used for

extending the market but the department had refused all along, procrastinating on the

grounds that no department was willing to cooperate on the extension. He also said

there was a lack of cooked food markets in Tuen Mun. While understanding that

due to street obstruction and noise problems, places like Kei Lun Path were not fit

for a cooked food market, he reckoned the department should satisfy Tuen Mun

residents’ demand for cooked food markets. Since the closure of Kwong Choi

Market, there were only two FEHD-managed markets in Tuen Mun, and the

department should do a good job in cleaning. Besides, he said some outsourced

cleaning workers were quite old, and he was afraid they were not physically strong

enough to do cleaning work, so they worked perfunctorily by sweeping waste into

drains. After the department had removed some refuse bins at the hilltop of Tseng

Tau Tsuen, cleaning workers’ improper disposal of waste had become a more serious

problem. While sympathetic to the situation of outsourced cleaning workers, he

said the department should explore ways to improve the quality of their work. He

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again invited the director and the assistant director to San Hui Market for a site visit.

17. A Member said that with a wide range of responsibilities, the FEHD was still

understaffed despite its large number of staff, and it should continue to seek more

resources and manpower. She remarked that in recent years District Environmental

Hygiene Superintendent (Tuen Mun) (“DEHS(TM)”) had been working very hard to

prevent and control mosquito and rodent infestation, and he had led teams in person

to engage in publicity and education in Tuen Mun, adding that his achievements

were there for all to see. She hoped DEHS(TM) would further strengthen the work

concerned and increase staff. She also said it has been several years since the JO’s

establishment, but Tuen Mun residents were still unable to feel its effectiveness in

handling the problem of water seepage, with those affected by the problem still

suffering from it. While the JO had adopted advanced equipment in detecting

water seepage problems, Tuen Mun residents were not benefitted. She questioned

why Tuen Mun was not covered by the JO’s trial scheme. She hoped the

department director would seek more resources from the JO promptly to add Tuen

Mun to the trial scheme. She said Tuen Mun residents were plagued by water

seepage as the district was not benefitted from the new resources of the JO. She

hoped Ms Vivian LAU would assist in fighting for advanced equipment to be used

to help Tuen Mun residents to detect water seepage sources.

18. A Member said it had always been a pleasure to work with the FEHD’s staff

in Tuen Mun, among whom DEHS(TM) had for many times visited different

constituencies in person for inspection and taught Members a lot of knowledge

about environmental hygiene. Screens had been put up in Tuen Mun’s Lunar New

Year fair this year to show new year celebration videos and anti-mosquito and

anti-rodent promos, which were to some extent conducive to public health. In

addition, he praised the performance of two chief inspectors under the

environmental hygiene superintendent and the pest control section. He opined that

rodent infestation was very acute this year and believed the issue had been raised in

other districts. He therefore hoped the director would not only step up publicity

and education efforts and bring in new equipment, but also explore solutions to

rodent infestation. He said rat holes had been found in new construction sites, and

some rats fled to private areas after the department carried out anti-rodent operations

in public areas. He therefore suggested practices in other places be looked at for

reference to make it easier for private housing estates to tackle rodent infestation by

simpler means, otherwise the problem could hardly be solved. Moreover, he said

some residents fed birds with birdseed and residual birdseed would invite rats and

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cause rodent infestation, so he suggested the department communicate more with

management companies of private housing estates. He added that the Government

had to bring in new technologies to solve water seepage problems. In addition,

there were fewer and fewer refuse bins, with the size of their openings getting

smaller and smaller. He requested the department to disclose the criteria for

placing refuse bins so that Members could give an explanation to the public.

19. A Member said he, as the Convenor of the Working Group on Markets and

Illegal Hawking Activities, took part in a lot of FEHD district work. He found

FEHD staff extremely diligent in the areas of environmental hygiene and food

control. He knew that FEHD work, though difficult, was quite effective this year,

notably with some decades-long problems (including illegally-erected platforms,

canopies and signboards) cracked by a joint operation team led by District Officer

(Tuen Mun) (“DO(TM)”). He hoped the department could further strengthen the

work concerned. He said the FEHD had performed quite well in mosquito and

rodent control and in the clearance work after Typhoon Mangkhut, but the

department faced too many problems, some of which were quite difficult to solve

indeed. Moreover, he suggested the department put more resources into improving

facilities of public toilets and markets in Tuen Mun. He said the existing

environments of public toilets and markets were not satisfactory, causing

inconvenience to the lives of the public. As well-managed public toilets and

markets could help boost the overall image of Hong Kong, it was worth putting

resources into improving them.

20. A Member said the FEHD was loaded with work closely related to the

public. Since his assumption of office, Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), had been

performing his duties properly and maintained good communication with Members.

Yet, the public would still criticise if there were rough edges in some work. He

would like Ms Vivian LAU to help follow up on three matters. He said the “waste

mountain” under Pui To Road Flyover, a problem known by all former district

environmental hygiene superintendents (Tuen Mun), had been lingering for more

than a decade but remained unsolved. He had revealed this matter on social media

and some Mainland tourists had visited the place after knowing it. He hoped Ms

Vivian LAU would address the above problem shortly. He further said that despite

a number of reports showing that the FEHD and the district council had worked hard

to combat illegal extension of business by shops, the problem had not been rooted

out and often occurred again shortly after the department’s enforcement actions.

He cited vegetable stalls in the Yan Ching Street area and the vicinity of Yan Oi

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Tong as examples where the problem was particularly serious, and he was worried

that prolonged occupation of the public areas would culminate in adverse

possession. The problem had just diminished slightly after media reports but

afterwards, some shops had even moved their goods elsewhere, like outside other

buildings, compounding the problem. He therefore hoped the department would

take note of this. Finally, on the matter of transport connectivity of the future

Tsang Tsui Columbarium, he wondered if the department had consulted with

stakeholders in the local community in its planning for feeder transport services

from V city and Century Gateway to Tsang Tsui Columbarium, saying that he had

never been consulted. He hoped the department would consult with the Member of

the constituency concerned before further planning.

21. A Member said Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), was devoted district affairs.

He noted that the FEHD had formed a dedicated prosecution team in Tuen Mun on

20 June 2018 to take measures against illegal feeding of animals (including

enhanced patrol at blackspots for illegal animal-feeding and prosecution actions).

In view of this, he asked about the number of fixed penalty tickets issued by and the

effectiveness of the team since its establishment. He said there was also a

blackspot for illegal animal-feeding near his constituency, but illegal feeding of wild

dogs was still a very acute problem there. He also asked how the department

would cope if members of the public engaged in illegal animal-feeding within the

areas of private housing estates, given that the management offices of private

housing estates had no law enforcement power. Moreover, he said there was a lack

of coordination between the FEHD and the BD in dealing with the problem of water

seepage, and the WSD had not yet joined the JO. He hoped the district liaison

offices to be set up in the future could practically solve the perennial problem of

water seepage instead of being superficial. Besides, he was very disappointed that

Tuen Mun was not covered by the JO’s trial scheme for advanced equipment.

While understanding that FEHD staff at the JO worked very hard to handle cases, he

said the wait for inspection visits was unduly long because of serious understaffing.

He therefore hoped Ms Vivian LAU would examine the matter concerned.

22. A Member said workload was very heavy at the FEHD, and the department’s

frontline staff in Tuen Mun were so diligent that they would carry out effective

cleaning and publicity duties in case of a disease outbreak. He said the population

of Tuen Mun was rising and many residents in the district rode to FEHD-managed

markets for shopping because prices of goods were higher in other markets in the

district, which were all managed by Link; therefore, the two FEHD-managed

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markets in the district (especially San Hui Market) had been overcrowded for years,

especially on Sunday. He hoped the department director would seek to extend San

Hui Market and better manage the markets (by, for example, ameliorating toilet

facilities and the problem of slippery floor). Moreover, he requested the

department to consider how to upgrade the services of outsourced service providers.

He said many workers employed by outsourced service providers were quite old but

received the lowest wages only, adding that their work was tough as today’s refuse

bins were very heavy. He suggested the department introduce in its tender

invitations a condition that controlled the proportion of workers by age, so as to

upgrade the services of outsourced service providers.

23. A Member said the FEHD had a very wide range of responsibilities. She

extended gratitude to Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), and his team. She said water

seepage and dripping from air-conditioners were the most serious problems in Tuen

Mun, adding that the problems just mentioned by other Members did exist, but had

not been ameliorated as yet. Many work plans could not be carried out as the

FEHD was understaffed. The Government currently took the “lowest bid wins”

approach to outsourcing street cleaning services, but it might not achieve the

expected results. She said that while the Government had proposed to raise the

retirement age, the department should manage older outsourced workers properly

and enhance environmental hygiene across Hong Kong. Environmental hygiene

problems in Tuen Mun were just the tip of the iceberg and Members had voice their

opinions on environmental hygiene on different occasions. As the director was

present at this meeting, Members voiced their opinions once again. While

Members’ comments were mostly negative, they looked forward to the FEHD

maintaining environmental hygiene across Hong Kong. While understanding that

the FEHD had been working on pest and mosquito control, she hoped the FEHD

would follow up on the situation under Wong Chu Road Flyover.

24. A Member said Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), was industrious. He said

many elderly people used handcarts to collect paperboards for sale to recycling

companies, but the district lacked parking for recycling vehicles. He hoped the

FEHD could coordinate with relevant departments to facilitate elderly people’s

recycling activities. On the JO, he suggested the department, by reference to the

practice under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and the Mandatory

Window Inspection Scheme, set work standards and then outsource the work

concerned to solve the problem of understaffing. He further noted that neighbours

of the affected units might not cooperate in the JO’s investigations. He said the

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department might invoke the current legislation to apply for warrants to enter the

premises in urgent cases. He suggested the department discuss with the

Department of Justice simplification of the relevant procedures to speed up the

handling of cases. In addition, he said the department should address rodent

infestation before any outbreak of Hantaan viral infection. He concluded by

requesting the department to actively promote the construction of dog parks in the

district to address the needs of pets.

25. A Member said that in early years most residents were less afraid of rats and

knew ways to guard against them (including proactive clearance of drains and

waste). While rural Tuen Mun covered a vast area of scattered dwellings,

DEHS(TM) had been actively following up on hygiene issues in the area and kept in

close touch with Members. He pointed out that as the volume of domestic waste

went up during traditional festivals, the Government should step up public education

against fly-tipping; otherwise, even further increases in staffing would still be

insufficient to cope. He reckoned the performance of the task force set up by the

FEHD was less effective than before, and hoped the department would take note of

this. Besides, he expressed support for the department’s plan to modernise

village-type RCPs. He further noted that most public toilets in rural areas had been

converted into flushing toilets, but a few of them had not been converted as yet.

He concluded by requesting the Government to improve street lighting and hygiene

in rural areas and strengthen monitoring.

26. A Member praised the work of Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), saying that he

could promptly respond to Members’ requests. Besides, she said the TMDC had

long been discussing and formed a working group to follow up on matters about the

JO, but it still could not effectively drive progress on relevant work. She added

that while the Government had launched a pilot scheme to try out new testing

technologies for water seepage, it took too long to run the scheme. She hoped the

Government would make greater efforts in carrying out the pilot scheme and

upgrade water seepage testing technologies as appropriate to allay concern among

households plagued by water seepage. Moreover, she said inadequate facilities in

public toilets posed potential threats to residents’ safety. She invited the

Government to conduct a questionnaire survey of the public on matters concerning

public toilets in Tuen Mun, so as to work out measures on public toilet renovation.

27. A Member expressed gratitude to Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), and his team.

Yet she said the department had an excellent team but was under-resourced, so the

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effectiveness of its work could hardly be maximised. Citing Typhoon Mangkhut’s

arrival in Hong Kong the year before as an example, she attributed the low

efficiency of FEHD staff’s post-typhoon recovery efforts to the lack of

grab-mounted trucks in Tuen Mun. She hoped the FEHD could learn from the

experience with Typhoon Mangkhut and invest substantial resources in coping with

similar crises in the future. She also hoped the FEHD would strengthen

anti-mosquito collaboration with the HD and scale up investment in resources

(including street washing machines).

28. A Member was concerned about the treatment of FEHD outsourced workers,

noting that a photo recently circulated on the Internet showed an FEHD outsourced

worker eating in a toilet. She opined that workers would not have to eat in toilets if

there had been other places suitable for them to have meals. She hoped the

department would not only improve the wages and welfare of outsourced workers,

but also pay attention to how these workers were treated while on duty. Moreover,

she pointed out that illegal posting of bills was quite a serious problem in Tuen Mun.

Taking Tuen Mun as an example, the number of bills had dropped from the peak of

about 10 000 to some 6 000, suggesting that the FEHD had to remove about 100

illegal bills each day. She further said provisions in the Public Health and

Municipal Services Ordinance in force were inadequate to prosecute people who

incited illegal posting of bills, adding that the FEHD often faced difficulties in

enforcement due to understaffing. She suggested the department consider getting

to the root by amending the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, so as

to make the work concerned more effective. In addition, opining that the

department did not invest enough resources in Tuen Mun, she hoped the department

would make improvements.

29. A Member said it was expressly stated in the contracts with FEHD

outsourced service contractors that the contractors were required to provide the

grab-mounted truck service, and he had heard that contractors in Tuen Mun had

provided the grab-mounted truck service before, so he did not understand why there

was no grab-mounted truck in Tuen Mun. He said many bulky items (e.g. furniture

and electrical appliances) could hardly be handled manually and had to be removed

by grab-mounted trucks. He reckoned the reason why outsourced workers were

forced to have meals in public toilets was that no normal meal break was provided

for night-shift workers. In view of this, he hoped the department would consider

requesting contractors to provide meal breaks for all their workers. He further said

that as Financial Secretary had proposed in the new Budget to provide more

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resources for the FEHD to refurbish its public toilets by phases, the FEHD should

take this opportunity to provide or improve duty rooms in public toilets. Besides,

he held the view that while the Government had introduced one measures after

another (including provision of end-of-contract gratuities, annual leave etc. for

outsourced workers) since the year before, the crux of the problem was that some

contractors evaded their responsibility by requesting outsourced workers to sign

false documents. He asked the department what supporting policy measures were

in place to supervise contractors.

30. A Member said he had proposed to Chief Executive to build 100 000 niches

in the district and the Government had finally decided to build 160 000 niches, but

no consideration was given to supporting transport arrangements. He suspected

that the Government was delaying studies on supporting transport arrangements

relating to the project and requested the department’s follow-up. Moreover, he

reckoned the department should as soon as possible put more resources into public

toilet hygiene matters (e.g. slipperiness and water resistance). Besides, he

commended Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), for making tremendous efforts to deal

with problems brought by Typhoon Mangkhut to trees in villages, but it was pity that

bulky trees in villages could not be disposed of quickly because the FEHD lacked

relevant tools (e.g. chainsaws and grab-mounted trucks). He therefore urged the

department to increase resources to cope with similar crises in the future.

31. A Member said that when it came to district matters involving different

departments, time was often wasted on coordination between departments. He

suggested the FEHD consider acting as a leading coordinator in some matters

instead of communicating with the local community through the district office.

Moreover, he remarked that on efforts against fly-tipping, the FEHD should enhance

coordination with the HD and install cameras on some open roads. Furthermore, as

the rainy season was approaching, he hoped the FEHD would make sustained

anti-mosquito efforts and continue with its regular projects.

32. A Member also commended Mr Edwin LEE, DEHS(TM), and his team. He

opined that the department should respond promptly to Members’ demands on Tsang

Tsui Columbarium (e.g. widening Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road).

Besides, he said many people felt that refuse bins with small openings were no

longer in line with needs in today’s society. He suggested the department replace

them with refuse bins with large openings as soon as possible. He also opined that

the quantity of refuse bins should not be cut. Furthermore, he urged the department

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to learn lessons from the Typhoon Mangkhut experience and put more resources into

district work. Finally, he opined that the JO did not move with the times as it still

used outdated testing technologies. He hoped the department would improve the

work concerned.

33. A Member wondered why the Government did not launch any policy to help

Tuen Mun residents, who were willing to accommodate the Government’s

construction of a columbarium in the district. He said no government officials had

ever promised to do something concrete for Tuen Mun, despite Chief Executive’s

previous remark that the administration owed Tuen Mun something. Besides, he

hoped the department would look squarely at the problem with San Hui Market in

Tuen Mun. Noting that some private markets (e.g. some Link-managed markets)

were very satisfactory in terms of appearance and hygiene conditions, he wondered

why government-managed markets could not be run better. He opined that the

prime location of San Hui Market in Tuen Mun was wasted since the Government

was always reluctant to invest resources in enhancing the market’s facilities. He

urged the department to propose concrete plans and put the “single site, multiple

use” principle into action to solve the problem.

34. A Member held the view that while the department should step up

enforcement, publicity and education were equally important as far as the problem

of fly-tipping was concerned. Opining that there were also some fly-tippers among

tourists, he hoped the Government would strengthen publicity at relevant locations.

Besides, he suggested the department make proper preparations before the problem

of mosquito infestation got worse, striking a balance between mosquito prevention

and extermination efforts. He also opined that the work efficiency of the JO was

low, its coordination with other departments was inadequate, and the equipment it

used was outdated. He hoped the department would increase staff and enhance

cooperation with residents, so as to earn their trust and deal with problems

effectively. He concluded by requesting the Government to consider building

additional public markets in Tuen Mun.

35. A Member reckoned the JO should step up efforts to tackle water seepage

problems and not procrastinate. He said that if the JO failed to handle water

seepage problems for the public, the Government should consider dissolving it in

order not to waste public money. In addition, he praised the work of Mr Edwin

LEE, DEHS(TM), opining that he was willing to hear public opinions.

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36. A Member hoped the JO would lower the threshold for using microwave

technologies to tackle water seepage problems, so that more members of the public

could be benefitted. He also hoped the department would improve facilities in

public markets. In addition, he enquired about the department’s policies on bazaars

and night markets.

