# HONG KONG | Kai Tak Airport Development News



## hkskyline

Since Kai Tak Airport closed in 1998, the future of the old airport has been under discussion, with a multitude of proposals for the 328-hectare site. Government planners have initially floated an idea of a cruise ship terminal, stadium, and a residential area whereby all roads are buried underground for a garden-style suburb.

The study on what to do to this site in southeast Kowloon dates back to 1991, when the Metroplan Selected Strategy, which recommended reclamation work be done on both banks of Victoria Harbour, was endorsed.

The development plans started taking shape after 1998, when the airport was relocated to Chek Lap Kok. Studies initially focused on turning Kai Tak into a "city within a city", featuring a variety of public and private housing developments.

Fierce public opposition forced planners to repeatedly revise their plans. The entire project was sent back to the drawing board after the Court of Final Appeal ruled last year against harbour reclamation unless it met the overriding public need test.

_With files from the South China Morning Post._










































































*This thread will provide information on the various plans being considered and invites your views on the proposals and hopes for this massive urban redevelopment project. *


----------



## swivel

very cool.. thanks for sharing this..


----------



## Johan

But the text is so small! my eyes hurt, and i cant stop reding because its so interesting!


----------



## scorpion

hkskyline: KaiTak redevelopment is back on the govt.'s agenda for this December??


----------



## Effer

Very nice! :cheers2:


----------



## Effer

delete


----------



## wardrobes

effer said:


> Very nice! :cheers2:


Indeed :cheers2:


----------



## vincent

scorpion said:


> hkskyline: KaiTak redevelopment is back on the govt.'s agenda for this December??


it is now at the public re-consultation stage due to the new regulation from high court that reclamation is not allowed unless there is an overwhelming public needs


----------



## satit28

looks promising........
Thanks for sharing........


----------



## jose_kwan

http://www.pland.gov.hk/p_study/prog_s/sek_09/website_chib5_eng/english/index.html


----------



## shibuya_suki

how many years do they want to waste
hk have no time anymore,always review,review,proposal,just waste your time and fuure


----------



## Skybean

HAHAHA. If you think HK takes a long time to take action on major projects... you should see Toronto. Nothing happens for decades....

There's the shaft of an unbuilt skyscraper that has been left unfinished in the very heart of downtown for over a decade. Taxes on that plot of land alone must have cost a fortune. But luckily there is a new proposal for the site now.

As for Kai Tak, since it is such a valuable plot of land, planning officials should take their time to make sure that everything is done properly with the full support of the public. Please add in a supertall or two as well


----------



## hkskyline

I doubt Hong Kongers want to rush and build something hastily on such a big plot of land. People are very wary of these rash decisions and want plenty of time for consultation before the shovels get into the ground.

So for now Hong Kongers can enjoy a round of golf at the tip of the runway.


----------



## raymond_tung88

Skybean said:


> As for Kai Tak, since it is such a valuable plot of land, planning officials should take their time to make sure that everything is done properly with the full support of the public. Please add in a supertall or two as well


I agree. I would rather wait a while and have them build something spectacular like the West Kowloon Cultural Centre than use the Kai Tak area for building apartments which all look the same.


----------



## scorpion

HK needs to evolve a bit *out* of its mass residentials for every site-thinking...


----------



## vincent

scorpion said:


> HK needs to evolve a bit *out* of its mass residentials for every site-thinking...


From what i know, there will be some kind of renovative office district in that kai tak site as well. I think the planning department is well aware of the value of this land. That's why they are taking some time to make sure it is right.


----------



## vincent

shibuya_suki said:


> how many years do they want to waste
> hk have no time anymore,always review,review,proposal,just waste your time and fuure


If there wasn't the stupid harbour protection people filing case to court, gov woundn't take this long to re-evaluate everything.


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## raymond_tung88

Any renders of the proposals?


----------



## SEED

cool.. another great project for HK! kay: hopefulli some tall, high-tech and glassy apartments eh!


----------



## hkskyline

*Three visions unveiled for Kai Tak's future *
2 November 2005
South China Morning Post

Officials designing the development of the old Kai Tak airport site have come up with three proposals - all with the number of flats drastically reduced from previous expectations. 

With no reclamation needed under the new plans, the population at the old airport and surrounding area could drop to as low as 69,000, compared with more than 320,000 originally estimated with reclamation in mind. 

The government originally planned to reclaim 133 hectares of the harbour as part of the Southeast Kowloon project to transform the area into a high-density residential area a decade ago. Officials later changed their mind and proposed a sports city or a low-density green town. 

Today the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee will discuss the three new proposals. All three contain several common features - a 45,000 capacity stadium, a cruise terminal and waterfront promenade. 

Under the proposals, the stadium would have a retractable roof that would make the venue suitable for different sporting events, while the cruise terminal would feature two berths and other tourism-related facilities. 

The lowest density proposal is the Sports by the Harbour plan, which caters for a 69,000 population. The residential area would be centred around the stadium along the old Kai Tak runway. 

Commercial areas at the site - such as offices, hotels and shops - would be the workplace for 56,000 people. But if the government adopts the Kai Tak Glamour plan, the number of people working there would be pushed to 75,000 with residential areas large enough to accommodate 97,000. 

This business-oriented plan would see prime locations at the site designated as business areas, with premier office buildings taking centre stage. Flats would fill the remainder of main locations. 

The third plan, the City in the Park proposal, would be the opposite of the business hub plan. Residential areas would take the best locations, with business facilities taking a back seat. About 128,000 people could be fitted into the area that would offer just 32,000 jobs. 

The three proposals are the results of the committee's public consultation exercise staged earlier in the year. Further consultation is expected.


----------



## hkskyline

*We might be forced to reclaim Kai Tak nullah, engineer warns *
3 November 2005
South China Morning Post

Reclamation may still be necessary at the former airport site if engineers cannot find a way to clean up the filthy Kai Tak nullah, advisers on harbour development were told yesterday. The answer will only be known next summer. 

None of the three concept plans for redeveloping the former airport site involve reclamation. 

But Talis Wong Chung-sang, the engineering department's acting chief engineer for Kowloon, said experiments were still being conducted to see whether it was possible to go ahead without reclamation. 

"The no-reclamation proposal is based on a number of assumptions, but it is possible they are wrong. We need further studies so we're not ruling out the possibility of reclamation," he said. 

Hardy Lok, of the Society for Protection of the Harbour, said the government should tackle pollution instead of seeking reclamation. 

The Harbourfront Enhancement Committee's Southeast Kowloon development review sub-group yesterday discussed the plans - dubbed City in the Park, Kai Tak Glamour and Sports by the Harbour by the Planning Department team that drew them up. 

All contain several common features - a 24-hectare stadium able to seat 45,000, a cruise terminal and a waterfront promenade. 

The "park" concept is largely a residential development plan that would be able to house up to 128,000 people. 

Commercial high-rises for offices and hotels are included in the "glamour" plan, under which homes for 97,000 people would be built and employment for 75,000 created. The "sports" plan has the lowest development density, with a plot ratio as low as two, a population of 69,000 and jobs for 56,000. 

The government had proposed reclaiming 133 hectares of land at Kai Tak, giving the site a population of 260,000. But it was forced to review the plan after the Court of Final Appeal ruling on reclamation in Wan Chai. 

Apart from reclamation, the harbour advisers were concerned about the stadium and the cruise terminal. 

They questioned the logic of the massive stadium and the cruise terminal and demanded the government justify why they must be at Kai Tak when they would take up such a large chunk of land. 

Officials from the Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Commission insisted the two features must be built at Kai Tak. 

Kim Chan Kim-on, a representative of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners, said officials should provide a concept plan free of the two features for the public to assess. 

The sub-group's chairman, Chan Wai-kwan, called on the public to comment on the elements of the plans. Public consultation on the plans will begin next week and last until the end of December. 

"These are just concept plans; they are not options that the public is obliged to choose," Mr Chan said. "I hope they will comment on the elements presented. 

"The subcommittee doesn't think there is a consensus among the public, especially on the stadium. The government needs to convince the public the stadium and the cruise terminal are essential and must be placed in Kai Tak."


----------



## kaka.ac

Which plan do u like??
1, 2 or 3?


----------



## Þróndeimr

Amazing development zone, its a big area to be used, somethign HK needs!


----------



## bs_lover_boy

I like the Glamour plan.