37. Ms Vivian LAU first gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments as

follows:

(i) Thanks were extended to Members for the encouragement and

comments they gave to the FEHD. Sharing the same goal as

Members, the FEHD strived to improve environmental hygiene in the

district so that people could live and work in peace;

(ii) The department was aware of the relatively high number of

complaints about water seepage in Tuen Mun. It believed this might

be because buildings in Tuen Mun, which had been developed since

the early 1980s, began to show signs of ageing with maintenance and

management problems ensuing. Owners of private properties had

responsibility for proper management and maintenance, and the

Government would step in only in cases involving building safety,

environmental hygiene or waste of fresh water. Therefore, if a water

seepage problem occurred, the owners were supposed to address it

themselves by negotiation first. But amid the weak neighbourly

culture in recent years, the FEHD was called on to step in once a

problem occurred. When the department stepped in, it would use

non-destructive testing methods, which meant that techniques that

could cause damage on buildings would not be used. The colour

water test was a technique admissible in evidence in the court.

Moreover, the JO had engaged a consultant several years before to

offer advice on testing methods;

(iii) The JO had to put resources into more serious cases. For instance,

the JO would suspend further action on a case if the moisture content

of the seepage area was below 35%. As recommended by the above

consultant, the department was trying out advanced technologies like

infrared and microwave tests in some areas to enhance services, and

it would complete the trial scheme in June this year and review

experience. Also, the department was looking for an office in New

Territories West for the district joint office, which would boost the

efficiency of communication with other government departments.

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The department was much concerned about the nuisances that

seepage in buildings caused to residents. It would not only enhance

services but also refer to the experience of other Asian cities. The

legislation of an Asian city clearly stated that as long as a water

seepage problem occurred, the owner concerned would be held

responsible and neither tests nor evidences were necessary. While

practices in other places might not necessarily fit Hong Kong’s legal

environment, the department did not rule out considering proposing

amendments to the legislation. In addition, the department would

increase staff and review the application of advanced technologies in

the year ahead;

(iv) Problems of dripping from air-conditioners were mostly attributed to

either damage on drip trays or defects on joints of drain hoses for

cold water. When approaching the problems, the department would

take the time when the problems occurred into account and assign

staff to follow them up at material times. While the department

would step up efforts on education and publicity, Members might also

assist in promotion, in order that the public would check

air-conditioners on their own initiative before summer to ensure no

water dripping;

(v) The department had allocated an additional some $10 million for

street cleaning contracts. It also planned a significant increase in

resources for contracts in the year ahead. Moreover, the department

would strengthen enforcement, taking a multi-pronged approach to

improving the situation. On feeding of pigeons, for example, the

department would consider deploying plain-clothed teams for more

effective enforcement;

(vi) On illegal posting of bills, the current legislation empowered the

department to punish beneficiaries of illegal bills (e.g. restaurants,

beauty salons or telecommunications companies). The department

would prosecute the beneficiaries concerned as long as their identity

could be ascertained from the information shown on the bills. Over

the previous few years, the department had been taking the above

approach to punishing beneficiaries at places where unauthorised

display of easy-mount frames was rampant;

(vii) It was hoped that Members would continue to offer suggestions to the

department on blackspots in Tuen Mun where rodent and mosquito

infestation were acute. To address rodent infestation, the

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department would step up efforts on restaurants to tackle food

sources for rats in the future. Besides, it had organised an array of

activities in December the year before to teach restaurants how to

dispose of food waste, which had been followed by strict law

enforcement. In addition, the department would proactively inspect

sites and housing estates and enhance cooperation with the HD;

(viii) In the coming five years, the department would spend about $600

million on the refurbishment/enhancement works to some 240 public

toilets in the 18 districts, with the main focus on public toilets with

high usage or run-down facilities, or those in tourist areas. The plan

would require support from the Architectural Services Department

(“ArchSD”) and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department,

and the department had allocated additional resources for it. There

were four standards for an ideal public toilet: (1) cleanliness and no

stain; (2) no smell; (3) dry floor; and (4) proper functioning of

internal facilities. To this end, the department had communicated

with the other two relevant departments to get the job done well.

On hardware, Financial Secretary had allocated more funding for the

plan, which would be used to meet the costs of works; on software,

the department would increase staff in the year ahead to show the

Government’s determination to boost the quality of public toilets.

Also, the department would prioritise the more than 700 public toilets

in Hong Kong according to circumstances. Therefore, the

department had started off by carrying out refurbishment works to

public toilets at 23 tourist spots the year before. Among them, there

were so far eight public toilets having undergone refurbishment, and

the works to the remaining 15 would be complete one after another.

This showed that the department had experience and determination in

doing the work concerned;

(ix) In the future when the contracts for outsourced street cleaning

services were renewed, the department would request the new

contractors to provide sufficient grab-mounted trucks to carry out

district cleaning work. In case of emergency, such as natural

disasters, the department would as far as possible employ more

grab-mounted trucks to meet immediate needs. The department

would carry out reviews and strengthen cooperation with other

departments in the future;

(x) The department outsourced cleaning services but never outsourced its

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responsibility. It had increased the posts of overseers and senior

foremen in the civil service to step up its oversight of outsourced

service contractors. The department would certainly impose severe

punishment on the outsourced service contractors if any

non-compliance on their part was confirmed. Moreover, if the

performance of the outsourced service contractors was not

satisfactory, their chance of success in bidding for government

contracts in the future would be affected. Furthermore, the

department would reform the marking scheme for tenders in April

this year by adjusting the mix of price and technique in some

contracts to prompt bidders to increase wages of outsourced workers

according to circumstances. Meanwhile, the department always

strived to improve the workplace environment for cleaning workers.

For instance, it was joined by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

to study the production of reflective clothing materials that could ease

burden on cleaners working in hot summer;

(xi) There were currently two FEHD-managed markets in Tuen Mun (i.e.

Yan Oi Market and San Hui Market). The department was

implementing the territory-wide Market Modernisation Programme,

but no market in Tuen Mun was covered by the first round of the

programme. In some areas, market facilities were relatively

obsolete, as exemplified by the lack of air-conditioning systems.

The department had to give priority to such markets. In view of

hygiene problems in the two markets in Tuen Mun, the department

hoped to sustain their operation through the minor works commenced

in recent years (e.g. retiling of floors, improvements to

air-conditioner and fire service facilities). In the long run, the

department kept an open mind about whether San Hui Market

required redevelopment, and it would invite the district officer and

the TMDC to discuss relevant procedures to support the work; and

(xii) The department understood residents’ concern about traffic problems

that might ensue from the completion of the columbarium. In view

of this, the department had invited a relevant department to seek a

consultant’s advice on traffic load at the place concerned. The

consultant estimated that the roads concerned were adequate to cope

with the traffic volume in the next few years. Members might

express their opinions later at this meeting under another agenda

item.

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38. A Member asked whether the department would take part in building

inspection after a building was completed, and he noted that the moisture content of

seepage areas was lower in some village houses than in ordinary buildings.

Besides, he believed Tsang Tsui Columbarium would have significant impacts on

traffic around Lung Kwu Tan Village in Tuen Mun.

39. A Member hoped the department would address traffic problems with Tsang

Tsui Columbarium as soon as possible, saying that residents in the area would be

very dissatisfied if the Government failed to tackle the problems concerned.

40. A Member noted that the unduly long wait for niches left the public with no

option but to store ashes in coffin shops. She hoped the department would improve

the ballot system.

41. A Member felt that the department had not responded to his question about

markets in Tuen Mun. The Member suggested the department pay a visit to the

district to understand residents’ needs.

42. A Member said the Government had promised to address traffic problems

properly when it had been decided that a columbarium be built in Tuen Mun. But

the department broke its promise, making use of the consultant’s argument to shirk

its responsibility and fool Tuen Mun residents. Furthermore, he reiterated that San

Hui Market was already aged and felt that the department had been procrastinating

on the matter over the past decade or so.

43. A Member said the TMDC had requested for many times that the JO set up

an office in Tuen Mun. The Member hoped the department would consider the

request seriously.

44. A Member reckoned that instead of blindly accepting the consultant’s

assessment of traffic problems at Tsang Tsui, the department should pragmatically

listen to public opinions and widen Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road.

45. A Member opined that the department paid little heed to Lung Kwu Tan

villagers’ transport needs and overlooked the traffic volume during the Ching Ming

and Chung Yeung Festivals. Moreover, he suggested the Government consider

upgrading the JO to a water seepage department or a water seepage bureau.

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46. A Member gave a hypothetical example, saying that if a niche was visited by

four family members, there would be 640 000 worshippers after the allocation of the

160 000 niches in the future, which would certainly be unmanageable by the existing

road network. She requested the department to make concrete proposals to

improve transport facilities around Tsang Tsui Columbarium.

47. The Chairman reminded Members that there was a discussion item titled

“Updated Information on the Project of Construction of Columbarium Facilities at

Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun” on the agenda of this meeting, so they might consider

expressing their opinions to government department representatives during the

discussion of the item.

48. A Member was disappointed by the department’s response, reiterating that

the department should redevelop markets in Tuen Mun instead of tinkering with

their facilities. He opined that the department should proactively make proposals

to benefit Tuen Mun residents instead of shirking its responsibility.

49. A Member said the department had promised to widen Lung Mun Road and

Lung Kwu Tan Road when consulting Tuen Mun about the construction of the

columbarium, but the department was breaking its promise, making use of the

consultant’s report as a shield. He expressed doubt about the creditability of

government officials.

50. A Member said a serious traffic accident had happened on Lung Kwu Tan

Road. The Member reckoned the department must take previous accidents on

roads in that area and locals’ opinions into account.

51. A Member requested the department to promise to provide more

grab-mounted trucks in Tuen Mun. Besides, he asked whether the department

would request contractors to provide meal breaks for all outsourced workers.

52. A Member reiterated that traffic problems were serious in Tuen Mun. She

requested the department to communicate with the Transport Department (“TD”)

and make site visits in Tuen Mun, instead of blindly accepting the consultant’s

report.

53. A Member said the department had never ironed out traffic problems on

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sloping roads near Castle Peak Power Station. Moreover, he reckoned it was

necessary for the Government to build a Castle Peak tunnel.

54. Ms Vivian LAU gave a consolidated response to the second round of

comments by Members as follows:

(i) Members’ questions on Tsang Tsui Columbarium would be answered

later by the department’s representatives under another agenda item

for the meeting;

(ii) The department always served the public with utmost sincerity and in

good faith; and

(iii) The department promised to take Members’ opinions on municipal

services into consideration when carrying out relevant work.

55. The Chairman thanked Ms Vivian LAU for her responses and hoped the

department would continue to follow up on matters of concern to Members.

IV. Confirmation of Minutes of the 20th

Meeting Held on 8 January 2019

56. The Chairman said that on 28 February 2019, the Secretariat had sent the

draft of the above minutes to all participants in the meeting. As no proposed

amendments had been received thereafter and no amendments were proposed by

Members at the current meeting, the above minutes were confirmed.

V. Matters Arising

(A) Request for Full Replacement of Composite Panels Non-compliant with

BS 476-4 Part 4 in Government Premises

(TMDC Paper No. 1/2019)

(Written Response by BD)

(Paragraphs 67 to 69 of Minutes of the 20th

TMDC Meeting)

57. The Chairman said the TMDC had discussed this matter at its meeting in

January 2019 and written to the ArchSD and the BD inviting their representatives to

a meeting. As neither of the above departments had sent representatives to the

meeting, the TMDC had resolved to further discuss this matter. After the meeting,

the Secretariat had written to the ArchSD and the BD again inviting their

representatives to a TMDC meeting, and the ArchSD had agreed to send

representatives to this meeting; whereas the BD had explained in its written response

that government premises were neither governed by the Buildings Ordinance nor

within the purview of the BD, so the department had no records about the

government premises concerned and was unable to provide further information on

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the matter. Thus, the BD was not the right department to make responses on this

matter. The Secretariat had distributed the above written response from the BD to

Members for perusal by email before the meeting.

58. The Chairman then welcomed Mr Jimmy LAU, Senior Property Services

Manager/Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and Mr Wilfrid KAM, Property Services

Manager/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun-West, the ArchSD, to the meeting.

59. A Member said that while the BD had promulgated the Code of Practice for

Fire Safety in Buildings in 2011, composite panels used in most buildings in Hong

Kong between 2011 and 2017 were merely made of “fire-retardant materials”. He

added that such materials, nevertheless, could not prevent fire spread immediately

and were similar to the inflammable materials of the composite panels used in the

building involved in a blaze in London, Britain in 2017. According to his research

of buildings in Tuen Mun, composite panels made of “fire-retardant materials” had

been used in at least four buildings in Tuen Mun between 2011 and 2017, which

included schools, Yau Oi Sports Centre, and roofs or external walls of buildings in

the Tai Lam prison. He further said that after 2017, the Government used

composite panels made of “materials not liable to spontaneous combustion” for

construction. Although the Government had clearly stated that both composite

panels made of “fire-retardant materials” and “materials not liable to spontaneous

combustion” had been used between 2011 and 2017, the standard had been changed

in 2017. He therefore asked whether, in the light of the above change, the

department would replace composite panels made of “fire-retardant materials” in

government premises in the district.

60. Mr Jimmy LAU, Senior Property Services Manager/Tuen Mun and Yuen

Long of the ArchSD, thanked the Member for paying attention to the fire safety of

buildings in Tuen Mun. He would like to answer the Member’s questions in three

aspects: (i) measures implemented by the department in the wake of the 2017 blaze

in London, Britain; (ii) ongoing measures carried out by the department; (iii) the

department’s arrangements and actions in the future.

61. Mr Jimmy LAU of the ArchSD first gave a consolidated response on

measures implemented by the department in the wake of the 2017 blaze in London,

Britain as follows:

(i) The composite panels currently used in government premises in Hong

Kong were different from those used in Britain. Subject to local

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climate factors, inflammable thermal insulating layers could be added

to the construction materials used in the building in the 2017 blaze in

London, Britain; whereas single aluminum composite panels were

used in government premises in Hong Kong for decoration;

(ii) Following the 2017 blaze in London, Britain, the department had

immediately checked government properties in which aluminum

composite panels had been used as construction materials, with

priority given to buildings of more than one storey. With adequate

fire escapes and fire service installations, these properties were

fire-safe; and

(iii) After 2011, only composite panels that were up to safety standards

BS476 Part 6 and Part 7 were used for toilet renovation and

maintenance in one-storey buildings in Tuen Mun. Thus, they posed

minimal fire hazard and no threat to the public’s life.

62. On the ongoing measures carried out by the department, Mr Jimmy LAU of

the ArchSD said all government premises in Hong Kong were undergoing the

department’s in-depth building safety check, which was conducted on a three-year

cycle, and one of the items in the check focused on aluminum covers in buildings.

He added that the department had already checked the most important government

premises, including some government premises fitted with composite panels as early

as in 2011.

63. On the department’s arrangements and actions in the future, Mr Jimmy LAU

of the ArchSD said the department was keeping close tabs on the investigation

following the blaze in London, Britain, and its latest progress. The department

paid equal attention not only to the properties of the materials used in buildings, but

also to the process of construction material installation and such issues as ageing of

materials and oxidisation of protective coating, which would be used as reference

points in future works to ensure fire safety of buildings.

64. A Member said that earlier on during the replacement of covered walkways

in public housing estates in his constituency, he had found that the above two types

of composite panels were exactly what were used in the walkway covers. While

both of the above types of composite panels had been up to the prevailing safety

standards between 2011 and 2017, the Government had no longer used composite

panels made of “fire-retardant materials” after 2017. In this regard, he hoped the

department would tell him whether a replacement exercise would be carried out for

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buildings fitted with composite panels made of “fire-retardant materials” to switch to

composite panels made of “materials not liable to spontaneous combustion”.

65. Mr Jimmy LAU of the ArchSD gave a consolidated response to Members’

enquiries and comments as follows:

(i) Selection of construction materials was just one of the points to note

in the Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings. When

inspecting government properties of more than one storey, the

department would check their fire service installations as well.

Today, most buildings were fitted with the conventional automatic

sprinkler system, a fire service installation that ensured fire safety;

(ii) All existing government premises in Hong Kong did meet safety

standards, no matter whether the composite panels used there were

made of “fire-retardant materials” or “materials not liable to

spontaneous combustion”;

(iii) The use of composite panels made of “fire-retardant materials” in

government premises between 2011 and 2017 had not constituted any

violation of the prevailing safety requirements, but the department

was paying attention to how composite panels had been installed in

different cases to ascertain their fire safety. In Tuen Mun, buildings

containing the above materials were mostly one-storey structures

with relatively low fire risk. If such buildings were assessed as

having high fire risk, the department would take fire service facilities

in the buildings into account as well to ensure fire safety; and

(iv) The current discussion on construction materials covered a wide

range of areas. Therefore, if Members found that some government

properties were not yet discussed at this meeting, they were welcome

to ask and check with the department to monitor whether the existing

safety standards required amendment.

66. The Chairman thanked Mr Jimmy LAU of the ArchSD for his responses and

said Members were welcome to have further discussion with the department’s

representatives after the meeting.

[At this point, the Chairman announced the meeting be adjourned for 15 minutes so

that Members could go to the petition area to present petition letters about the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision to Under Secretary for Development. After the break,

some members of the public disrupted the order and proceedings of the meeting.

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As the Chairman’s warnings were not heeded, the Chairman invoked Order 40(4) of

the Standing Orders to order the persons concerned to leave the place of the meeting.

The persons concerned refused to leave at first, but finally left of their own accord

with the assistance of security guards and police officers. At last, the meeting was

resumed at 1:48 p.m.]

67. The Chairman said that due to other commitments, Under Secretary for

Development suggested a change to the order of discussion items on the agenda,

whereby Item IV(B) (i.e. Updated Information on the Project of Construction of

Columbarium Facilities at Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun) would come up before the

discussion of Item IV(A) (i.e. the Lantau Tomorrow Vision).