Reason:
-good population number
-new landmarks can be built
-fulfills need for grade A offices
-speeds up the urban renewal of Kwun Tong district.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise hub tender 'just for the big developers'
Activist says only those with waterfront land will be interested in ship terminal *
4 November 2005
South China Morning Post

Expressions of interest were sought yesterday for construction of a cruise terminal in a long-awaited move to turn the city into a regional cruise hub. 

But the planned open tender was swiftly criticised as the exclusive province of big property developers with land along the waterfront. 

The document, issued by the Tourism Commission, invites developers to propose building the terminal on any piece of government land on Victoria Harbour apart from the site designated for the West Kowloon arts hub. 

The government said that if no other suitable location was proposed it would go ahead with its original plan for a terminal at the old Kai Tak airport site. 

In an echo of the highly controversial approach used for West Kowloon, construction and management of the terminal will be granted to the winning bidder. 

Residential development is not permitted as part of the project and the developer will have to provide convincing reasons for any reclamation. 

Shopping malls, hotels and offices will be permitted, however, prompting harbour activists to slam it as a property development in the name of a cruise terminal. 

Citizen Envisioning @Harbour convenor Albert Lai Kwong-tak asked why the government had left the choice of site up to the developers. 

"This is not the normal planning procedure and an affront to the planning officials," said Mr Lai. "Only those with land along the waterfront where the value would be enhanced by a cruise terminal will be interested in the project. And with all the technical and engineering studies proponents need to submit, only the biggest and the richest can afford this game." 

Developers have until the end of this year to declare an interest, but companies that do not join this exercise will still be able to take part in the tender when it is launched. 

The terminal must have at least one berth capable of accommodating the world's largest liner - the 345-metre long Queen Mary II. 

Proponents have to submit technical documents to prove the proposed location is feasible and suitable, and that the terminal could be completed before 2011. 

Design of the terminal must be compatible with the surrounding areas and take into account public aspirations for the harbour. 

In a press release, the government said: "We need to verify if there are suitable locations other than Kai Tak that may enable an earlier development of a cruise terminal to meet the needs of the tourism industry. 

"If we cannot identify a suggestion that could meet all our requirements through the expression of interest, the government would not consider any sites other than Kai Tak and would focus on developing a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak." 

Cheung Kong (Holdings) proposed last summer to turn a long strip of government land on the Hunghom waterfront, including two hotel sites it owns, into a tourism spot with berthing facilities for international cruise ships. 

The property giant, which has a strong property portfolio in the area, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Wharf Holdings, owner of the city's only cruise terminal, said the group would study the government document in detail before making any decision.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise hub tender 'just for the big developers' 
Activist says only those with waterfront land will be interested in ship terminal *
4 November 2005
South China Morning Post

Expressions of interest were sought yesterday for construction of a cruise terminal in a long-awaited move to turn the city into a regional cruise hub. 

But the planned open tender was swiftly criticised as the exclusive province of big property developers with land along the waterfront. 

The document, issued by the Tourism Commission, invites developers to propose building the terminal on any piece of government land on Victoria Harbour apart from the site designated for the West Kowloon arts hub. 

The government said that if no other suitable location was proposed it would go ahead with its original plan for a terminal at the old Kai Tak airport site. 

In an echo of the highly controversial approach used for West Kowloon, construction and management of the terminal will be granted to the winning bidder. 

Residential development is not permitted as part of the project and the developer will have to provide convincing reasons for any reclamation. 

Shopping malls, hotels and offices will be permitted, however, prompting harbour activists to slam it as a property development in the name of a cruise terminal. 

Citizen Envisioning @Harbour convenor Albert Lai Kwong-tak asked why the government had left the choice of site up to the developers. 

"This is not the normal planning procedure and an affront to the planning officials," said Mr Lai. "Only those with land along the waterfront where the value would be enhanced by a cruise terminal will be interested in the project. And with all the technical and engineering studies proponents need to submit, only the biggest and the richest can afford this game." 

Developers have until the end of this year to declare an interest, but companies that do not join this exercise will still be able to take part in the tender when it is launched. 

The terminal must have at least one berth capable of accommodating the world's largest liner - the 345-metre long Queen Mary II. 

Proponents have to submit technical documents to prove the proposed location is feasible and suitable, and that the terminal could be completed before 2011. 

Design of the terminal must be compatible with the surrounding areas and take into account public aspirations for the harbour. 

In a press release, the government said: "We need to verify if there are suitable locations other than Kai Tak that may enable an earlier development of a cruise terminal to meet the needs of the tourism industry. 

"If we cannot identify a suggestion that could meet all our requirements through the expression of interest, the government would not consider any sites other than Kai Tak and would focus on developing a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak." 

Cheung Kong (Holdings) proposed last summer to turn a long strip of government land on the Hunghom waterfront, including two hotel sites it owns, into a tourism spot with berthing facilities for international cruise ships. 

The property giant, which has a strong property portfolio in the area, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Wharf Holdings, owner of the city's only cruise terminal, said the group would study the government document in detail before making any decision.


----------



## forvine

Which of the three is the glamour plan?


----------



## hkskyline

November 5, 2005
Government Press Release
*Views sought on Kai Tak redevelopment*

The three concepts proposed for redeveloping the former Kai Tak airport site do not involved reclamation, Planning Department's Kowloon District Planning Officer Raymond Lee says, adding the second round of consultation on the project will start on November 9.

Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Mr Lee pointed out the no-reclamation proposal is based on the assumption the pollution at the Kai Tak nullah can be solved.

Reclamation will be the last resort if these environmental problems cannot be resolved, he added.

The blueprint, which is drawn up under three categories of development - dubbed City in the Park, Kai Tak Glamour and Sports by the Harbour - included an ocean liner terminal, parks, multi-purpose sports stadium and waterfront promenade.

Mr Lee stressed the proposals aim to arouse public discussion on the project and they are not obliged to choose from any of the three concepts.

He said a series of forums will be organised to hear the public's views of the plans, adding the consultation will end in January next year.


----------



## Mosaic

Any renderings?


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德變西九翻版
規劃不斷商業化 文化界聯手反對*
07/11/2005

【記者楊瑞貞余志良報道】啟德規劃檢討將於本周三展開第二階段公眾諮詢，推出三個規劃概念，但沒有把鄰近的文化及歷史遺「時間廊」納入，反而增加了商業元素，惹起文化界不滿，直斥政府不斷加入商業元素，把啟德變成商業及地產項目，成為西九龍文娛藝術區翻版。據悉，文化界醞釀發起聯合行動，反對規劃建議。

啟德規劃檢討第二階段諮詢至明年一月結束，期間蒐集公眾對草擬概念規劃大綱圖的意見，除會舉行全港性及地區性的論壇外，亦會就個別題目例如多用途體育館舉行專題公眾論壇。

據悉，規劃署建議三個以「零填海」出發的方案中，「綠茵都市」以綠化為主，建議興建高密度住宅，可容納人口最多，共十二萬八千人；設商務中心及水幕繽紛的「魅力啟德」方案可創造的職位最多，共有七萬五千人，而該方案在創造職位、營商機會、旅遊推廣及土地收入方面，評定為有特佳表現。

第三個方案名為「體藝之都」，以運動為主題，除有大型體育館外，亦設啟德遊樂場及維港單車徑，更有環保育都會公園，但可容納人口則最低，只有六萬九千人。

團體轟變地產項目
實際上，規劃署最初拋出的概念包括了「啟德時間廊」方案，該方案包攬了鄰近的文化及歷史遺，例如把宋王臺、啟德指揮塔及機場博物館等，由古至今連成一線，但該方案卻沒列入諮詢的範圍內。

就規劃署即將進出的三個概念方案，文化團體表示不滿。本土文化再造主席林文輝直斥政府以商業掛帥，啟德規劃檢討三個方案均剔除了文化元素，最明顯是政府以商業味極濃的「魅力啟德」方案取代了「啟德時間廊」方案，根本要把啟德變成商業及地產項目。

據悉，文化界正醞釀聯手向政府提出反對，要求啟德規劃能夠納入文化的元素，不能純為商業收益出發。

林文輝說：「胡恩威、梁文道等文化人知道政府剔除文化元素後都顯得很氣憤，因為香港唔能夠單靠一個西九龍。文化界質疑點解政府唔理現有擺在面前的文化歷史，竟然去等一個唔知幾時先有歌劇院。」











*郵輪碼頭泊位構思三減一*
07/11/2005

【本報訊】啟德發展計畫的三個概念大綱圖中，都不約而同利用舊機場跑道作為郵輪碼頭選址，但泊位的數目和設計，因受景觀保護和「零填海」的規限而有所變動。碼頭泊位數目因遷就景觀，由最初構思的三個減至兩個，手指形泊位亦因避免填海而擱置，郵輪要沿岸停泊。

外界一直批評香港缺乏郵輪碼頭的設施，而政府和業界希望日後新建的郵輪碼頭，能提供較多泊位紓解不足，故早期拋出的方案中，曾有一個方案建議在跑道末端興建三個郵輪碼頭泊位。

但因興建三個泊位會令將來設於舊機場跑道的遊樂場和低密度住宅沿線景觀完全被阻擋，故最後推出的三個概念大綱圖中，只會設有兩個泊位，最多只阻擋一半景觀。

至於泊位設計亦因顧及「零填海」原則，三個概念都列明手指形泊位只是將來可能的構思，所有郵輪都要沿岸停泊。

另外，規劃署建議在跑道下面挖一條闊六百米的通道，務求令跑道與岸邊之間較窄的水域有海水流通，預期該水域日後可舉辦龍舟賽事及水上活動中心，能否成事要視乎水質能否合標準。


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak plans fail to impress *

Government plans to redevelop Kai Tak were criticized Wednesday for lacking vision and failing to realize the potential of the scenic harborfront location of the former airport.

Leslie Kwoh 
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, November 10, 2005



















Government plans to redevelop Kai Tak were criticized Wednesday for lacking vision and failing to realize the potential of the scenic harborfront location of the former airport.

Three visions for the long-awaited multibillion dollar project were presented to the Town Planning Board at a planning review meeting, which commenced the administration's second phase of public consultation.

The formal unveiling of plans is sure to spark off months of debate over the appropriate use of the famous site. 

Environmentalists have long wanted to see Kai Tak turned into a green zone, while developers have seen the former runway as a prime landing zone for a big-ticket project. Original plans for Kai Tak after it closed in 1998 involved reclamation of about 133 hectares, a residential population of 260,000 and 500 hotel rooms. 

Under the "no-reclamation" proposals in the new plans, the population could fall as low as 69,000, while hotel rooms could number 9,000.

Though the plans presented emphasize different themes - residential, business and recreational, in the form of a Sports City - they share several common features such as a 45,000-capacity stadium, a cruise terminal and a waterfront promenade.

Some board members called for a wider range of proposals, saying the existing features are too "common." 

"We hope public consultation will produce more ideas," said landscape architecture representative Wong Chi- kui. "We are working with familiar ideas, but we should use th 
e land to showcase the harbor, not just for something with usual functions."

Wong said the SAR should follow the examples of cities like Sydney and Barcelona where harborfront areas have become a scenic showcase. 

Architecture representative Alex Lui agreed, saying the proposed redevelopment did not take into account "the visual element."

However, a Planning Department spokesman stressed the draft concept plans were not development options, but were intended to provide a basis for public discussion on development proposals.

The administration also clarified confusion regarding the site of the cruise terminal after it was reported last week that bids for a cruise terminal in another location would be solicited.

The government said that although the government welcomed suggestions for an alternate site, Kai Tak would continue to be the main terminal site.

"We have consulted industries as to whether another site can offer an extra berth," a Tourism Commission spokesman said, "but for the long-term, Kai Tak is the only site that has space for expansion as a cruise terminal."

Members of the board were also concerned about the environmental impact of the proposals.

According to the administration, the residential-focused "City in the Park" concept plan would be the most environmentally harmful. On a scale of A to D - A being "very high performance" and D being "low performance" - the residential concept plan would score a D for both wastage of natural resources and deterioration of environmental quality, the administration said.

Board members were further disappointed at the lack of integration between the Kai Tak site and less-affluent neighboring areas, namely Kwun Tong and Ngau Tau Kok.

"I'm not happy with the road network around the airport," said architectural, surveying and planning functional constituency legislator Patrick Lau, who is also the vice chairman of the Town Planning Board. "They should link up to neighboring areas."

Social welfare representative Michael Lai said he was concerned about the potential impact of the Kai Tak project on surrounding areas.

"I would like to see a social impact assessment carried out next, so we know how [the project] will affect residents in the area," he said.

Other representatives agreed, saying that the administration's visual rendering of the plan was misleading and that it would be difficult for the public to make informed decisions. Board chairman Rita Lau acknowledged the visual renderings were unrealistic and said the administration will carry out further studies.

The Kai Tak site, which currently houses a golf driving range and a large mound of landfill, has been largely unused since the opening of Chek Lap Kok airport in July 1998.

The administration claims that the original plans, approved by the chief executive in 2002, were dropped in light of the Court of Final Appeal's ruling last year that reclamation must be justified by "overriding public need."

The government hopes to complete consultation in mid-2006 and begin construction in 2008, but has not yet provided a timetable for the project.

The multi-purpose stadium is not expected to be completed until 2015, at the earliest.

Total project costs also have not yet been disclosed. However a Home Affairs Bureau spokesperson said Wednesday that the stadium will cost about US$6,690 (HK$52,182) per seat.

The administration will continue to accept written suggestions until January 2006, when the second phase of consultation ends.


----------



## bs_lover_boy

I do suppose when I first saw those plans I was a bit disappointed, but then in the past, the SUPER URBAN plans were all rejected. What else can the Planning Bureau do to satisfy the tough criticisms from lobbyists? All I want now is to hurry up and build something on that land which is empty for 7 years. Also that WKD place which was empty for 10 years already. All of those great plans in the past have been REJECTED, yes REJECTED what else can the government do??? All we can do now is to hope that those pieces of valuble urban land will not be wasted on imagination. The imagination of how each and every single person. Action is more effective, so people, stop your criticisms and MOVE ON!!!


----------



## Manu84

a wonderful proyect


----------



## sharpie20

very promising project, i hope they make good use of the land. oh yeah, leave room for at least one supertall :laugh:


----------



## shibuya_suki

the property developer have no interested on this land,so dozens of land planning project has been rejected.


----------



## hkskyline

The Kai Tak lands are contaminated. Add to that the effect of releasing a large amount of residential supply if all the lands are developed. It's unlikely anything will be built in the near future. It may be a good thing after all to wait to get it right before the shovels get into the ground.


----------



## -Corey-

VERY NICE AND SO BIG.


----------



## hkskyline

*Flats ruled out at cruise terminal site *

Residential development is incompatible with the proposed cruise terminal project at the harbor end of the former Kai Tak airport runway, Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip said Wednesday.

Michael Ng 
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, November 24, 2005

Residential development is incompatible with the proposed cruise terminal project at the harbor end of the former Kai Tak airport runway, Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip said Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question from pro-government lawmaker Cheung Hok-ming in the Legislative Council, Ip said the Kai Tak site is the most suitable location for a cruise terminal and must be compatible with other land uses nearby to meet town planning considerations.

"According to a study by our consultant, the terminal will be busy with ground handling activities - for example, embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, luggage handling, provisioning of supplies, minor repairs - and will need to operate 24 hours a day. The consultant considered that the terminal would be incompatible with residential development," Ip said.

He said the Planning Department is now inviting expressions of interest for the project as well as suggestions for alternative sites, and the government has specified that bids for the project must not include residential development.

However, other tourism-related facilities could be incorporated into the bids to make them more attractive to investors. "As the location of the cruise terminal has yet to be confirmed, the land use and planning details such as commercial floor area are not available at the moment," he said.

If the government cannot identify a site that can meet its requirements from those expressions of interest, Ip said it will then consider the Kai Tak site the only suitable option.

But if there are suggestions in line with the government's requirements, it will conduct an indepth study on the overall suitability of a proposed site for development of a new cruise terminal, and put the site to competitive bidding after public consultation.


----------



## Urban Dave

No supertalls??? :nono:


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak 'ideal for cruise terminal' *
3 January 2006
South China Morning Post

The former Kai Tak airport is an ideal venue for a cruise terminal, the Travel Industry Council says. 

It is "the perfect choice with all the facilities, including the long runway that can easily be turned into a pier", executive chairman Joseph Tung Yao-chung said. 

He said the industry believed a second terminal ought to be built as soon as possible. "We have been talking about the building of a cruise terminal, waiting for it for so long now," Mr Tung said. 

Six developers submitted proposals on Saturday to the government to build a cruise terminal at various locations. Wharf (Holdings) operates Hong Kong's only cruise terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui. 