VI. Discussion Items

(A) Updated Information on the Project of Construction of Columbarium

Facilities at Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun

(TMDC Paper No. 7/2019)

68. The Chairman welcomed Ms Diane WONG, Deputy Director of Food and

Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene), Mr CHIU Yu-chow, Assistant

Director (Grade Management and Development), and Mr HUI Fai-wing, Senior

Superintendent (Public Columbaria Project Team), the FEHD; Mr Alfred CHAN,

Senior Project Manager, and Ms Santafe POON, Project Manager, the ArchSD; Mr

Keith YEUNG, Principal Environmental Protection Officer (Landfills and

Development) of the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”); Mr Alex

MAN, Senior Engineer/Housing and Planning/New Territories West of the TD; Mr

Simon CHUNG, Director, and Mr LAM King, Assistant Director, Simon Kwan and

Associates Limited; and Ms TSANG Yuen-yan, Chief Engineer of MVA Hong Kong

Limited, to the meeting.

69. Ms Diane WONG of the FEHD and Mr Keith YEUNG of the EPD gave their

respective PowerPoint presentations to update Members about the project.

[The TMDC meeting was adjourned for a lunch break at 2:02 p.m. and resumed at

2:37 p.m. for discussion of the captioned matter.]

70. Ms Diane WONG added that the road closure arrangements, which targeted

only foreign vehicles going in and out of Tsang Tsui Columbarium, would not affect

residents and workers who travelled to and from their home and workplace in the

area.

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71. A Member criticised the FEHD for failing to live up to the expectations of

the TMDC and Tuen Mun residents. He said he had made a clear request to the

Government as early as at the project’s consultation stage that works in the project

be carried out in tandem with its supporting transport measures. He further said the

traffic assessment made by the FEHD-appointed consultant was misleading and paid

no heed to the needs of Lung Kwu Tan villagers. Also, he opined that even if the

FEHD banned foreign private vehicles from entering Tsang Tsui, the vehicles would

still be parked nearby and cause congestion. But there was not enough space

elsewhere in Tuen Mun to accommodate these vehicles. Besides, he expressed

doubt about the EPD-proposed enhancement works to the north of Nim Wan Road,

saying that it was impossible to carry out the works in the near future because the

EPD had to spend additional time consulting with the Yuen Long District Council

(“YMDC”). He further said the Government had never looked squarely at the

problem of traffic congestion on Wong Chu Road in Tuen Mun, adding that the

Government should consider the traffic volume not only during the Ching Ming and

Chung Yeung Festivals, but also in other times. In addition, he requested the

FEHD to communicate with relevant departments (including the EPD) and make

concrete responses to the TMDC’s comments.

72. A Member held the view that the plan for ballot allocation of niches failed to

cater for members of the public who had been unsuccessful in a number of

applications. She had suggested the FEHD consider referring to the public housing

queuing system, but no positive response had been received from the FEHD so far.

Moreover, she felt the Government had repeatedly procrastinated in responding to

the TMDC’s request for the widening of Lung Kwu Tan Road. She also criticised

the argument the FEHD director had made earlier at the meeting that the roads

concerned were adequate to cope with the traffic volume in the coming few years as

a misleading assessment. While the captioned paper said the Government planned

to carry out road improvement works, she criticised the plan as empty as no timeline

was provided. She also opined that if, as insisted by the Government, there had

been no problem with the traffic volume on the roads concerned, the Government

would not have said in the captioned paper that it would study improvements to the

transport support. She expressed doubt, saying that the Government’s arguments

were contradictory. She requested that instead of being inward-looking,

government departments should set in motion improvement works to the road

sections concerned without delay.

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73. A Member noted that while the EPD said a road improvement project would

be launched in the future, no timeline for the project was provided in the paper. He

asked if the EPD had estimated when the works could be complete. Moreover, he

reckoned that the road improvement works should progress in tandem with related

supporting transport arrangements, as opposed to the FEHD’s suggestion that studies

would be conducted only in 2020. As the FEHD had said there would be bus

routes running between Tuen Mun Station and Tsang Tsui during the Ching Ming

and Chung Yeung Festivals, he asked whether the FEHD could provide concrete

data and information (e.g. plans for bus service frequency and waiting areas).

74. A Member said the TMDC had advised the Government on the captioned

matter as early as in 2012, and requested the Government to link up roads between

Sheung Pak Nai and Ha Pak Nai, widen Lung Kwu Tan Road, and address the

problem of congestion on Wong Chu Road as well. In paragraph 6 of the captioned

paper, the FEHD made the point that according to the traffic engineering

consultant’s estimate, the traffic volume on the existing carriageways of Lung Mun

Road would remain at acceptable levels in 2026. She criticised this point as utterly

unreasonable. She said that if a niche was visited by four family members, in the

future there would be 640 000 visitors to Tsang Tsui Columbarium, which would

house 160 000 niches, whereas Tuen Mun had a population of just about 500 000.

She requested that Government should put the project on hold and defer the

arrangements for ashes interment if it failed to make supporting transport

arrangements for the road sections concerned.

75. A Member criticised the Government for marking time. He echoed the

point made earlier by another Member that as the EPD-proposed improvement

works involved road sections in Yuen Long, the EPD should not presume it could

secure the YLDC’s support. He therefore suspected that it was actually impossible

to carry out the EPD-proposed project in the near future. He added that while the

FEHD arranged for grave sweepers to take buses at West Rail Tuen Mun Station for

the columbarium, such arrangements paid no heed to elderly people’s needs.

Moreover, he criticised the TD for its prolonged delay in launching a study on the

widening of road sections in Tuen Mun. He represented the outrage of villagers in

the area to the Government.

76. A Member said the Government’s planning for public housing and

columbaria was not satisfactory. She said some roads in Tuen Mun were so narrow

that great caution had to be exercised when large vehicles passed through these

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roads, but the Government made no arrangements for these roads. Furthermore,

she took the Government to task for failing to make comprehensive arrangements

and give the public details about the arrangements for transport to Tsang Tsui

Columbarium, leaving the public and councillors in the dark. Besides, in response

to the FEHD’s proposal to arrange bus routes running between Tuen Mun and the

columbarium during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals, she suspected that

the FEHD had not yet made any special arrangements for people traffic (e.g.

increasing bus service frequency) during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung

Festivals.

77. A Member criticised the FEHD for failing to give clear explanations in

paragraph 6 of the captioned paper. She said, for example, the paper mentioned

that the traffic volume on the road sections concerned remained at acceptable levels,

but there was no mention of the criteria for assessment and the definition of

“acceptable level”. She further said residents in Lung Kwu Tan Village had offered

their opposing views to the Government, and they opined that the EPD-proposed

improvement plan was not much help. She wondered why the EPD put forward to

the district council a plan that was not acceptable to residents. Also, on behalf of

Lung Kwu Tan villagers, she asked the EPD whether the road sections concerned

allowed the passage of refuse collection vehicles. Furthermore, villagers of Lung

Kwu Tan Village had offered the EPD two road proposals (including the

construction of a flyover between the Tuen Mun landfill and Shen Zhen Bay and a

tunnel between the Tuen Mun landfill and Hong Po Road in Lam Tei), and these two

proposals were considered to be better than the EPD’s plan. She asked the EPD

why these two proposals were not accepted.

78. A Member expressed doubt, saying that by mooting the improvement plan,

the EPD was merely re-tabling the previous plan devised and considered for landfill

extension in Tuen Mun. He said he did not object to the widening of Nim Wan

Road, but reckoned the EPD had to take Lau Fau Shan Road and Ping Ha Road into

account as well. Also, he wondered if the EPD’s improvement works could really

ease the traffic burden associated with Tsang Tsui Columbarium. In his opinion,

actually most people would not consider taking Nim Wan Road to the columbarium.

For the Government’s proposal to close the road sections concerned for exclusive

access by residents and workers in the area, he was worried that this would lead to

the area around Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal being clogged up by foreign vehicles.

79. A Member said the TMDC had requested as early as at the site-selection

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stage of the captioned project that the Government should widen Lung Kwu Tan

Road. He expressed dissatisfaction with the Government and opined that duties

relating to transport policy should fall on either the TD or the Highways Department

(“HyD”). Moreover, he quoted another Member as proposing that the EPD build a

tunnel on Hong Po Road, but the Government had never accepted the proposal.

For the Government’s proposal to arrange bus routes running between Tuen Mun

and the columbarium. He said the arrangements concerned would merely see

crowds of people having to stay and wait at the bus stop, and might even leave them

unable to go to Tsang Tsui for worshipping.

80. A Member opined that as this was a traffic-related matter, the FEHD should

have communicated with the TD and invited the TD to send representatives to this

meeting. He wondered why, given Tuen Mun residents were willing to

accommodate the Government’s construction of a columbarium in the district, the

Government did not have any policy in place to solve traffic problems in Tuen Mun.

Furthermore, he said that Lung Kwu Tan Road should have been widened as soon as

possible even if the Government had had no plan to build a columbarium in the

district. He also expressed doubt, saying that the Government-proposed

improvement works to Ha Pak Nai Road were unrealistic. Also, he opined it was

not feasible to resume land near the beach for development into a two-lane

carriageway. In addition, he reckoned the Government should not build housing or

facilities until arrangements for relevant road improvement works were made.

81. A Member reckoned the Government should address traffic problems on

relevant land sections without delay, or there would be dire consequences. For the

FEHD’s proposal to arrange bus routes running between Tuen Mun and the

columbarium, he guessed the Government expected that most people would go to

Tuen Mun by rail, but he hoped the Government would understand that the railway’s

carrying capacity was not unlimited and it could not reach some relatively remote

places. Therefore, he suggested the FEHD consider providing bus routes at Tuen

Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange (“TMR BBI”) and putting special traffic

arrangements in place during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals (e.g.

allowing taxis’ access to the vicinity of the columbarium) to provide convenience for

the public to go there for worshipping.

82. A Member requested again the Government to explore improvements to the

ballot mechanism for columbaria and refer to the public housing queuing system.

Moreover, she said people might speculate that the Government was preparing to

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extend the Tuen Mun landfill because it was the EPD, rather than the Transport and

Housing Bureau or the TD, which proposed road improvement works for the

columbarium built at in Tsang Tsui. Besides, she opposed the Government pegging

the road improvement works with the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, because there was

still considerable controversy in society over the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and its

related plans. She criticised the fact that there were still no proper supporting road

arrangements in place even though ballots for Tsang Tsui Columbarium would start

this year. While the FEHD would arrange bus routes running between Tuen Mun

and the columbarium, residents in urban districts still had to go to Tuen Mun by rail

or bus, but the transport networks concerned had almost reached their capacity.

Therefore, she reckoned the Government should consider arranging transport

services that ran directly from other districts (e.g. Tsuen Wan) to Tsang Tsui.

83. A Member added that in the previous term of the district council, Members

had requested that Ha Pak Nai Road be not only widened but, furthermore, extended

to Shenzhen Bay Bridge.

84. A Member was regretted about the Government’s plan. He reiterated that

the support given by the TMDC during the consultation on the columbarium

construction was conditional upon the Government’ effective steps to solve

problems with nearby traffic, and the then Chief Executive had promised to consider

building related roads. Yet, the Government had not commenced studies on the

works as yet. He further noted that the TMDC had requested the Government to

build a tunnel between Leung King Estate and the Lau Fau Shan area, but there had

been no follow up so far. He suggested the Government make road arrangements

promptly and asked the department to relay Members’ views to the authority.

85. A Member believed the Government’s columbarium construction in Tsang

Tsui had far-reaching impacts on traffic in Tuen Mun, and criticised the Government

for failing to live up to the expectations of the TMDC and people in Hong Kong as a

whole. She also criticised government departments for being inward-looking and

turning a blind eye to problems in Tuen Mun. She reiterated to the Government

that the TMDC had expressed its opinions to the Government some years before and

expected all related supporting arrangements were already in place at the completion

of the columbarium, but it turned out that while the columbarium would come into

service shortly, no supporting transport arrangements were well in place, and Lung

Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road in Tuen Mun remained too narrow. She

requested the Government to call inter-departmental meetings on road issues and

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propose solutions, in order not to trigger strong opposition from residents in Lung

Kwu Tan, Tuen Mun.

86. A Member expressed understanding for Hong Kong people’s demand for

niches, but said that given Tuen Mun could accommodate the Government’s policy,

the Government should solve related traffic problems for Tuen Mun residents and

pay heed to their difficulties. He added that what the FEHD should take into

consideration was not only the 20 000 niches in the first allocation, but the 160 000

niches in the whole columbarium, and even the volume of traffic arising from the

possible development of the second phase of the columbarium in the future. He

said that suppose only 60% of people went to worship during the Ching Ming and

Chung Yeung Festivals, hundreds of thousands of people would flood into Tuen

Mun in the space of a few days, and these people would just be diverted temporarily

at Tuen Mun Town Centre or TMR BBI. He suspected the Government had never

consulted with councillors for Tuen Mun Town Centre or stakeholders in the district.

He reckoned that Tuen Mun Town Centre, where a large number of housing estates

were housed, was the transport and logistic hub of the whole district, so actually it

could hardly accommodate the influx of hundreds of thousands of people from

outside the district in a short period of time, but the Government had not considered

using Siu Hong Station, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal as diversion

points. He concluded by saying that the Government should consult with

stakeholders in the areas concerned.

87. Ms Diane WONG said this matter comprised two projects overseen

separately by the FEHD and the EPD. She first gave a consolidated response on

the part overseen by the FEHD as follows:

(i) On the arrangements for feeder transport services during the Ching

Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals, in the first year the Government

would arrange feeder buses at MTR Tuen Mun Station Public

Transport Interchange (Tuen Mun Station) at Century Gateway (V

city), and in the next year it would study the launch of an additional

feeder bus route running from TMR BBI to Tsang Tsui based on the

people traffic data for the first year. After the opening of Tuen Mun

- Chek Lap Kok Link, the Government would arrange feeder buses

running from MTR Tsing Yi Station to Tsang Tsui. The FEHD

estimated that after the allocation of 20 000 niches next year, there

would be a traffic of up to 2 170 people per hour at peak during the

Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals. A transport assessment

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report recommended 17 bus trips per hour, a journey time of 33

minutes, and a four-minute wait for passengers. The relevant

department would confirm the arrangements concerned with feeder

bus service operators in the second quarter. On the arrangements at

MTR Tuen Mun Station, the FEHD had checked that there was ample

space for picking up and dropping off passengers at that place, and

the passenger waiting areas could accommodate 850 people. As it

was estimated that there would be only 500 people or so waiting, the

arrangements would be able to cope with the estimated people traffic

in the first year. From the second year onwards, the journey time of

buses from TMR BBI to Tsang Tsui would be approximately 31

minutes, which could cope with 21% of the people traffic.

Furthermore, after the opening of Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link in

the future, the public might also choose to take feeder buses at MTR

Tsing Yi Station for Tsang Tsui. With a journey time of 47 minutes,

the feeder buses could cope with 42% of the people traffic;

(ii) On traffic and road networks, the Government had carried out site

visits to understand traffic networks in the district (e.g. Wong Chu

Road, Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road) and had heard

Members’ opinions. The Government estimated that the public

would gradually arrange ashes interment from about early 2020. As

Ching Ming Festival was a holiday, the River Trade Terminal area

would be less busy than usual. Moreover, the traffic conditions

concerned would be examined at the Government’s

inter-departmental meetings. It would also make adjustments when

necessary and keep in close touch with the TMDC or the Traffic and

Transport Committee (“TTC”). As for Lung Mun Road, the

department had studied with relevant engineering departments

whether to widen the road and add hard shoulders for emergency use

in traffic accidents, so that vehicles involved in accidents could be

parked in the hard shoulders to leave the traffic unaffected and

maintain clear access for Lung Kwu Tan villagers. But as the

Government understood, this fell well short of residents’ expectations

and therefore, had not been accepted. The residents’ preferred

proposal to widen Lung Mun Road involved higher technical

requirements. Therefore, the study work for the road would be

followed up under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, and relevant

engineering departments would give Members detailed information

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later under another agenda item for the meeting. Government

departments would keep in contact and coordinate with each other;

(iii) On the point made in the transport assessment report about the traffic

volume at acceptable levels, it was estimated that after all the 160 000

niches in Tsang Tsui Columbarium were allocated in 2026, there

would be about 680 passenger vehicle trips to Tsang Tsui in the peak

hours of the day of Ching Ming Festival. In this regard, the traffic

consultant had once again counted the numbers of vehicle movements

at four critical junctions, and the results showed that the traffic

volume/capacity ratio remained below 1.0, so the traffic volume was

still at an acceptable level; and

(iv) On the method for niche allocation, the ICAC had pointed out that

niches should be allocated in a way that was fair, efficient and in the

interest of the public. The existing computer ballot allocation was

quite in line with the above requirements. From the records of

allocation of niches in Wo Hop Shek, there were about 5 127

applications that had received no invitation for niche allocation. At

future stages when the applications for allocation of niches in Tsang

Tsui and Wan Chai were processed, the FEHD would increase the

ballot weighting of applicants who had been unsuccessful in their

niche applications, so that they could stand a better chance of being

allocated a niche. Moreover, applicants who interred more than one

set of ashes in a niche would be given additional ballot weighting.

The FEHD would introduce the above arrangements through promos

in the second quarter of this year.

88. Mr Keith YEUNG of the EPD gave a consolidated response to Members’

enquiries and comments:

(i) On the road network improvement project, the EPD had conducted a

consultation about waste management facilities in 2013 to 2014. At

that time, stakeholders had hoped the existing Nim Wan Road and

Deep Bay Road could be converted into two-lane carriageways.