Mr Tung said Hong Kong was missing out on significant revenue because it had limited facilities for cruise ships staying more than one or two days. "The cruises sailing in and out of Hong Kong are only here for a one- or two-day trip. Occasionally, there might be one or two big cruises coming here for a longer stay and the ships have to be anchored at the Kwai Chung container terminal. 

"We are losing a large amount of tourism revenue. These travellers are big spenders and they will stay here for a week instead of one or two days." 

A terminal at Kai Tak would also revive Kowloon City, where businesses were hit hard by the loss of the airport. 

The government said that if no other suitable location was proposed, it would go ahead with its original plan for a terminal at the old airport site.


----------



## hkskyline

*Groups buzz Legco over `last piece of waterfront' *

A bevy of special interest groups representing civic, environmental, economic and athletic causes filled the main chamber of the Legislative Council Wednesday to air a variety of grievances on the latest redevelopment proposals for the site of the former Kai Tak airport.

Jonathan Cheng 
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, January 26, 2006

A bevy of special interest groups representing civic, environmental, economic and athletic causes filled the main chamber of the Legislative Council Wednesday to air a variety of grievances on the latest redevelopment proposals for the site of the former Kai Tak airport.

Speaking before a handful of administration officials and legislators, the groups put forth a number of visions for the 133-hectare parcel of vacant land. 

Some called it a chance to build on Chief Executive Donald Tsang's vision for a "sports city" on the site to attract world-class competitions and nurture local athletic talent, while others called for the protection of the rights of those who live on boats, of the light aviation industry, and of vessel traders.

If the extended afternoon session often felt unfocused and convoluted, it reflected the multiplicity of concerns represented by the 39 groups in attendance and the contentiousness of the redevelopment plans for the site, which one group called "the one last remaining piece of waterfront in Hong Kong."

The Tourism Board was the most prominent of several groups that portrayed Kai Tak as the city's last chance to develop a major cruise hub before Singapore, or Shanghai, beat Hong Kong to the punch.

"A cruise terminal would be a shot in the arm for the tourism industry," said board representative Aliana Ho. 

She said the cruise business is one of the tourism industry's fastest-growing areas, and called on the government to take advantage of the city's location and international image. "Hong Kong has a good geographic location, but there are no berthing spaces. Other cities are all updating their infrastructure, and we'll lose our leading place if we don't grasp this opportunity."

But other groups called cruise boats a "major pollutant" and urged a more environmentally friendly approach.

The Rowing Association called for a world-class regatta center and annual international boat races.

Representatives for football, rugby and Thai boxing associations voiced support for a massive indoor stadium with a retractable roof.

The session also included ambitious schemes like a massive futuristic spire to rival Shanghai's.

"Everyone knows we're the Pearl of the Orient, so we ought to build a Dragon Pearl Pagoda to be a landmark of Hong Kong," said Lam Chi-keung of the City Planning Concern Group, who unveiled a miniature model of a spire to a chamber of suppressed chuckles.

He said the tower - which would be capped with a massive crystal ball flashing neon-lit phrases like "Welcome to Hong Kong" and "Kung Hei Fat Choy" - would "build our brand and represent the essence of Hong Kong culture."

The government hopes to come up with a preliminary outline development plan for the Kai Tak site by mid-2006.


----------



## raymond_tung88

I'd definately go for the cruise terminal as well as the sports complex. I hope they'll mix those two ideas together to create a multi-use complex that would draw a lot of tourists.

The Dragon Pearl Pagoda is just dumb... if people wanna see a pagoda they could go 2 one of the thousands of temples...


----------



## Rachmaninov

Sports? I doubt that... the stadiums are not that frequently used anyway


----------



## godblessbotox

it would be a shame to spoile such prime real estate with an empty building that could hold a few thousand people every month or two. as well as the cruse ship port... why would that have to be right downtown? Are there not other parts further away like near the airport? its not like there is not sufficent transportation between the two to get some business downtown


----------



## vincent

Rachmaninov said:


> Sports? I doubt that... the stadiums are not that frequently used anyway


with the retractable roof, they can host a lot more events than just sports. Convention/exhibition, concerts, etc


----------



## hkskyline

*The Clean Up of Kai Tak: A Lesson for Hong Kong*
Hong Kong Lawyer looks at the controversy surrounding the clean up of the old Kai Tak airport site and the legal issues it raises regarding the problem of contaminated land
http://www.hk-lawyer.com/1998-12/Dec98-50.htm










For an overcrowded city like Hong Kong, the plan seemed ideal. To build a brand new 'City within a City' replete with housing developments, schools, playgrounds, a huge municipal park, and a river running right through its centre. This was the plan for the old airport site at Kai Tak, the development of which was slotted to begin shortly after the new airport at Chek Lap Kok was opened. But much of the Government's plan has come under fire following revelations that for decades toxic materials have been seeping into the ground, rendering major portions of the land upon which the former airport sat exceedingly hazardous.

During those years when Kai Tak operated as one of the busiest - and, ironically, safest - airports in the world, workers were not only busy helping planes land and take-off, they were also busy pouring aviation fuel, petrol, paint, anti-freeze and a whole assortment of other toxic wastes onto the ground. Over time these wastes worked their way underground, contaminating the soil underneath. There is also a concern that cyanide may have been deposited on the site from an old, previously decommissioned cyanide destruction plant. And as if that were not bad enough, the Government has acknowledged that several of the underground pipes used to carry fuel to the planes had suffered major leaks, some of them lasting years. The Oil Companies Tank Farm that covered an area in excess of 11,500 square metres and included part of the runway and the parking area used by the jets, is believed to have dumped hundreds of tonnes of flammable, toxic fuel into the ground. The nullah that lies adjacent to Kai Tak has been found to contain heavily contaminated mud as the result of leeching from the airport site.

Studies have revealed the presence of high levels of carcinogenic hydrocarbons, including benzene, scattered throughout the site. Benzene in particular is known to increase the risk of cancer (it has been associated with an increased risk for leukaemia and aplastic anaemia) even where exposure amounts are fairly low. Benzene is also a mutagenic; that is, it causes inheritable genetic changes which can affect the next generation, the next after that, and so on.

The consultancy firm hired by the Government to conduct what turned out to be a two-year environmental study of the area has made recommendations as to how the site should be cleaned up. They have proposed the use of a sort of vacuum system, the idea being to place a series of pumps into the ground that would literally suck-up the toxic methane vapours. In areas where the contamination is more entrenched, they intend to actually pump the soil straight to the surface through tubes. This way, the toxic vapours could be 'captured' and directed straight into an on-site incinerator.

The plan put forth by the Government's consultants has been controversial. Chief among its critics is the consortium of major oil companies (who ran the Oil Companies Tank Farm) that are responsible for much of the mess in the first place. They argue that the clean up method proposed by the consultants is not likely to work given the highly compressed nature of the ground at Kai Tak. The better plan they believe is to 'land-farm' the area, which would involve digging out all of the contaminated soil and putting it through a treatment process that would remove the pollutants. Yet this plan has its critics as well who argue that the process of land farming poses too high of a risk to the workers involved and the people living in the adjacent areas.

This past October the Government began a pilot program to test which method or combination of methods it will use in what is believed will ultimately be a multi-million dollar clean up effort. The Tank Farm companies have offered to contribute financially toward the effort though they insist that they will do so only if the method chosen is one that will actually work.

Whichever method is ultimately employed, the controversy will undoubtedly continue. For the problems at Kai Tak have only served to highlight what is a glaring lack of legislative guidance in this most vital area of environmental protection.

This lack of guidance means that there remains unanswered a whole myriad of questions that go to the very heart of the problem. Specifically, how should land contamination be defined? What risk level is acceptable and what level of human and environmental protection is reasonably achievable? What method of clean up criteria should be used? Should the level of land remediation be related to future land use? Who should be liable for the costs involved in the clean up effort?

Legislator Christine Loh, Chair of the Citizens Party and a strong advocate for the environment, believes 'the Kai Tak redevelopment has exposed an environmental problem that Hong Kong has hitherto never addressed - that of contaminated land. The lack of any legislative or administrative guidelines on how to deal with this issue', she argues, ' raises many serious questions.' Moreover, she adds that 'with many other urban sites earmarked for redevelopment, including many old industrial sites, some answers will be needed quickly.'

*The US Model*

The now infamous Love Canal was the first waste disposal case to draw US (and indeed international) attention to the issue of land decontamination. The history of Love Canal goes back to 1896 when William Love dug a canal nearly 2 miles long hoping to connect the upper and lower Niagara River in Upstate New York. His grand scheme failed and eventually the canal was abandoned having never been put to use. In 1942, Hooker Chemical and Plastics Corporation purchased the land and for the next decade, disposed approximately 19,000 cubic yards of hazardous waste into the empty canal, which it then covered with a layer of clay and sold to the local government (for the nominal fee of $1). The transfer of the land to the government was on the express condition that the company would not be held liable for any future problems. The land was thereafter used to build a series of new housing schemes and a school.

The first inklings of the disaster came in the mid 1970's when homeowners began to complain about 'mysterious' substances that were beginning to leak through their underground basement structures. In 1977 a series of tests revealed that the mysterious substances were in fact toxic chemicals that had leaked into the surrounding soil and into the groundwater. In 1978, following medical tests conducted on the local population, the State of New York declared a health emergency. By 1980, the United States Federal Government had offered to evacuate everyone living in the affected area.

The disaster at Love Canal led directly to the passage by US lawmakers of the Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), or Superfund as it is more commonly known. The legislation established the mechanism for the clean up of contaminated sites and charges the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with identifying the polluters and making them pay for the clean up. A site is identified as contaminated when the release of a hazardous substance(s) poses a serious threat to human health, welfare, or the environment.

The polluters are referred to as Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) and can include a site's past or present owners or operators; the people who created the waste in the first place; and anyone who transported waste to the site. PRPs are subject to strict, joint and several liability (where one party may be sued for all the damage caused by many) so that each PRP can be held liable for the entire cost of clean up at a site. Furthermore, damaged parties need not prove that a PRP was negligent, merely that the PRP contributed to the problem in some way. This means that PRPs are liable for the costs of a clean up for dumping that may have been legal when it occurred. If a PRP cannot be identified, or have gone out of business, the federal government (ie the taxpayer) bears the cost of the clean up, but the basic principle remains that 'the polluter pays'.

The US Superfund scheme has been the subject of much criticism. Because CERCLA establishes a strict liability system (with joint and several liability), those charged under the scheme with responsibility for clean up have often tied up the courts for years with suits against other PRPs who, they argue, should share the burden of the clean up costs. As a consequence, it is estimated that only half of the Superfund's money has actually gone toward the clean up of contaminated sites, the rest going toward the support of a huge bureaucracy and the legal costs associated with joint, several, and retrospective liability.

It was also argued that issues of potential liability were preventing banks from providing loans and developers from taking on sites that were only moderately contaminated, especially in large urban areas in need of redevelopment. As a reaction to these criticisms, the US Government in 1997 passed the Land Recycling Act (the Brownfields Act) which provides government funding assistance and tax benefits to those developers willing to purchase moderately contaminated sites, and the Asset Conservation, Lender Liability and Deposit Insurance Act of 1996 which clarifies when lenders will be responsible for certain contaminated properties (ie banks will be liable for the clean up of properties they hold as collateral only if they 'participate in the management' of the business that operates on the property).

With respect to the issue of how much remediation is required for a contaminated site, the underlying US philosophy (as is also the case in the Netherlands) is one of multifunctionality or multiple use, ie the land should be restored to a standard suitable for any possible use whether it be industrial, residential, agricultural, etc.

*The UK Model*

The origins of the UK approach to the issue of land contamination can be traced back to the British Government's white paper 'This Common Inheritance, Britain's Environmental Strategy', published in 1990. In it, the Government explicitly recognised the problem of land contamination and emphasised the importance of bringing this land back into constructive use. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990) was a reflection of this view and it called for local authorities to compile registers of land that were or might be contaminated.

The issue of local registers quickly became controversial as banks and insurance companies became increasingly reluctant to take on potential lender liability as had been the case of their US counterparts under the Superfund scheme prior to the 1996 amendments. As a result, the registers were abandoned and the search for a more pragmatic, business friendly approach resulted in the Environment Act 1995 (EA 1995).

While the EPA 1990 remains the principal UK Act regulating environmental pollution, EA 1995 for the first time provided a specific definition as to what constituted contaminated land as well who would be potentially liable for its clean up. Contaminated land is defined as whether significant harm is being caused, or whether there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused, or pollution of controlled waters is being or is likely to be caused by reason of substances in, on or under the land.

EA 1995 also established the Environment Agency in England and Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. While local authorities remain the key regulators, with a duty to inspect and identify contaminated land and serve remediation notices if appropriate, the new environmental agencies are charged with responsibility for 'special sites', ie those that pose a particularly difficult remediation problem.

While the scheme operates on the 'polluter pays' principle, it does not follow the CERCLA scheme in that it is not based upon principles of strict and joint and several liability. The Act contains provisions for identifying the polluting party or parties, so called 'appropriate persons', and then serving upon them a remediation notice. The appropriate person is defined as a person or persons who 'caused or knowingly permitted' the contamination. Where the polluter cannot be found, the appropriate person will be deemed to be 'the owner or occupier for the time being.'

The extent of any required remediation of contaminated land is governed by the principle of fitness or suitability for use. Unlike the US approach, the UK requires only that contaminated land should be restored according to the planned usage. Thus for example land that is intended for industrial use requires less remediation than would land intended for agricultural use.

*Conclusion: Issues for Hong Kong*

According to Ian Cocking, partner at Simmons & Simmons and Vice Chair of the Hong Kong Environmental Law Association, 'the issue of cleaning up the contaminated Kai Tak site highlights a significant gap in Hong Kong's environmental legislation.' He argues that 'although the much publicised Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap 499), which came into effect in April, may impose some control on the manner in which any decontamination is carried out, it does not directly address the allocation of liability - present and/or future - for the clean up and its costs.' Moreover, it seems clear that older environmental legislation, such as the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 358), offer no real assistance as their clean up provisions have in fact never been used. And while Kai Tak is the first major land contamination case (though by no means the first example of contaminated land) most experts believe that it is only the tip of the iceberg as the pressure for urban redevelopment projects increase.

In the meantime, without a legal definition as to what constitutes contaminated land, or any record or register of where it may exist, or indeed any history of how the issue should be dealt with, companies are left to guess where they might stand in terms of any future liability for contamination that they may be creating or contributing to now. As international experience has shown, central to any policy will be a realistic assessment of who should shoulder the burden of clean up and to what extent the 'polluter pays' principle will be enforced in Hong Kong. However, one thing is fairly certain. If the Government (ie the taxpayer) ends up shouldering the entire cost for the clean up of Kai Tak, companies could be left with the impression that they are free to pollute at will without consequence, financial or otherwise.

Finally, with no definitive guidance as to how much remediation is necessary to restore a contaminated site, nor a clear indication of where responsibility for remediation will lie, current and future owners or users of such land (as well as those providing financial backing) may very well be reluctant to take on a property that might prove unfit for certain uses (or any use) a decade or so down the line. When the Love Canal was topped off with clay, we can assume that no one expected toxic chemicals to seep through the soil and into family homes. What Hong Kong needs to ask is how do we make sure that residents of the new 'city within a city' do not suffer the very same fate and how will we provide for those who might very well be sitting on a contaminated land time bomb right now?