After consideration, the EPD found it worthwhile to further pursue

this and launched the road improvement project concerned to

improve the traffic network in the Nim Wan area. The proposed

road improvement project comprised three main parts:

(a) Part 1: Nim Wan Road (South) Realignment Works - which

involved the realignment of an existing southern section of

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Nim Wan Road from the north of Yung Long Road to the north

of the ash lagoon, along the seawall;

(b) Part 2: Tsang Kok Estuary Works - which involved the

filling-in of the existing estuary of Tsang Kok Stream, with

stream water to be drained through culverts, and the building of

roads over the estuary to link up the northern and southern

sections of Nim Wan Road, which would serve as another road

connecting Yuen Long and Tuen Mun; and

(c) Part 3: Nim Wan Road (North) and Deep Bay Road

Improvement Project - which involved improvements to the

Deep Bay Road section between Lau Fau Shan Roundabout

and West New Territories (WENT) Landfill and to the northern

section of Nim Wan Road. Works included, among others,

widening the existing one-lane two-way carriageway to turn it

into a 7.3-metre wide dual two-lane carriageway, building a

flyover to straighten the curved alignment of the Nim Wan

Road section in Ha Pak Nai, and improving some drainage

systems in Ap Tsai Hang.

For Parts 1 and 2, i.e. the Nim Wan Road (South) Realignment Works

and the Tsang Kok Estuary Works, the EPD had already had such

work as environmental assessment and project design completed by

relevant consultants. The EPD would gazette the realignment and

estuary works concerned under the Roads (Works, Use and

Compensation) Ordinance (Cap. 370) and the Foreshore and Sea-bed

(Reclamations) Ordinance (Cap. 127) respectively to proceed with

planning for the works. For Part 3, the EPD had already had the

feasibility of the Nim Wan Road (North) and Deep Bay Road

Improvement Project confirmed by consultants and included the

project among the Government’s capital projects. After consultation

with district councils and relevant stakeholders, the EPD would join

the HyD to proceed with the design and investigation work for the

next stage. The above projects were not just for the waste

management facilities concerned but overall for building new roads

in the district to link up Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, so that other

facilities in the district (the columbarium or the landfill) could be

used conveniently;

(ii) It took quite a long time to build roads. As the Nim Wan Road

(North) and Deep Bay Road Improvement Project involved

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ecologically sensitive areas, the EPD had conducted feasibility

studies on the two roads several years before and confirmed that

improvement works to Nim Wan Road and Deep Bay Road could be

carried out. Therefore, the EPD had formally confirmed and

planned to carry out the in-depth design and investigation work, and

construction would start later. The EPD could hardly estimate the

exact time required because the terrain was difficult, the area covered

was wide, and land resumption and environmental assessment work

were involved. Yet, it would carry out the project as quickly as

possible. As for the Nim Wan Road (South) Realignment Works

and the Tsang Kok Estuary Works, which would be gazetted this year,

the EPD would carry out the projects as quickly as possible and the

design concerned was already complete. Moreover, when studying

improvement works to Deep Bay Road, the EPD would also give

consideration to the feasibility of connecting the road to Kong Sham

Western Highway; and

(iii) Some years back, villagers had made a proposal that a tunnel be built

for use by refuse collection vehicles. In view of this, the EPD had

explored using tunnels of different alignments, including the option

of connection with Hong Po Road, to connect the landfill with Tuen

Mun/Yuen Long when studying improvements to Nim Wan Road and

Deep Bay Road. The option was not cost-effective if only the

movements of refuse collection vehicles were factored in. Yet, the

Government did not rule out the possibility, and the EPD had

proposed the Development Bureau (“DEVB”) consider such

feasibility in view of the fact that the development of the whole Tuen

Mun West and the needs for infrastructure there would be reviewed

under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision in the future. The authority

would take the above proposal into account as well in its studies. In

addition, if the Lung Kwu Tan reclamation plan was feasible, there

might be new roads leading to Nim Wan Road in the future to ease

the burden on roads in that area.

89. A Member said traffic was really a big problem. He felt that with no

project timelines provided, the departments had never shown sincerity in widening

Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road. He said that if the above problem could

not be solved, traffic in Tuen Mun would be paralysed in the future. In view of the

160 000 niches, he noted that during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals,

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each niche might be visited by four members of a family, and it followed that there

would be at least 700 000 to one million people going to worship. Crises would

arise in the future if the Government did not widen Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu

Tan Road. He again requested the departments to not only implement the above

measures but also widen Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road without delay.

90. A Member said the EPD would carry out the road improvement works even

without Tsang Tsui Columbarium, so the FEHD should not confuse the two. He

noted that members of the public might drive to Tsang Tsui Columbarium and might

not necessarily go there at the four weekends before or after the Ching Ming and

Chung Yeung Festivals only. As vehicles were unable to proceed to Tsang Tsui,

they would be parked in Tuen Mun, but there were not enough parking spaces in

Tuen Mun to accommodate these vehicles. He believed all the studies would take

eight to ten years to complete, and if the Government did not decide how to solve

the problems concerned within one year or two, he would not trust the Government’s

responses any more. In this regard, he opined that the Government should apply

for funding from the LegCo to carry out the works concerned, and if the LegCo

refused to give approval, he would not lay the blame on the department.

91. A Member said councillors had voiced all traffic concerns but the

Government had failed to address them, so it should further study how to follow

them up. Besides, she had told the FEHD director earlier at the meeting that some

members of the public had not been allocated a niche despite repeated applications.

She therefore considered queuing to be the fairest way to allocate niches.

92. A Member said the departments had not mentioned the widening of Lung

Kwu Tan Road all along. If the authority barred the public from driving private

cars to Tsang Tsui Columbarium during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals,

she would wonder where they could park their cars. As there was no parking in

Tsang Tsui and illegal parking was already a very serious problem in Tuen Mun, the

above arrangements would only bring the problem to the whole Tuen Mun.

Besides, she enquired how departments would cope in case of traffic accidents if

they did not widen Lung Kwu Tan Road.

93. A Member expressed doubt, noting that while the deputy director said the

departments were not inward-looking, there had been no progress at all on any of the

supporting transport arrangements. She felt the Government made Tuen Mun

residents a victim, saying that if no proper supporting transport arrangements were

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in place, Tuen Mun residents would face a bleak future. Opining that interring

ashes in niches was an act showing descendants’ respect for their ancestors, she

hoped the Government would not think it would be all right as long as there were

spaces available for interment. She reiterated that the Government should widen

Lung Mun Road and Lung Kwu Tan Road.

94. A Member enquired if there was ample space at TMR BBI or MTR Tuen

Mun Station for worshippers to wait for feeder buses. He reckoned that after all

the 160 000 niches were allocated in the future, it would be impossible to have

ample space for waiting at the above places. He cited the arrangements in place at

Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery, noting that the public could queue in

a ball court near the bus stop there. In view of this, the FEHD should work out

contingency plans to manage the crowds that would exist after two or three years

from the opening of Tsang Tsui Columbarium.

95. Ms Diane WONG gave a consolidated response to Members’ enquiries and

comments as follows:

(i) While the Government was taken as a whole entity, there was

division of work among departments. Relevant policy bureaux

would answer questions about the widening of Lung Mun Road and

Lung Kwu Tan Road later when the topic of the Lantau Tomorrow

Vision was discussed. Departments would stay in touch with each

other to study Members’ opinions;

(ii) The Government would pay close attention to developments to

prevent considerable numbers of private vehicles going to the

columbarium after the removal of the restriction on their entry to the

Tsang Tsui area. The Government had inter-departmental meetings

and relevant mechanisms in place to take appropriate measures in

response; and

(iii) On the arrangements for feeder transport services, the Government

would arrange feeder transport services at MTR Tuen Mun Station in

the first year and at TMR BBI in the next year. Feeder transport

services at TMR BBI would cope with 21% of the people traffic

while, subsequently, MTR Tsing Yi Station would cope with 42% of

the people traffic. In addition, the department would maintain close

communication with the Police, the TD and other departments to

monitor traffic conditions, and it would keep in close contact with the

TMDC if there was a need to make improvements or adjustments in

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the future.

96. A Member said he hoped there would not be any delay in the Government’s

consideration of carrying out studies. He cited the arrangements in place at Tseung

Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery, saying that the single-deck bus route No.

14S operated from Yau Tong at a three-to-five minute headway, and buses of the

above route would depart after their places for standees and seats were all occupied,

with the ball court near the stop of the bus route often remaining fully crowded by 4

000 to 5 000 people. He said that after all the 160 000 niches were allocated in the

future, Tuen Mun, V city, TMR BBI and Tsing Yi Station would each have to cope

with 40 000 people, adding that suppose crowds occurred in only eight hours each

day, each of the locations would still have to cope with 5 000 people per hour. He

asked how the Government would manage the crowds. Besides, he suggested the

FEHD set its coordination with the Police in motion to explore ways to address the

above problem.

97. Mr Damon LEUNG, Senior Transport Officer/Tuen Mun 1 of the TD, said

buses running between Yau Tong and Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery

were single-deckers and there was only one bus route running to Tseung Kwan O

Chinese Permanent Cemetery; whereas road sections between Lung Kwu Tan and

Tsang Tsui could accommodate double-deckers, which had different carrying

capacity from the former buses. The FEHD and the TD planned to start off by

providing a special bus route running to Tsang Tsui during the Ching Ming and

Chung Yeung Festivals in the first year of the operation of Tsang Tsui Columbarium,

and after that, they would review the arrangements concerned with relevant

departments and bus companies for further extension of the special bus service

network when appropriate.

98. Mr Alex MAN of the TD said the Government had established mechanisms

and a coordination centre in place to deal with traffic accidents. And in case of

traffic accidents, there were channels for providing information for the public.

Also, the Government would hold inter-departmental meetings each year to review

the traffic measures and arrangements concerned. In this regard, the TD would

work in harness with relevant departments in handling people and vehicle traffic

associated with Tsang Tsui Columbarium to ensure its smooth operation.

99. A Member said that when he went to worship, he would drive his private car

to Chai Wan and join his relatives after parking the car, and then take a bus for the

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columbarium. He opined that the Government always presumed the public would

follow its arrangements and go to the feeder bus stop by bus or West Rail only.

Suppose one out of a thousand families drove to Tuen Mun Town Centre to change

to a feeder bus, there would be a large number of private cars. He asked whether

the Government had made any assessment in this regard.

100. Ms Diane WONG said the Government had not only transport assessment

reports but also inter-departmental meetings in place to monitor the situation.

Also, materials about traffic and transport arrangements would be attached to the

application forms the FEHD distributed to applicants for their reference.

Moreover, the Police had advised the FEHD to conduct research in the first year to

gather data about the choices made by feeder bus service users, the number of

people involved and so forth. The FEHD would also assess the situation each year

according to actual site circumstances and after collecting research data.

Follow-up action would be taken if necessary.

101. The Chairman thanked Ms Diane WONG for her responses. He said

Members were very concerned about the arrangements for niche allocation and

hoped the FEHD would make proper arrangements so that niches could be allocated

to people in need. Moreover, he hoped the Government could put better traffic

arrangements in place during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals. For the

long run, the Government should carry out the road widening works as soon as

possible.

102. Ms Diane WONG thanked the TMDC for being understanding, and said

communication with the TMDC or the TTC would keep going on.

(B) Public Housing Developments at Tuen Mun Central

(TMDC Papers No. 8/2019 and 9/2019)

103. The Chairman welcomed Mr Thomas CHAN, Chief Engineer/Housing

Projects 2, and Mr George LAM, Senior Engineer/4 of Housing Projects 2 Division,

the Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”); Mr Edwin LO and

Mr Edmond CHU, representatives from the CEDD-appointed consultant; Mr Julian

HO, Chief Architect 3 (Acting), Mrs Iris CHAN, Chief Architect 6 (Acting), Mr

Leslie YUEN, Senior Architect 36, Mr CHOW Tat-yan, Senior Civil Engineer 7, and

Mr Barry LAM, Senior Planning Officer 4, the Housing Department (“HD”), to the

meeting.

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104. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD said that to support public housing

developments at Tuen Mun Central, the department would carry out related site

formation and infrastructure works, which included designing and building the

proposed public roads and sewerage facilities, and it was also conducting related

technical assessments such as a transport and traffic impact assessment and a

preliminary environmental review.

105. Mr George LAM of the CEDD gave a PowerPoint presentation to further

introduce the details of the above infrastructure works to Members. He said five

sites were covered by the public housing developments at Tuen Mun Central, which

included the north of Wu Shan Road in Area 28 (“Wu Shan Road Project”), the

south of Tin Hau Road abutting Wong Chu Road and adjoining Yip Wong Road in

Area 17 (“Yip Wong Road Project”), the west of Hang Fu Street in Area 16 (“Hang

Fu Street Project”), the south of Hin Fat Lane in Area 39 (“Hin Fat Lane Project”),

and the project on the east of Tuen Hing Road in Area 23. He further said that due

to the difficult terrain of the site in the project on the east of Tuen Hing Road in Area

23, the preliminary design of the infrastructure works concerned was still underway.

The department would provide the preliminary design drawings later for

consultation with Members. For the remaining four development projects, having

examined traffic conditions in the areas (including 36 major road sections and 24

busy junctions) and projected the traffic conditions for 2026 and 2031, the

department proposed six junctions for improvement works and for erection or

enhancement of public transport facilities and pedestrian crossing facilities

(including bus stops, pedestrian crossings, retrofitting lifts to footbridges, and laying

sewers in each of the sites). The proposed road works and sewerage facilities were

detailed in the paper.

106. Mr Leslie YUEN and Mrs Iris CHAN of the HD gave a PowerPoint

presentation to introduce the preliminary parameters of the above four housing

development projects, such as the size of the sites, the plot ratios, the numbers of

buildings, the numbers of units, the estimated resident populations, and the proposed

recreation and social welfare facilities. Mr Leslie YUEN of the HD said that

among the four development projects, the Hang Fu Street and Hin Fat Lane projects

were relatively small in scale, but the department was still actively discussing with

the Social Welfare Department the establishment of office bases of on-site

pre-school rehabilitation services under the projects, which the department believed

could answer the demand for social welfare facilities in the district.

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107. As this matter was related to public housing development projects in four

areas, the Chairman suggested discussion be carried out in the order the areas were

shown on the paper. Members agreed with his suggestion.

Wu Shan Road Project

108. A Member expressed concern about matters concerning traffic and

community facilities in the development project. He reckoned the departments’

assessment of traffic on road sections near the development project was too

conservative, saying that he did not believe the traffic volume on Wong Chu Road

could remain manageable up to 2026. Besides, he said the CEDD proposed to

build a dual-lane bus stop on Lung Mun Road, but only a few Kowloon-bound bus

routes would call at the bus stop, so new residents would have to go to the bus stop

opposite Sun Tuen Mun Centre for other Kowloon-bound bus routes. He was

worried this would add to the burden on the bus stop and hoped the department

could re-examine the location of the proposed bus stop, its distance from nearby bus

stops, and the suitability of the route arrangements. He asked whether new bus

routes that ran to Kowloon via Lung Mun Road would be launched in the future to

ease the burden on nearby bus stops. Moreover, he opined that Tuen Mun had

always been short of medical resources and, worse still, the Tuen Mun Ferry

Terminal area had always been lacking evening out-patient services. He hoped that

while increasing population in areas near Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal, departments

would also consider increasing corresponding medical facilities to meet demand.

109. A Member was concerned about matters relating to traffic and ventilation in

the project, saying that passengers were often unable to board because buses were

already full at the Lung Mun Oasis bus stop, which was the last stop that buses

called at in the area before proceeding to Tuen Mun Road. She added that

departments failed to make certain there would be new bus routes or measures to

increase bus trips, and the bus stop near the project could no longer cope with a large

additional population. She noted that the 40-storey buildings in the Wu Shan Road

Project and the even higher 43-storey buildings in the Yip Wong Road Project would

have a wall effect on Lung Mun Oasis and Glorious Garden, which were situated

between the two projects, and the living quality of residents in the area would be

affected.

110. A Member said that for residents living in the area near this project, Wong

Chu Road was the main thoroughfare they took en route to Tuen Mun Road when

they travelled in and out of the district, but the road was always heavily congested,

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with traffic incidents often happening there, so departments should re-examine the

overall traffic network support in the area. Besides, residents living in the area

near the project usually took buses to TMR BBI and then change to other bus routes.

As only two bus routes, namely Routes No. 962X and 259D, departing from Lung

Mun Oasis would call at the dual-lane bus stop being proposed by the department,

and given that fares on the above two routes were slightly higher, it was believed

that new residents would go to other nearby bus stops (i.e. the Sun Tuen Mun Centre

and Siu Shan Court bus stops) for other Kowloon-bound buses, and pedestrian

traffic on the Wu Shan Road bridge would significantly increase. In view of this,

he believed the numbers of pedestrian and bicycle lifts being proposed by the

department did not suffice to meet demand. He suggested the department consider

installing more lifts and more at-grade pedestrian crossing facilities for members of

the public to cross Wu Shan Road. Besides, he suggested using the first two or

three above-ground levels of the proposed residential buildings, or even giving

consideration to using underground space, to provide community facilities and car

parks.

111. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD expressed understanding for Members’

concern over the impacts the project’s development would have on traffic. The

department said a traffic and transport impact assessment had been conducted earlier

and corresponding traffic improvement measures (e.g. traffic diversion, traffic light

controls and junction widening) had been proposed based on the assessment results.

He believed that after related traffic improvement measures were in place, the

development project’s impact on traffic in the district could be mitigated. As for

major supporting transport infrastructure, the department had maintained close

contact with the HyD about the engineering project for Tuen Mun West Bypass and

learnt that the HyD had carried out a two-year feasibility study on Tuen Mun West

Bypass in 2017. He believed the HyD would report to the TMDC on the

preliminary study results later. Moreover, before the completion of the above

major transport infrastructure, the TD would pay close attention to traffic conditions

in Area 28 to work out related traffic control measures (e.g. traffic diversion, traffic

light controls and junction widening) when appropriate. The department had made

recommendations to the TD on the introduction of bus routes that fitted in with the

project’s development, but the implementation of such recommendations would be

subject to actual circumstances after residents moved into housing under the project.

Besides, the department would communicate closely with the TD not only to

facilitate planning for new bus routes and follow up on the launch of related bus

routes, but also examine the feasibility of installing more lifts and more pedestrian

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crossing facilities on Wu Shan Road.