----------



## hkskyline

*Site View *


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德規劃露雛形 堅持保留起卸區 *
3月 11日 星期六 05:05










【明報專訊】啟德規劃雛形漸露，規劃署顧問指出，將來佔地328公頃的啟德，將包括體育城、郵輪碼頭、直升機坪和低密度住宅等項目﹔但先前諮詢階段提出的水上中心、鐵路系統和民用機場則被剔除。不過，因經濟發展及勞工局堅持保留觀塘貨物起卸區，令原先計劃的海濱長廊未能在短期內落實。

鐵路系統民用機場剔除

啟德規劃檢討的公眾諮詢分為3階段，第2階段於今年1月結束，規劃署顧問「城市規劃──茂盛（亞洲）聯營」昨向城規會交代結果。規劃署將根據結果草擬初步發展大綱圖，今年中會展開為期兩個月的公眾諮詢，預計年底會修訂有關分區計劃大綱圖。

顧問代表譚小瑩昨於會上指出，體育城和郵輪碼頭由於有政府政策支持，兩項發展均會納入大綱圖，民政事務局正檢討體育城的面積是否需要減少﹔以住宅發展為主的「綠茵都市」、以商業發展為主的「魅力啟德」，及以體育城為主的「體藝之都」3個方案中，公眾大都傾向以體育城發展為主、住宅密度較低的方案。

譚小瑩解釋，由於啟德規劃人口已由最初20多萬人，減至10多萬人，環境運輸及工務局認為，若在啟德城內採用鐵路系統，財政上並不可行，當局會研究其他較適合在啟德城內行走的環保交通工具。她續說，由於現階段仍未研究出清理明渠的方案，該區水質並不適宜水上活動﹔民用飛機則因安全問題，不可與郵輪碼頭共存。

關閉觀塘貨物起卸區恐礙物流

觀塘貨物起卸區屬啟德規劃檢討範圍，按原先建議，該處將變身成環境優美的海濱長廊，遠眺啟德郵輪碼頭，而起卸區的回收工業將遷出觀塘區，海旁將設露天茶座等設施，有利發展旅遊業。但譚小瑩表示，經濟發展及勞工局現階段沒計劃關閉觀塘和茶果嶺公眾貨物起卸區，以免影響物流業，令更多低技術人士失業。

城規會委員何建宗批評，經濟發展及勞工局未配合啟德規劃檢討，保留貨物起卸區會不利優化環境，限制日後的旅遊發展。

身兼香港建築師學會會長的城規會委員林雲峰認為，規劃署落實發展項目後，須盡快進行建築佈置評估，以評估人流、通風、地標設計和樓宇之間的距離對環境和居民的影響。


----------



## hkskyline

*Second Kai Tak Forum to discuss comments on Kai Tak Outline Concept Plans*
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Government Press Release

The Sub-committee on South East Kowloon Development Review of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee (HEC) will hold the "Second Kai Tak Forum" on March 25 to discuss the community's views on the three Outline Concept Plans proposed at the Stage 2 Kai Tak Planning Review.

The "Second Kai Tak Forum" aims to enhance transparency in the processing of public comments received in the Stage 2 Public Participation, which was held from November, 2005 to January, 2006.

The project consultants and representatives of Government bureaus/departments will respond to the comments and proposals received from the public during Stage 2 Public Participation and answer questions in the forum. The public will have an opportunity to discuss the initial ideas for the project to help in the preparation of the Preliminary Outline Development Plan. 

The Chairman of the HEC Sub-committee of South East Kowloon Development Review, Dr Chan Wai-kwan, will convene the forum. He is supported by a panel of sub-committee members.

The forum will start at 9am at the Civil Service Training & Development Institute Auditorium (Room 501), North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point.

Site visits to Kai Tak will be held on Saturday (March 18) to enable members of the public to familiarise themselves with the development opportunities and constraints of Kai Tak. Free shuttle buses will be arranged to take the participants to the site from the public transport interchange in Telford Plaza Phase 2 (MTR Kowloon Bay Station, Exit A). The three departure times are 10.30am, 2pm and 4pm. Each bus tour will take about one and a half hours.

Due to limited seating capacity, pre-registration for these two events is required. For registration and detailed information, please visit the websites: http://www.harbourfront.org.hk or http://www.pland.gov.hk. For enquires, please contact the Secretariat at 2231 4988 or e-mail [email protected].


----------



## hkskyline

*Bigger dock to cash in on cruise craze *
Albert Au Yeung
23 March 2006
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

The government will speed up the development of a new and bigger dock to reap the benefits of the rising trend of travelling in mega-cruise ships, Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip said yesterday. 

This was his written reply to legislator Ronny Tong, who had asked what the government was doing to cash in on the world trend of cruise travelling and the increasing use of mega-cruise ships. 

According to a study, the number of people vacationing on mega-cruise ships is on the rise, Tong had said, adding that the number of such travellers is estimated to increase by 100 per cent in the next 15 years. 

Cities whose ports and terminals could not accommodate mega-cruise ships may lose over half their market share in cruise industry in the next 10 years, he had said. 

In his reply to the Legislative Council, Ip conceded that the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, only one of its kind in Hong Kong, was being used to capacity. Sometimes cruise ships have to berth elsewhere because of conflicting schedules or because they are too big for the terminal, which is good enough only for ships up to 50,000 displacement tonnages. Mega-cruise ships, therefore, have to berth at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal instead. That happened four times last year. 

According to the Study on Cruise Terminal Facilities Development in Hong Kong 2004, commissioned by the Tourism Commission, international cruise liners are considering stepping up their operations in Asia, which is considered a major market. Hence, the demand for berthing facilities is expected to grow. 

The study also says Hong Kong will require additional berths as soon as possible to satisfy market needs, and one to two more berths beyond 2015 to sustain its development as a regional cruise hub. 

To cope with this trend, Ip said, the government will expedite the development of the new cruise terminal facilities by accelerating the timetable of Kai Tak Planning Review. 

Since late last year the government has been asking for suggestions for alternative sites for the new cruise terminal, and so far six have been received. The government's inter-departmental working group is carefully examining them. 

If any of the suggestions meet the requirements, the site will be put out for competitive bidding after public consultation. Otherwise, the government will proceed at full speed with the development of the new cruise terminal at Kai Tak, Ip said. 

In order to make sure mega-cruise ships include Hong Kong in their itineraries and to lure more cruise visitors to the SAR, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is co-organizing joint promotions with cruise liners and their designated travel agents on fly-cruise visits to Hong Kong. From time to time, HKTB conducts presentations, seminars and mega events to update cruise travel agents on Hong Kong's new tourism facilities and activities. It also invites senior executives of major cruise liners to Hong Kong on familiarization visits, Ip said. 

HKTB attends major international tourism trade shows too. In 2006, Ip said, HKTB will join forces with other destinations for the third consecutive year to market the Asian region to international cruise liners. To enhance cruise visitors' experience upon their arrival, HKTB arranges special meet-and-greet services.


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*Chronology of Events on the Kai Tak (North) and Kai Tak (South) Outline Zoning Plans*

http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/harbour/en/kaitaknorthi_chrono_e.htm


----------



## hkskyline

*Tycoon hits out at 'fearful' officials *
13 April 2006
South China Morning Post

Projects are being delayed and investment held up because officials are afraid to make decisions for fear of being accused of colluding with big business, a property tycoon says. 

In today's highly politicised climate, officials would rather do nothing than risk condemnation, New World Development managing director Henry Cheng Kar-shun believes. 

He described the attitude of some officials towards developers' applications as, "there can't be any trouble if you don't deal with it". 

As a result, important projects such as Kai Tak, West Kowloon and Tamar were being stalled and investors discouraged. 

Mr Cheng's criticism comes two weeks after New World and partner Sun Hung Kai Properties abandoned plans to convert flats in the controversial Hunghom Peninsula estate into luxury apartments, saying the premium was too high. 

His remarks also come amid pledges by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen of "strong governance" and a determination to press ahead with plans to move government headquarters to Tamar in the face of public opposition. 

Mr Cheng also cited what he said was government rigidity in approving commercial makeovers, such as the establishment of restaurants and shops at New World's ferry piers in Central. 

"We don't see why government officials take such a long time to approve the plans when there is already a Star Ferry terminal as a showcase example," he said. 

The lack of a development plan for the former Kai Tak site eight years after the airport closed was a "waste of resources". 

"Many [investors] reckon today's investment climate is souring," he said. "That will hit the entire investment climate." 

On property, Mr Cheng said the local market still lacked strong momentum because of the uncertain interest rate outlook. 

"Until there is a clear picture on interest rates, homebuyers are likely to be cautious about jumping into the market," he said. 

Mr Cheng's comments come amid a weakened primary market. Sales of new projects over the weekend fell to about 30 units, from 57 the weekend before. 

Sales in the secondary market also dropped, with the number of transactions in the top 35 housing estates falling 11 per cent to 154, after 173 the previous weekend, according to figures from Midland Realty. 

Residential prices rose 2.15 per cent in the first three months of this year, according to the Centa-City Leading Index.


----------



## jpq21

My dad has an apartment in the Sky Tower complex which is directly adjacent the old airport, looking north. So I hope whatever is decided on is the one which will make its value go up the most (probably the most recreational proposal). Is there going to be a mass transit connection built to the site?


----------



## _00_deathscar

Why do you want the price to go up?

Unless you want to sell it...


----------



## Monkey

I say build a cruise terminal and a great forest of 400m+ towers!! :guns1:


----------



## hkskyline

jpq21 said:


> My dad has an apartment in the Sky Tower complex which is directly adjacent the old airport, looking north. So I hope whatever is decided on is the one which will make its value go up the most (probably the most recreational proposal). Is there going to be a mass transit connection built to the site?