[Post-meeting note: After examining nearby traffic conditions, the CEDD said

installation of additional pedestrian crossings on Wu Shan Road would affect the

capacity of the Lung Mun Road /Wu Shan Road junction, and there were currently

footbridges on both the east and west sides of Wu Shan Road (Siu Shan Bridge and

Wu Shan Bridge) for pedestrians to cross Wu Shan Road safely. Therefore,

installation of additional pedestrian crossings was not recommended on Wu Shan

Road. Besides, the department would determine the number of lifts based on the

estimated pedestrian traffic on Wu Shan Bridge.]

112. Mr Leslie YUEN of the HD said the department provided parking in the

above four projects based mainly on the top standard for parking spaces specified in

the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (“HKPSG”), and it would

provide parking spaces for visitors as well. Parking would also be provided if

shopping facilities were included in the project. It was believed that adequate

numbers of parking spaces could be provided. Moreover, after conducting a

technical assessment and considering air ventilation issues in the project, the

department would earmark space for breezeways of 15 metres between the three

residential buildings, which would also be far enough from neighbouring housing

estates (e.g. at least 70 metres from Sun Tuen Mun Centre and at least 50 metres

from Siu Shan Court). It was believed there would be no impact on air ventilation

after the completion of the project.

113. A Member reckoned the public road improvement measures proposed by the

department could not help ease the traffic pressure that a large additional population

would put on the area. He said that if the above traffic problems were unsolved, he

would oppose the above four housing projects. He further remarked that the

HKPSG was outdated and should not be used as the only benchmark in departments’

consideration of the proposed facilities.

114. A Member said that after its completion, the captioned development project

would bring a huge additional population to Tuen Mun and add to traffic pressure in

the district, but the department made no mention of any plans on external transport

connectivity support. She had doubt about the department’s argument that after the

traffic improvement measures concerned were in place, there would be minimal

impacts on main thoroughfares in the district, including Tuen Mun Road and Wong

Chu Road.

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115. A Member recalled that at a TTC meeting in the previous year, members of

the committee had discussed road improvement measures resembling those in the

current paper, and the authority had said then that the measures concerned might not

be viable and recommended junction improvement measures instead. He therefore

opined that the proposals being put forward by departments were actually ineffective

in ameliorating traffic conditions in the area concerned. Besides, he hoped

departments would make full use of land by taking steps in advance to maximise the

space available for provision of community facilities and car parks in the

development project, lest no more parking could be provided to answer demand in

the future.

116. A Member suggested a multi-purpose residential building be constructed,

with its first two or three above-ground levels designated for a car park. While

designating more levels for a car park would mean that fewer residential units could

be built, he considered it was worth doing so in order to ease the shortage of parking

in the area.

Yip Wong Road Project

117. A Member said the District Facilities Management Committee (“DFMC”)

had endorsed an engineering project pertaining to “Open Space in Area 17, Tuen

Mun” in 2009 (which included an 11-a-side soccer pitch, a skateboard ground, a

basketball court, a tai chi square and so forth). As shown in the captioned paper

provided by the department, only the basketball court was included in the Yip Wong

Road Project. She asked whether the department had any plan to find land nearby

for construction of the other DFMC-endorsed engineering items mentioned above.

Moreover, she was dissatisfied because the department proposed two additional bus

stops on Tin Hau Road but still had no plans for any bus routes to call at the stops.

She therefore found it difficult to believe what the department had said, which was

that traffic improvement measures would be explored in the light of actual

circumstances after residents moved into the housing estate. She remarked that the

supporting transport measures implemented by departments were inadequate, as

exemplified by the traffic conditions after residents moved into Lung Yat Estate.

Currently residents in Lung Yat Estate could only take Light Rail (“LR”) feeder bus

Route No. 506 to Tuen Mun West Rail Station, but the service frequency of the bus

route was low. Moreover, she believed increasing service frequency would merely

exacerbate congestion in the area and, therefore, LR feeder buses alone could hardly

cope with a large number of new residents. She added that it was usually difficult

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to fight for bus routes after residents moved into housing estates, so departments

should make early plans and immediately increase transport support commensurate

with the population estimated in the flat production programme. Furthermore, the

demand for parking had kept rising ever since residents moved into Lung Yat Estate,

suggesting an acute shortage of parking in the area, but departments had not

provided the actual number of parking spaces in the project. She was disappointed

about this.

118. A Member noted that the project, sited next to the busy Yip Wong Road and

Wong Chu Road, was exposed to traffic noise, and its living environment was not

ideal. He asked whether, in view of the above situation, the orientation of

residential units would be factored in when departments designed the housing

development. Moreover, he suggested three residential buildings be constructed

instead to make room for open space, so as to boost the overall quality of housing.

Also, he opined that as the project was not conveniently situated and no transport

support was available, it would be hard for residents to use means of transport to

commute.

119. A Member said Yau Oi Estate was situated next to Wong Chu Road, a lifeline

for external traffic in southwestern Tuen Mun, and had long been suffering from the

noise produced by busy vehicular traffic on that road. He was worried that

residents in the project site would also be suffering from traffic noise due to its close

proximity to Wong Chu Road. He therefore reckoned departments had to put

effective mitigation measures in place to reduce the impacts of traffic noise on

nearby dwellings.

120. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD said that in line with the established

practice, the TD would confirm the launch of new bus routes according to actual

needs in the area one or two years before residents moved in. Also, the CEDD had

as far as possible increased hardware support (e.g. bus stops) near the Yip Wong

Road Project to facilitate the implementation of the plans for bus routes in the future.

He had learnt that each year the TD would carry out regular reviews to examine the

demand for bus routes in each district and discuss the launch of new routes with bus

companies. The CEDD noted Members’ concerns about traffic problems in Area

17, and it would keep in close touch with the TD to provide suitable transport

support for the area when appropriate.

121. Mr Leslie YUEN of the HD said that as the project site was close to an

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industrial area and Wong Chu Road, the department had carried out a technical

assessment in order to take corresponding noise mitigation measures (including

acoustic windows and acoustic balconies that met EPD requirements), which were

believed to be effective in reducing the impacts of noise. In addition, the

department had learnt that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (“LCSD”)

would consult the TMDC later about the engineering project for “Open Space in

Area 17, Tuen Mun”.

122. On the development project for “Open Space in Area 17, Tuen Mun”, Ms Pat

TAM of the LCSD added that the department would give Members a detailed

introduction at the forthcoming DFMC meeting.

123. A Member opined that departments should plan the traffic network in Area

17 without delay. She pointed out that the area lacked space for a new bus

terminus, so the department should consider launching a bus route that departed

from Lung Mun Oasis and took Tsing Wun Road to such road sections as Yip Wong

Road and Tin Hau Road, so as to support the captioned housing development

project.

124. A Member reiterated that the HKPSG standard was outdated and the

proposed number of parking spaces would fall behind the demand in the area if

departments continued to use the standard for reference. He noted that, for

example, after referring to the HKPSG, departments had proposed adding more than

30 parking spaces to the housing development project for Yan Tin Estate. In fact,

there had been up to 300 applications for parking spaces since residents moved into

Yan Tin Estate, and such a significant over-subscription pointed to the above

standard lagging behind the reality in the area. Moreover, in view of the fact that,

as mentioned above, a temporary car park in Area 17 would be rezoned as a

recreation site, departments should take into account the number of parking spaces

currently provided in the temporary car park as well and, accordingly, add parking

spaces to the development project in the area for compensation. He hoped

departments could be more farsighted and, when appropriate, increase transport

support and other pedestrian-friendly facilities such as subways and pedestrian

crossings, so that new residents could live and work in peace.

125. A Member opined the department’s noise mitigation measures mentioned

above were not much help and suggested it consider erecting noise barriers along all

of the Wong Chu Road sections close to resident units, so as to effectively reduce the

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impacts of noise from Wong Chu Road.

126. A Member said that if departments failed to put corresponding transport

support in place beforehand, new residents could only go to nearly bus stops for

buses, which would put nearby bus stops and bus routes under tremendous pressure.

If departments had preliminarily devised any new routes, it should announce the

information concerned early to let the public know the development in the area.

Moreover, he noted that noise barriers in the area were of 20 or 30-year-old design.

In his opinion, departments could take the opportunity of the current development

project to review the noise barriers as well.

127. A Member was dissatisfied with departments’ failure to propose concrete

measures to ease the traffic pressure brought by additional population. She said

traffic congestion was serious on Tuen Mun Road. In her view, the Government

should not develop “infill” housing near Wong Chu Road leading to Tuen Mun Road

and increase population significantly, which would aggravate traffic congestion in

that area.

128. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD said the department would keep in close

touch with the TD to help along the plans for new bus routes and follow up on the

launch of relevant bus routes. He reiterated that the department understood

Members’ concern about traffic problems in the area, and it had been in close

contact with relevant departments about major transport infrastructure in the area, in

order that relevant traffic control measures could be devised in a timely manner to

dovetail the major transport infrastructure before its completion.

129. A Member said he would oppose the housing development project on Yip

Wong Road if departments did not promise to erect noise barriers along Wong Chu

Road sections that were close to residential units.

Hang Fu Street Project

130. A Member said traffic problems on Wong Chu Road had direct impacts on

Areas 16, 17 and 28, with those on Area 16 notably great. While planning housing

development in Area 16, departments failed to put corresponding supporting

transport measures in place. He believed road improvement works to Hoi Wong

Road alone could neither ease congestion on Wong Chu Road and Tuen Mun Road,

nor be of any help in addressing perennial problems with Tuen Mun’s external

traffic. He made a number of comments on the matter about passengers going to

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the Goodview Garden bus stop for boarding. He said new residents were expected

to go to the Goodview Garden bus stop for boarding after the project was developed,

but the bus stop was the last stop that buses called at in the area before proceeding to

Tuen Mun Road, so there were often passengers who were unable to board as buses

were full. He believed the bus stop and the relevant bus routes could hardly

accommodate any additional population. He hoped departments would consider

opening up a piece of enclosed government land near Goodview Garden so that

nearby residents could take a relatively short yet direct route to the Goodview

Garden bus stop. He further said that the repair and upkeep of the bridge between

Nerine Cove and Oceania Heights fell on the Nerine Cove side. After residents

moved into the new housing estate, they might take the bridge and lifts and proceed

to the Goodview Garden bus stop via Oceania Heights. The Member asked

whether the new housing estate should share the maintenance costs for the bridge.

Moreover, he said there would be privacy concerns as the project site was very close

to Nerine Cove and the bulk of the residential units faced Nerine Cove. Also, he

opined the distance between Blocks A and B was too short, so there would be a wall

effect on neighbouring housing estates. He suggested the height of the two

buildings be reduced and a longer distance be kept between them to enhance access

to natural light. Furthermore, noting that illegally parking was rampant on Hang

Fu Street and Hang Kwai Street, he asked about the exact number of parking spaces

in the project, whether there was any room for adjustment to the number of parking

spaces, and whether there would be any visitor parking spaces. In addition, he

expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that departments had never told the public

what the type of public housing was in the housing project.

131. A Member queried the TD’s assessment criteria, opining that junction

widening works alone could neither ameliorate the existing traffic problems in the

area, nor address the huge traffic demand arising from additional population in the

area. He pointed out that besides the captioned housing development project, there

were recently a number of planning and major engineering projects relating to Area

16 (including the engineering project “Sports Ground and Open Space in Area 16,

Tuen Mun”, a temporary car park to be resumed due to the sports ground project,

and a nearby private housing estate due to be completed soon), adding that the above

factors would have significant traffic impacts on the area. Moreover, people had

long been complaining about congestion on Wong Chu Road and traffic accidents

often took place there. The TD should take all the above factors into account and

thoroughly assess traffic demand in the area. He opined that in view of the strong

demand in the area for LR services, departments should determine the required

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increases in bus routes and number of trips as soon as possible, and consider

increasing the numbers of LR trips.

132. A Member reckoned that with no more space and a lack of transport support,

Area 16 could hardly accommodate additional population. The Member suggested

shelving the Hang Fu Street Project.

133. A Member opined that among the five development projects, the site of the

Hang Fu Street Project was the one closest to dwellings, but the HD failed to take

locational factors into account and determine the right orientations for the housing

estate and residential units to mitigate the wall effect. He urged the HD to

re-examine the design in a bid to minimise impacts on the existing nearby dwellings.

134. A Member criticised the Government for moving a number of obnoxious

facilities to Tuen Mun but not promising to take improvement measures in

responding to the public’s needs. He said that according to the original plan, Tuen

Mun was to be developed into a 500 000-strong new town, and he expected that

besides the five sites being proposed for development, there would be one housing

development project after another in the district, and the district’s population would

run to 600 000, which would overload traffic and other supporting facilities in the

district.

135. A Member opined it was very difficult for the Government to carry out

development and planning work. Due to limited space available for development,

it was hard to meet the needs for housing in the district and the demand for traffic,

social welfare, and cultural and recreational facilities at the same time. In his view,

sacrifice was inevitable in the promotion of community development. Despite this,

he opined that the Government should show its determination for development and

launch plans that could benefit the public.

136. A Member believed there would be a dense population as 7 960 units were

proposed to be provided in the sites with a total area of only 5.3 hectares under the

five development projects. She noted that the authority significantly increased the

area’s population at one single time but failed to put transport support in place

accordingly, so the shortage of internal and external transport services in the district

would inevitably be deteriorating. Moreover, she reckoned that instead of referring

only to the HKPSG, departments should put the “single site, multiple use” principle

into practice by actively increasing parking in each of the development projects.

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137. A Member opined that traffic problems were always acute in Tuen Mun but

transport support had always been outgrown by the population of the district, so the

traffic impacts of the five housing projects being proposed deserved attention. She

opined that the TD should devise plans for transport support immediately in view of

the additional population in the private buildings to be completed shortly nearby, and

the fact that residents living near the Goodview Garden bus stop could hardly get on

buses as it was the last stop that buses called at before proceeding to Tuen Mun

Road.

138. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD said the department was aware that

members of the public found it difficult to board at the Goodview Garden bus stop.

He added that when discussing with the TD the formulation of plans for transport

support, the department would include the above issue in study plans for the TD’s

reference in its regular reviews, which would help along the TD’s examination of the

needs for bus routes in various districts and its negotiation with bus companies on

the introduction of new routes.

139. Mr George LAM of the CEDD added that according to the results of relevant

assessments, with the development of nearby areas and the natural growth of

vehicular traffic, the capacity of the junction of Hoi Chu Road and Hoi Wong Road

would reach its maximum level before the housing development project was carried

out. Thus, the department wanted to take the opportunity of the project

development to improve the capacity of the above junction through road

improvement works.

140. Mrs Iris CHAN of the HD said that in the department’s design, residential

buildings in the Hang Fu Street Project would be strip-shaped blocks to fit in with

the shape of the project site. Moreover, a 15-metre area next to Block B of the

residential buildings had been earmarked for greening, and the department sought to

earmark space for breezeways of at least 15 metres between Blocks A and B to

reduce the wall effect and make full use of the plot ratio. She added that the

buildings were subject to a maximum height restriction of 100 metres, or no more

than 30 levels. Given the plot ratio, the department would, where possible, explore

the feasibility of minimising the number of floors of residential buildings to mitigate

the impacts on Nerine Cove. She further said the department would actively

explore the feasibility of increasing parking spaces, including those for visitors,

under the HKPSG framework. As for the type of housing, the department took a

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flexible approach at the moment in order to strike a balance between market demand

and various factors before determining the type of public housing in the project.

141. A Member said the site in the project had originally been zoned for

“Government, Institution or Community” use, and then for residential development.

In view of the above original plan, he asked whether the Government had any plans

to use the vicinity of the site for compensation (e.g. provision of a public library, a

public market or a day child care service centre). He also asked whether

departments had explored the possibility of underground space development, which

if feasible, could scale down the numbers of above-ground levels of the residential

buildings and thus the wall effect on nearby housing estates. However, he offered a

reminder that consideration should be given to settlement in the underground space

development at that place. While for the time being there were no data signalling

worsening settlement around the project, wheelchair users were actually affected by

the existing settlement problem as they were still unable to board smoothly on the

platforms of Tuen Mun Swimming Pool LR Stop. He further noted that works for

private residential developments were underway near the project, producing a lot of

construction noise that affected nearby residents. The Member believed the noise

problem concerned would worsen after the works for the housing development

project started. He asked whether the department would demand the contractor’s

suspension of works if the noise level was found exceeding any limit.

142. A Member said it was unacceptable that the HD had not determined the type

of housing in the project as yet. He believed the department already had such

information as the preliminary blueprint of the project and the specific number of

parking spaces proposed. He expressed dissatisfaction with the department’s

refusal to disclose such information.

143. Mrs Iris CHAN of the HD said that while the site concerned had been

rezoned for residential use, social welfare facilities (e.g. an office base of on-site

pre-school rehabilitation services) would still be provided in the project, which she

believed could answer the demand for such facilities in the district. As the project

site was narrow and elongated in shape, the space available was relatively small and

might not be able to house further social welfare facilities. Besides, the department

gave no further consideration to underground space development after conducting a

study on it, in view of the project’s proximity to Tuen Mun Swimming Pool LR Stop

and the nuisance potentially caused by the relatively time-consuming underground

space construction. She also said that during the construction, the department

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would comply strictly with occupational safety and health or other construction

requirements to minimise the impacts on nearby residents. The contractor would

be requested immediately to call a halt to the works if the noise level was found

exceeding any limit.

144. A Member reckoned there were too many topographic constraints on the

project, pointing to the site being unsuitable for housing development. The

Member also opined that departments had given no consideration to the problem of

the area’s population being too dense after the housing development.

145. A Member asked again why most residential buildings in the project faced

Nerine Cove instead of Tuen Mun Swimming Pool.