The plan is to have a stop at the north end of the old airport site in the new Shatin-Central line, but the alignment is not yet set. However, an announcement is expected soon.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德翻生
新規劃五年完成 集旅遊消費住七萬人*
18/04/2006
太陽報




























【記者楊瑞貞、余志良報道】拖足八年、規劃一改再改的東南九龍啟德發展終露曙光，並可望於二○一一年完成，而啟德明渠的淨化測試工程亦已展開，且訂於今年暑假展開全面淨化。新的規劃融合環保、旅遊及消費於一身，除有大型運動場館及可停泊兩艘巨型郵輪的碼頭外，跑道兩旁設有海濱長廊，跑道末端更會建造仿似倫敦大橋般的開合式大橋。消息稱，新規劃於今年六月最後諮詢後即展開工程。

可靠消息稱，政府有一個強烈意願是要啟德郵輪碼頭於二○一一年落成，故此，規劃部門正被積極催谷盡快完成啟德規劃，而政府近期已將大部分反對聲音消化，並擬訂一個各方均可接納的新方案，期望今年六月最後諮詢時無阻力，並且立即上馬，如期落成。

政府規劃署歸納多方意見，擬訂了一份新規劃大綱圖，凸顯啟德的人口密度大幅降低，將貼近早前「體藝之都」的規劃，只有近七萬人口。

*設郵輪碼頭購物大道*
郵輪碼頭將會坐落啟德跑道盡頭面向維港方向，初步預算會有兩個巨型郵輪停泊位，可供超過十五萬噸以上超級郵輪停泊，同時碼頭對開是酒店發展區域，會有大型酒店配合郵輪碼頭發展，推動本港吸納豪華郵輪客消費。

規劃不準備填海，但由於啟德跑道附近水深度不足以停泊巨型郵輪，故擬把最初放在跑道下的石柱重新挖起，令巨型郵輪可以泊岸。同時，為了避免把維港景觀遮擋，泊位也由三個減至兩個。

除郵輪碼頭外，帶動旅遊的設計還有啟德購物大道，即跑道兩旁是低密度住宅區，中間的購物大道連接酒店發展區至啟德機場原停機泊位區，購物大道內設有不同種類商店，無論是郵輪旅客或是本港市民，置身購物大道內可購得國際名牌物品。

新規劃的啟德發展區內有兩個大面積公園，分別為現時跑道頭的國際都會公園，以及在酒店區毗鄰的跑道公園，全部會是林蔭夾道設計，兼盡綠化休閒最大的特色。原跑道兩邊亦會開闢兩條海濱長廊，更配合露天茶座，而海濱長廊由跑道頭伸展至跑道末端，途經所有公園酒店購物大道及碼頭，市民能沿路飽覽維港無敵海景。

*開合式大橋連接觀塘*
新規劃亦擬引入一些世界聞名的特點景色，考慮在跑道末端建造一條連接觀塘碼頭區域的大橋，該大橋的特色是與倫敦大橋相若，橋身是可以吊起開合，讓橋下的輪船經過。

據悉，規劃中亦在酒店區與低密度住宅區之間預留土地，擬作為地標之用，但現時仍未作最後決定，估計是機場博物館。

為推動本港大型運動，靠近宋王臺公園至舊機場停車場大樓一帶，將建一個多用途運動場，供各類球賽活動及大型體育活動使用，運動場可納四萬五千人，建造費料四十五億元。

連接啟德發展區的交通方面，新鐵路沙田中環線會是主要交通工具，鐵路站會設在發展區外圍，發展區內則會有其他不同特色的交通工具，至於會否建造小型火車則需要再研究。


----------



## hkskyline

*跑道盡頭興建 樓高10層捱轟
直升機場煞維景*
18/04/2006
太陽報









_啟德停車場區域將建設為超級運動場，有團體希望能增建鐵路，連接舊城區。 伍永健攝 









啟德跑道與九龍灣之間發臭的海水，將透過多種方法改善。 王嘉昌攝 _










【記者楊瑞貞報道】啟德規劃意見紛紜，現已幾達水到渠成階段，消息稱，如果直升機場的問題解決，其他工程立即可展開。由於直升機場樓高十層，再加上毗鄰的郵輪碼頭，整個維港海岸線均被遮擋，而夾在中間的跑道公園變成「冇景」公園，不少民間團體要求遷移直升機場，「歸還維港公用空間」，若能解決這問題，啟德規劃應再無障礙。

啟德規劃原先擬把直升機場建於郵輪碼頭上蓋，但後來卻改為在跑道末端興建珠三角跨境直升機場。本土文化再造主席林文輝指出，在規劃大綱圖諮詢期間，不少團體均反對在東南九龍興建直升機場，但當局卻顯得非常堅持，原因在於啟德是舊機場，應有部分土地用於飛機升降用途。

林文輝批評當局的想法不合理，又說：「若果要繼續做機場話，咁機場就唔使搬去赤角啦，依家重新規劃啟德土地用途，面對咁多團體反對，都唔明政府當局點解咁堅持，若果要起直升機場，點解唔揀西九起呢？」

不少團體認為維港海景屬於公用空間，市民有權利享用。林文輝指出，直升機場再加上兩個泊位的郵輪碼頭，夾在中間的跑道公園縱是綠化的休憩中心，可謂維港景觀全毀，只能看到觀塘碼頭及起卸區一帶，根本沒有市民會走進這個「冇景公園」，倒頭來公園就變成了直升機場的私人公園，只有乘客可享用，根本不合乎市民共享的原則。

*機場博物館無蹤影*
對於在啟德區內闢建機場博物館的建議，林文輝批評有關建議現時已不見蹤影，若果舊機場不建機場博物館，卻反而要興建直升機場，當局是本末倒置。另外，有不少團體爭取在區內增建觀光鐵路或觀光電車，以便貫穿跑道公園、購物大道、體育城及宋王臺等地，把新、舊城區連接起來，亦方便市民及旅客到各景點遊覽。

民建聯本周內將向政府提交關於在啟德規劃及周邊發展配套報告，建議把散落各區的政府行政部門集中在東南九龍，除把東南九龍變成行政機構中心外，又要求加快重建九龍城及發展毗鄰三區以帶旺周邊發展。這個建議更被外界質疑是民建聯為「轉」支持添馬艦興建政府總部計劃，而自找下台階。


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
*No reclamation involved in redevelopment of old Kai Tak airport site* 2006-06-22 HKT 01:48 

The Government has given an undertaking that no reclamation will be involved in the redevelopment of the site at the old Kai Tak airport. Under proposed plans, the site will have a number of facilities, including a cruise terminal, a multi-purpose stadium, a metropolitan park and several housing units.


----------



## hkth

Graphic from today's _Ming Pao_:










There would have a railway station and a stadium in the North. A metro park, low-rise buildings, criuse terminal and a heliport on the former runway. Remaining lands are for commercil and residestal use. Height limit is enforced for the buildings to protect the view of the Lion Rock, the mountain which seperate between the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories.


----------



## _00_deathscar

That looks brilliant that! Will really give HK a new facelift (or at least the Kowloon/NT side of Hong Kong).

I just wonder though, will there *REALLY* be that much green?

Knowing the HK Government, don't count on it.


----------



## hkskyline

I think there is a huge chance that the greenery will stay. If not, then why would the renderings looks so good when the government will need to explain why the real plan won't be anything like what they proposed (assuming the renderings are theirs).

There is a greater push for urban greenery of late. I think there will be more vegetation on the streets of HK going forward as part of the new shift to environmentalism and sustainable development.


----------



## hktreasure

Kai Tak Planning Review Stage 3 
Public Consultation Digest
http://www.pland.gov.hk/p_study/prog_s/sek_09/website_chib5_eng/english/Eng_Digest_3_Full_Low.pdf


----------



## hkskyline

*Developers give nod to Kai Tak bid *
Winnie Chong 
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, June 23, 2006

Two Hong Kong property giants have voiced their support for the government's blueprint for redeveloping the former airport at Kai Tak.

Sun Hung Kai Properties vice chairman and managing director Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong welcomed the plan, which has been criticized by legislators. 

"The spatial feeling is quite good. The design was concerned about [creating a] lower density, which gives more space," Kwok said. 

He said he likes the design, as the combination is "quite good," with sports fields, public housing, private housing and offices.