146. Mrs Iris CHAN of the HD said that in the department’s preliminary design,

where possible, about half of the residential buildings would be left-facing or

right-facing (i.e. facing Yau Oi Estate and Tuen Mun Tuen Mun Typhoon Shelter) to

fit in with the existing buildings near the project. The department noted Members’

comments on the orientation of the residential buildings and their residential units,

and when working out the enhanced design, it would as far as possible cater for the

orientation of Nerine Cove to minimise face-to-face views. She added that the type

of housing and the proposed number of parking spaces in the project could not be

announced for the time being.

147. The Chairman asked the HD to report to the TMDC in due course on further

news about the project.

Hin Fat Lane Project

148. A Member opined it was unreasonable to propose building as many as 950

units in the very small building area of the project site. Besides, he noted that as

announced in the latest Budget, the Government planned to invest $20 billion in

acquiring 60 properties for the establishment of such social welfare facilities as

elderly centres and child care centres, but contrary to the original purposes of the

above new measure, Pui Oi School had to be removed from in the project area.

Moreover, as the project site was next to the Castle Peak dragon kiln, he reckoned

that if the Government developed a Dragon Kiln museum on the site of Pui Oi

School, such development could serve conservation purposes and respond to public

aspiration at the same time. He therefore hoped the Government would consider

shelving the development project and make a new plan for the site near Hin Fat

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Lane. He also reckoned that the road improvement measures being proposed by

the department were not much help. He suggested instead building a new road

leading to Tuen Hing Road from the back of Tuen Mun Substation on Tuen Hing

Road.

149. A Member expressed opposition to the demolition of Pui Oi School, opining

that this ran counter to the policy announced in the Budget. Moreover, he pointed

out that a group concerned about dragon kiln conservation had offered ideas to the

Town Planning Board (“TPB”), proposing that an area be earmarked in the project

for a pottery art museum/pottery art education centre to blend community facilities

with conservation culture, but disappointingly, the department had not accepted the

above proposal. He echoed the group’s opinion, suggesting that the green space in

the project be blended with a pottery art museum/pottery art education centre for

dragon kiln revitalisation and conservation. Besides, the department would enclose

the roundabout next to Yau Chong Home during the construction. To reduce the

impacts on residents of Yau Chong Home, he hoped the department could make

proper arrangements for corresponding traffic safety measures. He further said the

place was a favourite entry point for hiking as many hikers taking Hin Fat Lane to

MacLehose Trail Stage 10. He suggested signs be put up before the

commencement of works to provide convenience for hikers.

150. A Member supported the preservation of Pui Oi School, saying that the

project site was close to Yau Chong Home. The Member was worried that the

commencement of works would cause noise and air pollution and affect residents of

Yau Chong Home. The Member asked whether departments would put in place

corresponding safeguards. Furthermore, the Castle Peak dragon kiln next to the

project site was the only dragon kiln remaining intact in Hong Kong. While

departments said the works would have no impact on the dragon kiln’s structure, no

concrete supporting information was provided. The Members was worried that the

piling works would affect the dragon kiln’s structure.

151. A Member said information on the website of the Lands Department showed

that there were currently 851 idle sites in Hong Kong (including 58 disposed sites in

Tuen Mun) and the largest one was in Siu Lam. Thus, the Member considered it

unnecessary to develop “infill” housing in the district.

152. A Member noticed that the ratio between the number of units and the

projected population in the Hin Fat Lane Project was different from those in other

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projects. She asked about the reason for the above parameter. The works might

affect the dragon kiln’s structure as the project site was very close to the dragon

kiln’s location. Furthermore, the demolition of Pui Oi School would cost about $18

million. Given the proposal offered by the above the dragon kiln concern group,

she opined the department should re-examine whether the housing development

project in Area 39 was appropriate.

153. A Member reckoned the HD should put forward a comprehensive plan for

the project and related information for Members’ discussion. The Member was

dissatisfied with the department’s failure to disclose such information as the type of

public housing and the number of parking spaces in the project.

154. A Member commended the conservation proposal put forward by the dragon

kiln concern group and hoped departments could give further consideration to it.

He suggested departments preserve the dragon kiln and put the housing development

there on hold, being active in revitalising historical buildings. Also, he expressed

worry that piling works would affect the dragon kiln’s structure. In addition, he

opined that the information provided by departments was insufficient and

department representatives were unable to answer Members’ questions. He was

not clear about the purposes of the departments’ current consultation with the

TMDC.

155. A Member reckoned the dragon kiln, a Grade 3 historic building, was worth

being preserved and should not be destroyed. She again suggested putting the Hin

Fat Lane Project on hold.

156. A Member urged the HD to relay the above Members’ views on Pui Oi

School and dragon kiln conservation to relevant departments, hoping that the

departments concerned would consider turning Pui Oi School into a social welfare

organisation that conserved the dragon kiln.

157. Mr Thomas CHAN of the CEDD said the department intended to put

relevant hardware support in place early through road improvement works, so as to

support the corresponding traffic services to be provided in the future and enhance

their flexibility. Moreover, the department would strengthen communication with

the TD to follow up and offer advice on the design of new bus routes. As for the

impacts of the construction works, the department said relevant safeguards would be

proposed for inclusion in the contract terms for the works and the actual situation

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during the works would be closely monitored to prevent residents in Yau Chong

Home from being affected by noise or vibration during the works. The department

would also increase relevant signage where necessary to provide clear directional

signs for pedestrians and hikers. As for the proposal to build a new road leading to

Castle Peak Road from the back of Tuen Mun Substation on Tuen Hing Road, his

preliminary assessment was that it might not be possible to carry out the proposed

road works because there were quite a lot of cables at that place. Yet, the

department would re-examine whether the above proposal was technically feasible.

[Post-meeting note: After examination, the CEDD said that with a lot of pylon sets

of 132kV high-voltage overhead cables connected uphill behind the existing

substation, it was dangerous to carry out works or allow vehicles to pass under the

high-voltage cables, and building an additional carriageway leading to Castle Peak

Road would not reduce journey time but would affect traffic on Tuen Hing Road.

Therefore, the department did not recommend building an additional carriageway

behind the substation.]

158. Mr Leslie YUEN of the HD said the location of the residential building was

far away from the dragon kiln, with a dense jungle serving as a buffer area between

them. He added that “bored piling” instead of “vibration piling” was mainly used

in modern foundation works for housing development to greatly reduce

works-induced vibration, so it was believed that the works would have minimal

impacts on the dragon kiln. Moreover, the Antiquities and Monuments Office

(“AMO”) had requested the department to provide a heritage impact assessment

(“HIA”) and work out relevant mitigation measures based on the assessment results.

Also, the department would implement the mitigation measures and a series of

monitoring mechanisms during the works to ensure the dragon kiln’s structure would

not be affected. Having learnt that the Government might have other revitalisation

plans for the dragon kiln, the department had earmarked space behind the residential

building for a green area to dovetail the future revitalisation plan. The residential

building was located far away from Yau Chong Home, so it was believed that there

would be minimal impacts on Yau Chong Home during the works. Furthermore,

the department would propose relevant safeguards for inclusion in contract terms of

the works to reduce the impacts on residents in Yau Chong Home. As for the

different ratios between the numbers of units and the projected population, he said

that based on the initial size of the project site, the departments had estimated the

number of units proposed to be built at 950. Yet, as Yau Chong Home had been

excluded from the area of the project site, the area available for building had

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subsequently been decreased, and the department had decided to maintain the

initially proposed number of units to be built. In other words, the overall size of

the area proposed for housing construction was smaller than the original size, hence

the reason for the ratio between the number of units and the projected population

being different from those of other projects.

159. A Member held the view that the “bored piling” technique might lead to the

problem of settlement and affect the dragon kiln’s structure. The Member asked

whether the department would demand the contractor’s suspension of works if any

settlement was found.

160. A Member noted that the “bored piling” technique had also been used in the

residential housing development near Tuen Mun Swimming Pool LR Stop, where

the problem of settlement occurred. Believing that the structure of the decades-old

dragon kiln was weak and would be affected, the Member hoped departments would

further explain measures to protect the dragon kiln’s structure.

161. A Member reckoned that the conservation plan proposed by the dragon kiln

conservation group was excellent, and hoped the Government could seriously

explore and work out a suitable conservation plan. He again suggested the green

space be blended with a pottery art museum/pottery art education centre to put the

conservation plan proposed by the above dragon kiln conservation group into action.

162. A Member suggested the department provide the HIA concerned for the

TMDC’s reference.

163. A Member suggested that with the opportunity of the current housing

development, the dragon kiln revitalisation plan should be carried out as well. He

asked the department about the timeline for further consultation with the TMDC on

the project.

164. Mr Leslie YUEN of the HD said the department would put in place a series

of mechanisms to monitor the works, and it would demand the contractor’s

suspension of works in case of settlement and resume the works only after the

contractor took mitigation measures. Moreover, the HD would consider the TPB’s

request that a suitable place be provided to promote the conservation of the pottery

kiln culture when public housing was developed on the site. In addition, the

department had not carried out the HIA as yet because the project was still under

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preliminary planning, but it would ask the AMO whether it was possible to provide

the HIA for the TMDC’s reference.

165. The Chairman said that generally, Members reckoned the information

provided by departments was not detailed enough. He hoped departments would

consider Members’ comments on the four housing development projects and consult

with the TMDC again when there was further news and information.

(C) Lantau Tomorrow Vision

(TMDC Paper No. 6/2019)

166. The Chairman welcomed Mr LIU Chun-san, Under Secretary for

Development, MAK Shing-cheung, Deputy Secretary for Development (Works) 2,

Mr Victor CHAN, Principal Assistant Secretary for Development (Works) 2, Mr

Jacky WU, Principal Assistant Secretary for Development (Works) 5, Mr Allen

FUNG, Political Assistant to Secretary for Development, the DEVB; Mr Janson

WONG, Deputy Head of the Sustainable Lantau Office (Works), Mr Ricky WONG,

Deputy Head of Civil Engineering Office (Port and Land), Mr Andy LOK, Chief

Engineer/Lantau 2, Ms Joyce LAU, Chief Engineer/Lantau 3, Mr Alan TANG, Chief

Engineer/Port Works, and Ms HO Wai-yee, Senior Engineer/Projects 5, the CEDD;

Mr Lawrence CHAU, Chief Town Planner/Studies and Research, and Ms Paulina

PUN, Senior Town Planner/Studies and Research 4, the Planning Department

(“PlanD”), to the meeting.

167. Mr LIU Chun-san said he would like to briefly introduce to the TMDC the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision and the next step to be taken by the DEVB for the above

plan, and to hear Members’ opinions. He said the undersupply of land caused a

bottleneck in Hong Kong’s housing, economic and social development, adding that

the Task Force on Land Supply (“TFLS”) had conducted a comprehensive, in-depth

five-month public engagement exercise the year before, and submitted a report on 31

December of the same year. The TFLS was of the view that there was an urgent

need for increased land supply, which should be achieved by a multi-pronged

strategy and concerted efforts in society. In fact, the Government had been

pursuing a multi-pronged strategy to increase land supply. The Lantau Tomorrow

Vision proposed by the Government was aimed to provide short, medium and long

term solutions to the acute shortage of land faced by Hong Kong. He took housing

sites as an example, saying that the “Hong Kong 2030+ : Towards a Planning Vision

and Strategy Transcending 2030” (“Hong Kong 2030+”) estimated the housing

demand in Hong Kong in the coming 30 years at about one million units, but there

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would still be a shortfall of 390 000 residential units in the medium and long terms

despite existing measures such as changing land use, increasing development

intensity, redeveloping urban areas, making good use of brownfield sites, building

new development areas and extending new towns. In addition to housing sites,

Hong Kong was also short of land to be used for maintaining economic growth and

providing more job opportunities. However, population ageing posed a serious

problem for today’s Hong Kong and this, coupled with population growth, meant an

ever-rising demand for “Government, Institution and Community” facilities in

society, but the Government did not have enough land to meet the needs in this

regard. He further said that while paying due regard to conservation, the Lantau

Tomorrow Vision proposed a number of measures to increase land supply, and some

150 000 to 260 000 units could be provided on the 1 000-hectare Kau Yi Chau

(“KYC”) artificial islands alone, among which 70% would be public housing. The

third Core Business District (“CBD”) could be built on the KYC artificial islands to

boost the economy and create about 200 000 diversified and high value-added job

opportunities. Moreover, a strategy that gave priority to transport infrastructure

was proposed in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision; also proposed in the plan was a new

strategic road and railway network that could greatly alleviate the burden on West

Rail and Tuen Mun Road, and thus ameliorate traffic conditions in Hong Kong,

especially New Territories West and Tuen Mun.

168. Mr Janson WONG of the CEDD gave a PowerPoint presentation to

introduce the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and the funding applications in respect of the

studies on major projects.

169. A Member expressed opposition to the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, saying that

the Government should withdraw the plan. She said the building of the artificial

islands would be costly and prone to cost overruns because sand and mud were

expensive yet in short supply, adding that the works for the third runway of the

airport would also be delayed as a result. She was worried that there would be

serious cost overruns that resembled those in other projects like the high speed rail,

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (“HZMB”) and Shatin to Central Link (“SCL”),

and in such a case, it would be necessary to use public money to redress the

situation. She further noted that according to the Government, construction waste

was the main material to be used for reclamation in the works concerned. She

wondered how much construction waste was suitable to use and said large-scale

reclamation might pollute the marine ecology, adding that the marine pollution

caused by the construction of the airport and HZMB had already had great impacts

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on waters near Tuen Mun and led to a significant decline in the dolphin population.

In her view, the Government should devote its efforts to following up on TFLS

recommendations before mulling plans for land reclamation. Furthermore, she said

Hong Kong was not short of land for housing development, so the Government

should make good use of brownfield sites in New Territories and derelict

government land or Fanling Golf Course. She reiterated her opposition to the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision and hoped the bureau would listen to public opinions.

170. A Member opined that the mammoth scale and huge costs of Lantau

Tomorrow Vision (especially the construction of artificial islands) had triggered a lot

of disputes in society. He pointed out that there were still 9 680 hectares of land

yet to be planned in Hong Kong, but the bureau had said most of these lands were

not available for planning. He wanted to know the reason. He noted that there

were 17 square kilometres (i.e. 1 700 hectares) of land that were already planned for

residential use but yet to put to use, and the area of land required for the Lantau

Tomorrow Vision was exactly 1 700 hectares. He enquired why the Government

did not use these lands. He cited a former PlanD assistant director as saying that

there were 8 000 hectares of agricultural land available in Hong Kong and proposing

that the Government should not renew the leases on agricultural land after 2047, so

that the Government could recover these lands for other uses. He asked whether

the Government had considered this proposal. Furthermore, he said the cost of

artificial island construction was very high, and believed that the cost of using

marine sand for reclamation would keep rising due to the persistent growth in the

price of marine sand in the Mainland. In this regard, the bureau had said

construction waste could be used for reclamation, so he asked about the estimated

cost of using construction waste for reclamation. In addition, while proposals on

transport support were also offered in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, the authority

had to follow up on plans for improvements to traffic in Tuen Mun (e.g. works for

widening Lung Mun Road and improving traffic in Tuen Mun West) even without

the Lantau Tomorrow Vision. Therefore, the Member did not agree with bundling

the plans for improvements to traffic in Tuen Mun and the Lantau Tomorrow Vision

together for discussion.

171. A Member expressed support to the general direction of the Lantau

Tomorrow Vision, but he was concerned about traffic network support and Tuen

Mun’s development in the future. He said given that a columbarium had already

been built in Tsang Tsui, he did not understand why the authority put off the study

on widening works to Lung Kwu Tan Road until after the study on the Lantau

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Tomorrow Vision was completed in 2020. In view of this, he suggested the

Government make adjustments to task the Food and Health Bureau, the FEHD and

the EPD with the above works. On railway, he took Tuen Mun as an example,

saying that transport support was outgrown by the district’s development.

Moreover, the Lantau Tomorrow Vision proposed the fifth cross-harbour railway be

built to run from Tuen Mun South to North Lantau, and then to Hong Kong Island

West via the KYC artificial islands. He wondered if the above railway would

remain unfinished after the KYC artificial islands were built, so he suggested a

railway be built to connect Tuen Mun South and North Lantau first, and be extended

to Hong Kong Island West after the completion of the KYC artificial islands in the

future, so that the traffic burden on Tuen Mun could be eased as early as possible.

He further said the KYC artificial islands would be the third CBD in the future, but

if job opportunities were available in Hong Kong Island or Kowloon only and the

population of New Territories kept rising, commuting across districts would still put

pressure on traffic. Therefore, he hoped the authority would not only develop the

KYC artificial islands into the third CBD, but also make the islands the second city

centre of Hong Kong and even house major government departments on the islands

to give other sectors a lead, so as to make the overall planning and layout of Hong

Kong more reasonable.

172. A Member reckoned Hong Kong was not short of land. She noted that with

almost 230 hectares of land in Fanling Golf Course and its vicinity and more than 9

000 hectares of unplanned land, there was a lot of land available for development.

Therefore, she believed these lands could be available for use within 10 years simply

by rezoning. Moreover, the public money to be involved in traffic planning

concomitant with land rezoning would be less than the public money to be involved

in traffic planning concomitant with the construction of the KYC artificial islands,

so she opined it would be more practical to develop unplanned land or Fanling Golf

Course. She also did not agree with bundling the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and the

future development of Tuen Mun together, and said Tuen Mun residents would not

choose to take the circuitous route to Hong Kong Island West via North Lantau.

Besides, opining that KYC was exposed to strong wind and big waves, she asked

how much construction waste would be needed if construction waste was used for

reclamation. She said most untreated construction waste was inert waste that could

affect the marine ecology. She said the construction of artificial islands was costly

but not practical because the final cost might be higher than the $500 billion

estimated by the Government. She reiterated that the Government should develop

existing sites to address the medium and short term needs for land. Besides, she

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opposed bundling the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and the future development of Tuen

Mun together.

173. A Member expressed support for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, saying that

the plan could answer the demand for land and increase public housing. He

pointed out that as the construction cost of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision stood at

$500 billion, the public might wonder if the plan involved just costs but no incomes,

so he opined the bureau should allay public concern by explaining to them if there

would be no income at all from the plan. He also noted that the Lantau Tomorrow

Vision might have impacts on different stakeholders (e.g. fisheries) and the

Government should discuss with them how to mitigate pollution. Besides, he

agreed with the strategy that gave priority to infrastructure, but opined that traffic

improvement works in Tuen Mun (e.g. widening works to Lung Kwu Tan Road)

should be carried out as soon as possible even without the Lantau Tomorrow Vision,

so the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and traffic works in Tuen Mun should not be

bundled together. He added that the Lantau Tomorrow Vision might be complete

only after 2030, so transport infrastructure should be launched as soon as possible

before the completion of the plan, so as to benefit Tuen Mun residents.

174. A Member said the constituencies of some Members opposing reclamation

were located on reclaimed land. On this matter, he reckoned that the cost of

reclamation could be a target for criticism but reclamation, as a means itself, should

not be criticised. In his opinion, the Lantau Tomorrow Vision could be a practical

solution to housing problems, and transport support and community facilities could

be provided by building new urban areas. He therefore supported the development

direction of the plan. Besides, he was concerned about Tuen Mun’s development

and wanted to know more about the development of Tuen Mun East and Tuen Mun

West as shown on the PowerPoint slides. Moreover, he paid particular attention to

Tuen Mun West’s development, saying that as the south extension of West Rail was

closely related to Tuen Mun West’s development, he would like to know what

support would be provided near the south extension of West Rail. For the railway

running from Tuen Mun to KYC as proposed in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, he

asked whether the above railway had superseded the TMDC-proposed Tuen

Mun-Tsuen Wan Link, and whether the Government had seriously considered the

Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link proposal. He further noted that the TFLS had said the

development of River Trade Terminal was worthy of study. He asked how the

Government would carry out the studies and whether River Trade Terminal was

covered by Tuen Mun West’s development. In addition, his political party had

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made proposals on the development of Areas 40 and 46, and the Government might

put the two areas to better use beyond cargo handling. For the existing cargo

handling area in Area 16, there were often complaints about noise and pollution

problems in the area. Therefore, he asked whether the Government would consider

moving the existing cargo handling in Area 16 if River Trade Terminal was to be

developed.

175. A Member said her political party did not oppose the Government finding

land for housing development to solve housing problems. She said the estimated

construction cost of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision was about $150 billion according

to the Government’s estimate but $500 billion to $1,000 billion according to

estimates in the community. The difference was so big, and if there was no

clarification, she believed that such doubts would make it difficult to forge a

consensus among the public. She said there was currently a short term demand for

about 800 hectares of land, but land in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision would be

available after 2030 at the earliest. She asked how the Government would address

the short term demand for housing. She noted that the TFLS had all along talked

about a demand for 1 000 hectares, but the Policy Address for the previous year said

there was a need to develop 1 700 hectares of land, among which 1 000 hectares

would be studied first. She asked for an explanation of the difference between the

two. In this regard, she said some groups opined the Government had

overestimated the demand, adding that the Government said 70% of the housing was

low-density residential units and 75 hectares of land would be used for columbaria.

She wondered if there was really such a huge demand. She also asked why the

Government did not use brownfield sites, military sites, and sites on private leases,

which altogether covered more than 1 000 hectares of land. Even if the above land

did not suffice, she still wondered if the artificial island plan was the only alternative

for reclamation. In addition, she found it unacceptable to leave traffic problems in

Tuen Mun unaddressed until after 2035.

176. A Member wondered why there was such a big difference between the

construction costs of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision estimated by the Government and

the community. She opined there were some examples (e.g. SCL) where the initial

estimates of project costs had not been very high but applications had to be made for

additional funding when the projects were almost complete, so the public were

worried the same thing would happen again. She said that currently Hong Kong

had a reserve of $1,160 billion, but she believed that if half of it was spent on the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision, there would be trouble in case of an economic downturn.

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As Financial Secretary said next year might see a fiscal deficit of $4 billion, she

wondered if it was worthwhile to spend so much money on the Lantau Tomorrow

Vision. A professor of the Chinese University had pointed out that Hong Kong was

not short of land, but its land was not put to effective use. In addition, she enquired

why brownfield sites in Tuen Mun or golf courses were not used. She echoed the

view that Tuen Mun residents heading for Hong Kong Island would not take such a

circuitous route via North Lantau, Sunny Bay and KYC artificial islands. She

hoped the authority would not be unrealistic.

177. A Member expressed support for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision. He said

some land in Tuen Mun (e.g. On Ting, Yau Oi and Sam Shing) had been created by

reclamation years before, adding that under the current proposal for KYC

reclamation, a traffic network would be built through Tuen Mun to provide another

choice of rail transport. Also, he hoped the traffic network concerned could link up

Route 11 and Yuen Long Highway and complement Hung Shui Kiu’s development.

As for Lung Kwu Tan’s development, he hoped the Government would pay regard to

the opinions of residents in Lung Kwu Tan Village and make proper arrangements.

He further said that as the authority had housed so many obnoxious facilities in

Lung Kwu Tan, residents in Lung Kwu Tan Village had proposed moving the village

to a suitable place, but some older villagers did not wish to move out. As for the

proposal to resume agricultural land after 2047, he said all the indigenous people

had paid the Government rent and were reluctant to give up their land. Moreover,

they had made great sacrifices for the development of some roads (e.g. Hong

Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor), and the Government had paid only low

compensations back then, which were far removed from the compensations in

today’s government land resumption exercises. He reiterated his support for the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision.

178. A Member expressed support for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, opining that

this plan was more specific than some long term strategic plans put forward by the

Government in many previous years. He pointed out that given the huge demand

for land and housing in Hong Kong, it was more important to find land and replenish

land resources through medium and long term measures despite the fact that the

Budget had made provisions for transitional housing allowances. He noted that if

West Rail signals were out of order, it might be necessary to have a backup railway

plan in place to be an alternative for residents to travel to other places.

Furthermore, he said one should bear in mind that many places (including Tuen

Mun) in Hong Kong were reclaimed land and, therefore, should not be fixated on the

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easy present but forget the hard past. He opined that efforts should be made to help

the poor or residents in sub-divided units to be allocated public housing as soon as

possible, and to build an economic area that could stimulate employment and create

job opportunities. For these reasons, he opined that the Lantau Tomorrow Vision

should be implemented without delay.

179. A Member had reservations about the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, saying that

the Government reclaimed land in Lung Kwu Tan but did not address traffic

problems in Tuen Mun. The Government refused to accept the proposal to build

Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link but asked Tuen Mun residents to travel to urban areas by

way of Lantau. While the Lantau Tomorrow Vision proposed a railway network be

the skeleton in transport support, railway was not the skeleton for Tuen Mun.

Moreover, the works for connection between Route 11 and KYC should be

commenced as soon as possible without being delayed until after 2030. He opined

that as the Government was finding land in Tuen Mun, it should ameliorate traffic in

the district, so that Members would have reason to support the Lantau Tomorrow

Vision, making themselves accountable to Tuen Mun residents. He said he would

not support the Lantau Tomorrow Vision if the Government did not consider his

proposal.

180. A Member said reclamation was the main way of creating land in Hong

Kong in its evolution from a fishing village to a major city in Asia today. In his

opinion, Hong Kong could hardly develop without land, and it would certainly lag

behind if the dispute over whether or not to reclaim land dragged on. He said a

large amount of land was needed due to the current housing shortage. He agreed

that problems with living environments in Hong Kong could only be solved when

there were multiple sources of land supply from the development of brownfield

sites, agricultural land, reclaimed land and so forth. Members opined that

supporting transport was not on par with the development of the district. He hoped

the Government would consider traffic arrangements when it reclaimed land for the

development of new towns. Under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, there would be a

railway running from Tuen Mun to the KYC artificial islands in the future. As the

TMDC had long been demanding the construction of Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link, he

asked whether it was possible to build a spur line running from Tuen Mun to Tsuen

Wan in the railway network proposed in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, so that

residents needed not pass through Lantau and KYC on their way to Hong Kong

Island. Besides, some people in the community said the Lantau Tomorrow Vision

would waste money. He understood that land development required huge capital,

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so he hoped Mr LIU Chun-san would explain how much the development of

brownfield sites or agricultural land would cost so that the public could know such

information and be protected from being misled.

181. A Member believed the Government had grounds to propose the idea of the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision and hoped the Lantau Tomorrow Vision could bring

opportunity for Tuen Mun. He attributed the many problems in Tuen Mun to the

Government’s lack of courage to solve them, saying that, for example, if the

Government considered Members’ proposal to build Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link, it

would certainly be able to earmark funding and land for it. The railway network

proposed under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision would run from Tuen Mun to urban

areas via KYC. The above proposal ran counter to the idea of the TMDC. The

TMDC proposed the construction of a railway running from Tuen Mun to Tsuen

Wan directly or to Fo Tan to connect with Ma On Shan Line. Also, the TMDC

reckoned that equal importance should be placed on railway and highways and, if

necessary, the Government might build a Chak Lap Kok tunnel. On reclamation in

Lung Kwu Tan, the Government should talk about how the area would be used after

reclamation and whether such use would bring hope or development opportunity for

Tuen Mun. He further said it had been proposed years before that a site be

earmarked in Area 46 for a private hospital but, disappointingly, the Government

had not accepted the proposal and the PlanD had not followed it up. He opined that

the current development should be leveraged to instigate the planning for the private

hospital, and that as long as the Government zoned a site for the private hospital,

there would certainly be investment by developers, and the medical services

industry, which might play a part in economic development, would thus be

promoted. He hoped the bureau would have the courage to make plans that could

offer visions to Tuen Mun residents.

182. A Member reckoned that it was necessary to think about the long term if one

wanted Hong Kong to develop well in the future and explore wider space. He said

the existing land in Hong Kong had been created by reclamation. In this regard,

the TFLS proposed brownfield sites be resumed for development but, actually, land

resumption alone could not make Hong Kong larger, whereas land could be

expanded through reclamation only. He supported the Lantau Tomorrow Vision,

opining that it was necessary to make a choice for the well-being across generations,

but the Government should deliberate on the details of the plan. Besides, the

Government should leverage this plan to enhance Tuen Mun’s development (e.g.

building a tunnel and improving traffic connectivity in Tsang Tsui), while the DEVB

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should consider long term development and should not deny the above need. On

the KYC railway, many people would work in the area after it was developed and

the area might become a business pub, so there would possibly be many residents

who needed to go to KYC. A railway running from Tuen Mun to Hong Kong

Island via KYC might be of help to Tuen Mun’s traffic. In addition, he hoped the

Government would first take care of transport support measures and put them into

practice as soon as possible.

183. A Member said housing was in desperately short supply in Hong Kong,

adding that the Lantau Tomorrow Vision would boost the prospects of Hong Kong if

the plan could make available a lot of land for the parallel development of

businesses and transport infrastructure. He therefore supported the above plan.

On railway, he suggested Tuen Mun-Tsuen Wan Link be built and connected with

the KYC railway. The development of Lung Mun Road and the widening works to

Lung Kwu Tan Road should be taken into account as well for the long run. He

hoped the bureau would make plans boldly and believed the nice vision of future

development could be realised. On reclamation, he held the view that the

reclaimed land should be used for hi-tech and commercial development, and for

residential purposes to address the housing shortage. While the primary objective

of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision was to supply housing, it should at the same time

drive progress on the economic, industrial and transport fronts to fit in with

development in the 21st century. Besides, he believed the development of strategic

railway and road network systems could ease the burden on West Rail and Tuen

Mun Road, thus improving the traffic of northwestern New Territories and even the

whole of Hong Kong.

184. A Member said she hoped the Government would first make proper traffic

arrangements for Tuen Mun and expressed support for the multi-pronged efforts in

finding land (including the use of brownfield sites). According to the information

shown on the website of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, there had been a total of

267 600 cases on the public housing queue as of December 2018, and many people

had failed in their applications for housing under the Home Ownership Scheme.

She supported the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, opining that land supply should be

increased to redress the shortage of land. She said there had been no opposition to

reclamation before, as opposed to the widespread opposition these days. In this

regard, the community opined that filling up the sea with sand was costly, so the

Government had to report on how much the reclamation would cost and whether the

payment would be made as a lump sum. She believed the public’s opposition was

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due to cost concerns, so she wished to be informed at this meeting about the

financial arrangements concerned and the expenditures and revenues under the plan.

185. A Member noted that the Government launched the Lantau Tomorrow Vision

because of the shortage of land, and he quoted “Hong Kong 2030+” as estimating

there would be a shortage of almost one million units in 2046. He said he was

quite disappointed that the plan merely proposed reclamation as a solution to the

land shortage but provided no vision. In his view, what should be under discussion

was the TFLS’ blueprint for land development, but under the Lantau Tomorrow

Vision, only Lantau would be developed and 220 hectares of land would be taken

away from Tuen Mun, so actually the plan would bring no benefit for Tuen Mun.

Also, he reckoned the railway plan proposed under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision was

unrealistic. On reclamation techniques, he opined that the method of cutting into

hills and reclaiming land from the sea, rather than filling up the sea with sand,

should be used. In the long run, reclamation should be carried out on shores, such

as beaches in Mui Wo. He hoped the bureau would provide a clear blueprint and

technical data about the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and talk about what the financial

returns would be in the future.

186. A Member expressed support for the development under the Lantau

Tomorrow Vision, saying that reclamation was very reasonable in Hong Kong, a tiny

place, but it should be done by levelling hills and reclaiming land from the sea rather

than filling up the sea with sand. He considered that filling up the sea with sand

was a waste of money while near-shore reclamation made more sense. He said

Hong Kong needed to reclaim land from the sea both in the past and in the future.

While some people opposed reclamation, which in their view was a waste of money,

he argued that the Government might earn revenues by land sale in the future.

187. A Member said the fact that her constituency was formed on reclaimed land

would not be a reason for her supporting reclamation. She noted that a number of

major projects (works for SCL, HZMB and so forth) suffered cost overruns, and she

was obliged to make information known to the public. She reiterated her

opposition to the Lantau Tomorrow Vision.

188. A Member said hoped the bureau would put the plan for the railway from

Tuen Mun Town Centre to Tuen Mun South into concrete action. Besides, he was

concerned about how the Government would dispose of waste from KYC in the

future, opining that the waste should not be sent to the Tuen Mun landfill. He

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hoped the Government would build an incinerator on KYC to treat the waste and

asked Mr LIU Chun-san to disclose the arrangements concerned.

189. Mr LIU Chun-san gave a consolidated response to Members’ comments as

follows:

(i) Thanks were extended to Members who gave support and those who

did not give support but voiced their concerns. As these concerns

were also matters of concern to the public, the bureau would give

careful consideration to Members’ opinions when launching different

studies (including studies on planning and engineering, transport

infrastructure and so forth) in the future;

(ii) On the question about why land reclamation instead of using existing

land was opted for, the Government had expressed its full acceptance

of the short to medium term and the medium to long term measures

proposed by the TFLS. While applying for funding for studies

under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, it would also continue with other

measures to increase land supply, including the development of

brownfield sites and agricultural land such as the 190-hectare

brownfield sites in Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area. The

Government expected to make a funding application in respect of its

detailed design at the end of this year;

(iii) In its five-month extensive consultation in the previous year, the

TFLS had heard and considered public opinions and put forward

practicable recommendations. Its report expressed the hope that the

community would make concerted efforts and set aside disputes to

boost land supply as quickly as possible, so as to truly answer the

public’s need;

(iv) Giving priority to transport infrastructure was a principle in the

Lantau Tomorrow Vision. Reclamation and transport infrastructure

construction would be carried out simultaneously in the current plan,

as opposed to the previous practice where transport infrastructure was

built only after the population of a new town had gradually grown to

achieve higher cost-efficiency;

(v) The construction of any major strategic railways entailed a lot of

advance work (including studies, design, financial arrangements and

so forth), which might take more than a decade to complete. As for

whether it was possible to add a spur line to the railway system

proposed in the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, it depended on the data and

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results of studies on transport infrastructure, while the Government

would also consult with the community. Should there be no

convenient transport infrastructure, it was impossible for the KYC

artificial islands to become a livable town or a CBD, so the

Government would drive progress in the projects concerned as soon

as possible;

(vi) On cost issues, the KYC artificial islands covered an area of about 1

000 hectares, and the cost was estimated at $130 to $150 billion, or

$13,000 to 15,000 per square metre on average. The prevailing

ex-gratia compensation rate for resumed agricultural land in New

Territories Zone A was about $1,348 per square feet, or about

$14,000 per square metre, which was more or less the same as the

former amount;

(vii) On the concern over the high cost of infrastructure, the construction

of strategic roads, railways and roads would not only help improve

traffic in northwestern New Territories, especially Tuen Mun, but also

bring social benefits and returns. The investment in developing the

KYC strategic transport network would not be higher than the

investment in developing other strategic transport infrastructure. In

this regard, the Government planned to consult with the Panel on

Development of the LegCo in March, and information about the

estimated project cost would also be provided at that time. Besides,

the works would take more than 10 years to complete and the

Government would be financially sound enough to get the project

done;

(viii) The strategic infrastructure would provide greater development

potential for the Tuen Mun areas (e.g. Lung Kwu Tan, Tuen Mun

River Trade Terminal, Tuen Mun West and Tuen Mun East) covered

by the Lantau Tomorrow Vision. Moreover, opportunity was

provided for the past situation where only obnoxious facilities were

housed in Tuen Mun to be redressed. The comprehensive planning

for the development of Tuen Mun West River Trade Terminal would

open up an opportunity to explore the possibilities of different sites,

such as different industries, housing, community facilities and

transport infrastructure; and

(ix) The views of Members would be taken into account in future studies.

In addition, public engagement activities would be carried out during

the process of planning and engineering studies. Members were

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welcome to offer further comments at that time.

190. The Chairman concluded by saying that most Members supported the

direction of this plan. While Members might have diverse views, he would like the

DEVB to consider their opinions and give introductions to the TMDC when further

information was available.

191. A Member disagreed with the Chairman’s conclusion, saying that she and

some Members opposed the Lantau Tomorrow Vision.

192. The Chairman said Members’ opinions had been clearly recorded.

(D) Tuen Mun District-led Actions Scheme Annual Report

(TMDC Paper No. 10/2019)

193. DO(TM) said Paper No. 10/2019 introduced the work and implementation of

the Tuen Mun District-led Actions Scheme for the year 2018-19, and also the scope

of work for the year 2019-20. In short, different departments used the funding

from the Home Affairs Department to carry out work under the Tuen Mun

District-led Actions Scheme in three major areas, namely (i) tackling illegal

shop-front extension; (ii) tackling illegal parking of bicycles; and (iii) strengthening

mosquito/pest control. She further said that thanks to the efforts of departments

and Members, work in all the three areas had progressed smoothly. On tackling

illegal shop-front extension, relevant departments had designated San Hui as the

location for action in the year 2018-19, where regular joint operations focusing on

both education and enforcement had been carried out with satisfactory results.

Most of the shop operators had been willing to remove on their own initiative the

shop-front platforms illegally put up years before. On tackling illegal parking of

bicycles, the TMDO and various departments had increased the frequency of their

joint operations for removal of illegally-parked bicycles from two or three times

every two months to twice a month in the year 2018-19. As of January this year,

departments had confiscated almost 1 100 illegally-parked bicycles in total. On

strengthening mosquito/pest control, after the occurrence of local cases of dengue

fever in summer the year before, departments had joined hands to step up efforts in

cutting grass and spraying mosquito control pesticides, and to promote

anti-mosquito messages among the public to keep mosquito infestation in the district

under control.

194. DO(TM) further said the department proposed that work in the above three

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areas be continued in the year 2019-20 and put forward some recommendations for

improvement as follows. Such recommendations for improvement were also set

out in paragraphs 14 to 20 in Paper No. 10/2019:

(i) Tackling illegal shop-front extension

For the year 2019-20, the TMDO and relevant departments planned

to carry out further joint operations in San Hui (i.e. the areas of Yan

Ching Street, Luk Yuen Street and Kai Man Path) and at the other

three blackspots for illegal extension (i.e. Kei Lun Path, the Tat Yan

Square area, and Glorious Garden and Goodrich Garden) agreed on

by the Tuen Mun District Management Committee (“DMC”) and the

TMDC, in a bid to tackle the street obstruction and hygiene problems

caused by illegal platforms there.

(ii) Tackling illegal parking of bicycles

Departments would continue with their bimonthly joint clearance

operations. Moreover, the TD would launch a trial scheme to tackle

illegal parking of bicycles in Tuen Mun, under which illegally parked

bicycles that caused obstruction would be removed without notice

pursuant to the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228 of the Laws

of Hong Kong). The TD had reported to the DMC earlier on 25

October 2018 that Tuen Yee Bridge (a footbridge near Glorious

Garden and Lung Mun Oasis) was considered as generally meeting

the law enforcement requirements for bicycle removal under the

ordinance, and the trial scheme would be put into effect starting from

late March.

(iii) Strengthening mosquito/pest control

Departments would use resources to continue with their regular grass

cutting and larvicidal oil spraying work, and add the blackspots

proposed by committee members to the scheme for regular grass

cutting according to actual circumstances.

195. DO(TM) would like Members to note the above proposed work and offer

comments.

196. A Member remarked that work in all the three areas was effective under

DO(TM)’s leadership, so she endorsed the contents of the report. Besides, she

agreed with the enhanced and improvement measures, notably those on tackling

illegal parking of bicycles. She hoped the invocation of the Summary Offences

Ordinance could successfully combat illegal parking of bicycles.

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197. A Member said the department had properly tackled illegal shop-front

extension and hoped DO(TM) would prompt the District Lands Office, Tuen Mun,

and the BD to work closely together. He hoped DO(TM) would keep working

hard.

198. DO(TM) thanked Members for their recognition of the department’s work

and their valuable comments. She said the department would actively follow up on

Members’ opinions and do better in the coming year.

199. The Chairman thanked DO(TM) for her response.

VII. Reports from Government

(A) Reports by Tuen Mun Area Committees

(B) The 2nd

Report of Tuen Mun District Management Committee 2019

(TMDC Papers No. 11/2019 and 12/2019)

200. Participants perused the contents of the above two reports.

(C) Report by Tuen Mun Police District

(TMDC Paper No. 13/2019)

201. Participants perused the contents of the above report.

202. The Chairman welcomed Mr YAN Fong-wai, Chief Inspector of Police

(Crime)(1)(Tuen Mun District), and Ms LO Yuen-shan, Senior Inspector of Police

District Intelligence Section (Tuen Mun), to the meeting.

203. Mr KONG Man-keung, District Commander (Tuen Mun), elaborated on the

crime situation in the Tuen Mun Police District, saying that the crime figure for the

previous two months had slightly risen by 3.6% and cases on upward trends mainly

involved theft.

204. Mr YAN Fong-wai, Chief Inspector of Police (Tuen Mun District), gave a

PowerPoint presentation to introduce the crime situation in Tuen Mun in 2018.

205. The Chairman said Members commended the Tuen Mun Police District for

having worked hard in the previous year to let people live and work in peace.

206. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for its remarkable efforts to

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drive down crime figures for the previous year. She further said that the Police had

cracked gambling cases in the Tsui Ning Garden area after listening to Members’

reports on the problem. She expressed full support for the work of the Tuen Mun

Police District and hoped the Police would step up patrol in the district to protect the

life and property of citizens.

207. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for the report, opining that

the Police played an important role in maintaining the order of this meeting. He

remarked that if participants in a meeting were self-disciplined, there was no need to

ask the Police to step in to restore the order of the meeting. He thanked the Police

for assisting in maintaining the order of this meeting.

208. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for the report and praised

Mr YAN Fong-wai, who had effectively handled a shooting incident in the Chi Lok

area in 2018, for maintaining law and order. He hoped that his constituency would

become a liveable, healthy community, and that the Police would continue to fight

crime for the public.

209. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for the report, saying that

the Police in Tuen Mun had achieved obvious results. He also praised the Police

Community Relations Office of the Tuen Mun Police District for its prompt

detection of cases. He hoped the Police could do better against shop theft and

preserve Tuen Mun’s feature as a vice-establishment-free district to make it a nice

place for families to live in.

210. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for its efforts and said that

under the leadership of Mr KONG Man-keung, District Commander (Tuen Mun),

cases in Yan Tin Estate and Po Tin Estate were solved promptly. Besides, she

praised Ms NG Man-wai, Chief Inspector of the Police Community Relations

Office, for maintaining effective communication with Members. In addition, she

hoped the Police could recognise police officers who were willing to communicate,

cooperate and promote community crime prevention work with Members.

211. A Member thanked the Police Community Relations Office of the Tuen Mun

Police District, notably Mr CHOW Wai-yip, a sergeant who would soon be

transferred to another post. She said Mr CHOW Wai-yip responded to enquiries

quickly most of the time and had worked conscientiously with another sergeant, Mr

TUNG Chun-hung, in dealing with cases of objects being thrown from a height.

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After their follow-up actions, there had been no more cases of objects being thrown

from a height. She would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their

efforts.

212. A Member thanked the Tuen Mun Police District for its efforts and the Police

Community Relations Office for maintaining good communication with Members.

Besides, he thanked the Uniform Branch sub-units and Traffic for their efforts to

make Tuen Mun better.

213. On behalf of the Tuen Mun Police District, Mr KONG Man-keung, District

Commander (Tuen Mun), thanked Members for the credit they gave to police

officers. He owed the Tuen Mun Police District’s achievements in 2018 to the

comments on community crime and order offered by Members at meetings in Tuen

Mun and the District Fight Crime Committee (Tuen Mun District), saying that these

comments served as a watching eye that facilitated the Police’s follow-up actions.

Therefore, he encouraged Members to offer more ideas to and keep in touch with the

Police by different means in the future.

214. The Chairman thanked Mr KONG Man-keung, District Commander (Tuen

Mun), for his response and extended gratitude to the police officers who attended

this meeting.

(D) Signature Project Scheme in Tuen Mun District

(TMDC Paper No. 14/2019)

215. The Chairman welcomed Mr Laurence LAM, Manager (Social Services), Mr

Daniel MA, Chief Supervisor (Community Development Service), and Mr Kim

CHEUNG, Project-in-charge (TMDC Yan Oi Tong Youth Space), Yan Oi Tong, to

the meeting.

216. DO(TM) updated Members about the project “Revitalisation of Tuen Mun

River and Surrounding Areas”. As regards Choi Yee Bridge Garden, the contractor

had already completed the foundation and drainage works, while the superstructure

works and the construction for such facilities as the rain shelter were in progress and

almost complete. After the completion of the above main works, the contractor

would start to replant trees and joined the LCSD to arrange acceptance of the venue,

which was expected to open in the third quarter of this year. As regards the

beautification works to the riverside near Tuen Mun Swimming Pool, the LCSD was

carrying out landscaping and shrub planting works, which were due for completion

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within this month. As regards the works for the installation of decorative light

posts, the HyD’s contractor had commenced the second and third phases of the

installation works in October and November 2018 respectively. The second phase

of the installation works was due for completion in this quarter, while the third phase

of the final stage of the works was due for completion in the third quarter. As

regards the public art scheme, the Art Promotion Office had signed agreements with

the artists responsible for artwork design in January this year. The artists were

modifying the design of the artworks and the details of the art activities. The Art

Promotion Office would provide information for Members’ perusal and comment as

soon as possible to facilitate the confirmation of the artwork design and activity

details.

217. DO(TM) updated Members about the project “Promotion of Youth

Development in Tuen Mun”. She said that each year Yan Oi Tong would provide

the TMDC with the work plan and budget for the following year. Representatives

from Yan Oi Tong would report on the progress of work in the year 2018-19 and

introduce the work plan for the year 2019-20 to Members at this meeting.

Members might refer to Paper No. 14/2019.

218. Mr Daniel MA of Yan Oi Tong gave a PowerPoint presentation to report on

the progress of work in the year 2018-19 and introduce the work plan for the year

2019-20.

219. The Chairman thanked Yan Oi Tong for its efforts in the area concerned and

would like them to keep working hard.

VIII. Reports by TMDC Representatives

220. The TMDC representatives had nothing particular to report.

IX. Members’ Enquiries to Government Departments

221. As Members had no questions for the representatives of the major

government departments, the representatives of all the major government

departments except the TMDO left the meeting at this point.

X. In-house Matters

(A) Members Joining or Resigning from Committees and Working Groups

under TMDC

222. The Secretary reported that no Members had joined or resigned from

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committees or working groups under the TMDC over the previous two months.

(B) Position of TMDC Funds as at 18 February 2019

(TMDC Paper No. A13/2019)

223. Participants perused the contents of the above report.

(C) Application for TMDC Funds (Projects to be Held or Commence

between April and August 2019)

(TMDC Paper No. A14/2019)

224. Participants perused the contents of the above report.

225. The Chairman said that during the discussion on the applications for TMDC

Funds, if any Members found that their posts or capacity were related to any partner

organisations or other district organisations of activities in the applications but had

not yet been stated in the Form for Declaration of Interests in Handling TMDC

Funds or the Registration of DC Member’s Interests, the Members were required to

make declarations even if they did not intend to speak or vote on the matters

concerned. Members should refrain from speaking on any matters in which they

had interests; however, if they wished to speak or vote on the matters concerned,

they should make a request beforehand. The Chairman would, in accordance with

the Standing Orders, decide whether the Members might speak or vote on the

matters concerned, might remain at the meeting as observers, or should withdraw

from the meeting.

226. The Chairman then said the eight applications for TMDC Funds set out in

Paper No. A14/2019 had been recommended by the FAPC. As the funding

amounts in the applications exceeded $100,000, the applications had to be submitted

to the TMDC for approval.

227. As Members had no comments, the Chairman announced that the

applications for TMDC Funds set out in the paper were approved.

(D) Applications for TMDC Funds (Projects to be Held in March 2020)

(TMDC Paper No. A15/2019)

228. Participants perused the contents of the above report.

229. The Chairman said that according to the Home Affairs Department’s

requirement, a district council should not commit funding to any items of

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expenditure to be incurred after its current term. He further noted that the activity

shown on this paper would be held only after the start of the new term of the TMDC,

so the funding application concerned could be endorsed by the current TMDC in

principle only, and should be subject to final approval by the next TMDC at its first

meeting. In this regard, the application for TMDC Funds shown on Paper No.

A15/2019 had been recommended by the FAPC. As the funding amount in the

application exceeded $100,000, the application had to be further submitted to the

TMDC for consideration.

230. As Members had no comments, the Chairman announced that the TMDC

endorsed in principle the application for TMDC Funds shown on Paper No.

A15/2019.

(E) Reports by Committees

(TMDC Papers No. A16/2019 to A21/2019)

231. Participants perused the above six reports.

232. As Members had no further comments on the above six reports, the TMDC

endorsed the contents of the six reports.

(F) Reports by Working Groups

(TMDC Papers No. A22/2019 to A23/2019)

233. Participants perused the above three reports.

234. The Chairman said that according to the report by the Working Group on

Organizing TMDC Duty Visit, all the quotations provided by bidders for the study

tour originally scheduled for 18 to 21 March 2019 were unable to meet the quotation

requirements, so the working group had proposed re-scheduling the study tour for

either 26 to 29 May 2019 or 23 to 26 June 2019. It had also asked the Secretariat

to consult TMDC Members about their preference for joining the study tour in either

of the above periods, and then select the dates on which more Members could join

the tour and, again, invite contractors’ quotations for a trip of three or four days.

As more TMDC Members preferred a study tour scheduled for 26 to 29 May 2019,

the Secretariat had, again, invited contractors’ quotations for a trip on the above

dates. After receiving quotations, the working group would select the suitable

contractor and recommend it to the TMDC for confirmation at its meeting or, at a

pinch, by means of circulation of papers, so that the working group could further

follow up on itinerary details with the selected contractor. The Chairman asked

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Members to note the above arrangements.

235. As Members had no further comments on the two reports, the Chairman

announced that the TMDC endorsed the contents of the reports.

XI. Any Other Business

(A) Arrangements for Minutes

236. The Chairman said a member of the public had called the 1823 hotline earlier

to complain about the names of councillors who spoke at meetings of the TMDC

and its committees being unspecified in the minutes of the meetings. After seeking

advice from the Chairman, the Secretariat had given a reply to the member of the

public. He said matters discussed by the TMDC and its committees were mainly

concerned with people’s lives, and councillors or committee members often made

repeated speeches or similar remarks. The main purpose of the minutes of the

meetings of the TMDC and its committees was always to record councillors’ or

committee members’ viewpoints. For better clarity and readability, the minutes

were written in summary form with names unspecified to make it easier for

government departments and the public to grasp the salient points of discussions,

and such a practice had been accepted by the TMDC and in use for more than 20

years. All audio recordings of the meetings of the TMDC and its committees were

uploaded onto the TMDC website for public reference. In view of the above

matter, he asked Members whether they deemed it necessary to review the approach

to writing minutes. If necessary, the matter concerned would be referred to the

FAPC for follow up at its next meeting.

237. A Member reckoned that as a member of the public had raised questions

about minutes, she reckoned the names of Members who spoke at meetings should

be disclosed. She supported discussing the matter at the FAPC meeting.

238. A Member said he had no strong view about the arrangements concerned.

Yet, he opined that if councillors’ names were specified in minutes, the public would

certainly find it easier to look for information, but Members would also make

repeated speeches that dragged the meetings out. He said he would respect

Members’ opinions.

239. A Member said the meetings were open, so basically the public were able to

find out who a speaking councillor was. Under the current arrangements, members

of the public had to listen to the audio recordings if they wished to know who a

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councillor speaking at a meeting was. Therefore, he opined that councillors’ names

could be disclosed in minutes, while discussion on the details of the approach could

be left to the FAPC.

240. The Member who was also the FAPC chairman said he kept an open mind

about the arrangements concerned. He said the meetings were audio recorded and

the minutes were usually not too detailed, mainly serving to record key points to

make it easier for the Secretariat to prepare minutes. He said the arrangements

concerned could be discussed at the FAPC.

241. A Member said the meetings were audio recorded and people with hearing

impairment might write to ask who a speaking councillor was. In his opinion, if

councillors’ names were specified in minutes, Members would make repeated

speeches that dragged the meetings out. He opined that if the public needed to

know who a speaking councillor was, they might find it out from the audio

recording, so there was no need to discuss the arrangements concerned.

242. The Chairman said the matter concerned would be referred to the FAPC for

follow up at its next meeting.

(B) The 10th

“Quit to Win” Smoke-free Community Campaign

243. The Chairman said a letter had been received from the Hong Kong Council

on Smoking and Health (“COSH”) saying that the 10th

“Quit to Win” Smoke-free

Community Campaign would be organised to disseminate smoke-free messages in

the community, so as to boost local residents’ understanding of the harms of

smoking and quit tips. The COSH invited the TMDC to act as a supporting

organisation of the campaign again, whereby the TMDC should allow the COSH to

display the TMDC logo on the promotional materials of related activities, assist in

inviting suitable organisations in the district for partnership, and help promote the

campaign to residents. He asked whether Members agreed that the TMDC act as a

supporting organisation of the above campaign again, allow the display of the

TMDC logo on the promotional materials of related activities, and refer the matters

concerned to the Social Services Committee for follow up.

244. As Members had no comments, the Chairman announced that the TMDC

agreed with the arrangements and asked the Secretariat to give a reply to the COSH.

245. There being no other business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8:14 p.m.

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The next meeting would be held on 7 May 2019 (Tuesday).

Tuen Mun District Council Secretariat

Date: 4 April 2019

File Ref: HAD TMDC/13/25/DC/19