Lui Chee-woo, chairman of K Wah International Holdings, echoed Kwok's comments. 

"Kai Tak airport has been abandoned for a long time. It is time to use it," Lui said, adding that since the government has yet to disclose full details he cannot tell if his firm will tender for projects.

The proposals released by the administration Wednesday show that under the preliminary outline development plan, the site will provide 700,000 square meters of Grade-A office space with a plot ratio of up to 9.5.

That is almost four times more than the area proposed in one of the original concept plans. 

The runway will also house 17 large hotels, providing a total of 6,800 new hotel rooms - the equivalent of half of all the hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui. 

Hotel operators will be responsible for building adjacent public facilities, such as a bus terminus, a government source said. 

A two-berth cruise terminal, helipad and a 50,000-capacity sports stadium have all been retained from the three concept plans to ensure the site becomes a tourism and sports hub. 

About 90 hectares of road networks, comprising 25 percent of the site area, will be provided to link the redeveloped Kai Tak area with the surrounding districts of Kowloon City, Kowloon Bay and Ngau Tau Kok. 

An underground trunk road will link the runway to Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O.


----------



## Aboveday

from rthk.org.hk


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Views sought on Kai Tak draft plan


----------



## hkth

RTHK news:
*Government says there'll be contraints on Kai Tak link* 2006-06-23 HKT 18:31 

he Director of Planning, Bosco Fung 

The government says there will be constraints in linking Kwun Tong with the old Kai Tak airport site when it's redeveloped. Speaking at the start of a two-month consultation on the project, the Director of Planning, Bosco Fung, also said that he didn't feel there would be any need for reclamation. He spoke about the problem in linking Kwun Tong with Kai Tak.


----------



## HongKongDisneyland

Picture from RTHK


----------



## Skyscrapercitizen

I don't like the plans of the models above. There is to much open space, over dimensioned roads, so not enough urbanity. Looks like chaos of not working greenery with not working urbanitiy. Just a bad plan.

This plan is much better. Is has urban blocks which can create lively urban life, a lovely new urban district. Is has concentrated green, which has a connection to the mountains and to the water. And it has some nice water related parts in it which can become lovely. The plan can bring nice contrasts, diversity, quality green in an urban setting.

Please don't make the mistake to build a garden city here, it never worked anywhere on earth!



hkskyline said:


> *Swire's Kai Tak Vision*
> http://www.swireproperties.com/kaitak
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Open Space Amenities*
> O1 Kai Tak Park
> O2 Continuous Southeast Kowloon
> O3 Kai Tak Ribbon Park
> O4 Kai Tak Point
> 
> *Public Facilities*
> P1 Kai Tak Stadium
> P2 Kowloon Bay Yacht Club
> P3 Kowloon Bay Hospital
> P4 Schools, including International Schools
> P5 MTR/KCR Depot
> 
> *Residential Neighbourhoods*
> R1 Kowloon City South
> R2 Diamond Foothills
> R3 Kai Tak Archipelago
> R4 Kowloon Bay Waterfront
> R5 Kai Tak Point


----------



## Castle_Bravo

I also think that the plan isn't good. The Part where the terminal before was, must have more density and urban blocks. The plan for the redevelopment of the runeways is good, becouse it's on water, and not in the middle of the city.


----------



## Skyscrapercitizen

^^

In the model the pier has big blocks in green. It just doesn't fit in! It seems to have totally no relation to the water, and the location on the water is amazing, you can do wonerfull things with it.

Smaller scale houses/buildings, related to the water, would be perfect here, possibly with marina's. That will bring a new unique housing type to Hong Kong with a great view over victoria harbour! In the design you can have a look at old harbour town in Hong Kong, with buildings in the water.


----------



## Sexas

The model just for an idea layout, I sure the real one will look totally difference. As for layout go, it look okay I just think they can switch the sport center inland as it don't need to have a harboru view... also I hope to see one or two super tall there.


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
*Kai Tak plan caters for future needs*

Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Rita Lau says the draft development plan for Kai Tak caters for the next generation's needs, adding the Government is considering introducing pollution-free vehicles for internal transport in the area.

Speaking on a radio talk show today Mrs Lau said there will be a comprehensive transport network in Kai Tak, making it an easily accessible location. In addition to the proposed public transport interchange, pollution-free vehicles may be used to connect major components of the area.

Mrs Lau said the construction of a multi-purpose stadium ties in with the Government's healthy lifestyle promotion, adding that the facility can be used for sports events and cultural activities.

Noting the construction of the proposed two-berth cruise terminal will involve dredging, Mrs Lau said an environmental assessment will be conducted before the works start.

When asked whether Metro Park will be a private garden for nearby luxury resident developments, she said it will be a public facility, 1.4 times the size of Victoria Park.


----------



## jason poon

I really don't like the government's plan while the plan from Swires is much impressive.

Both West Kowloon Waterfront and Kai Tak is two lastest valuable lands in Hongkong, they will be our economic engine if the government can handle them properly. Their values may only be maximized by upgrading their classes, especially Kai Tai where is a traditional general public residential area without major commercial values.

I really wonder the Kai Tak plan from the government is just a conservative manner to "fill in the blank" without adding values to the area, a primary school student may easily achieve the same......HK's revenue is much depended on the auction of land and a world-class town plan in these two lastest lands may enhance the continuous economic boom while the current plan may only introduce another "new residential town" like Shatin and Tseung Kwan O.


----------



## hkia

The plan's too conservative. They should put something out of this world there. I want to be WOWed.


----------



## hkskyline

The fear is that if the government lets loose the planning for the sake of taking in more money, it'll result in a sea of 70+ storey skyscrapers that will block each other out and ruin the lives of everyone inside.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kwun Tong is Kai Tak's weak link, says board Airport site's redevelopment needs a bridge to its neighbours, say planners *
24 June 2006
South China Morning Post

Poor access, a shortage of roads and the size and location of a multipurpose stadium complex were among concerns raised at a meeting of the Town Planning Board yesterday to discuss the blueprint for the redevelopment of the Kai Tak area. 

Several board members, along with Chan Wai-kwan, who chairs the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee's subcommittee on Southeast Kowloon Development, pointed out that the 700,000-odd residents of Kwun Tong would be cut off from Kai Tak. 

According to the preliminary outline development plan released this week, no pedestrian or vehicle links will be built across the water between Kai Tak's former runway and Kwun Tong, which lies north of the runway's southeastern end. 

Board members also expressed concern over the transport facilities within the 328-hectare Kai Tak area. Only one road will run along the 3km former runway, connecting a rail station at the northwestern end to features including a cruise terminal, Metro Park, low-density residential development, tourism facilities and hotels. 

Greg Wong Chak-yan, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, said the one road might not be enough to serve the area's cruise passengers, tourists, visitors and residents. 

Dr Chan said the poor connections could deter the public from visiting Kai Tak and its Metro Park, which might then become an exclusive recreational area for residents of the luxury flats along the former runway. 

Bosco Fung Chi-keung, director of planning, conceded that the development's proposed connection with Kwun Tong was particularly weak. He promised to study options to solve the problem, including the introduction of passenger sampans and a moveable bridge across the water separating Kwun Tong from Kai Tak. 

The government is also considering using environment-friendly vehicles to help traffic flow within the district, Mr Fung said. But he did not address the need for more roads. 

Another board member, Bernard Lim Wan-fung, criticised the location of the development's multi-purpose stadium complex. 

Spanning 23.5 hectares of land on the sea-side junction between the runway and the rest of the Kai Tak site, the complex will include two stadiums - one with 45,000 seats, the other 5,000 - and various recreational facilities. 

"There is no reason why the stadium should be put at such a strategic location, and why we should build such a huge complex, except that the government wants to show it off as one of the icons of Hong Kong," Professor Lim said. "The location and size of the complex will have a profound impact on the planning of Kai Tak. The government should not sacrifice Kai Tak for the sake of showing off." 

Mr Fung denied that the complex would serve only as a new icon of Hong Kong, while a spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau said there was a need for world-class sports facilities and that only half of the 23.5 hectares would be devoted to the stadiums. 

The government has been assessing the feasibility of removing 600 metres of the runway to improve water circulation and reduce sedimentation in the Kai Tak nullah, according to a spokesman from the Civil Engineering and Development Department. A conclusion should be reached within nine months. 

The preliminary plan outlining the development of Kai Tak will be open to public consultation for two months. A draft of overall zoning plans is expected to be completed by the end of the year.


----------



## jpq21

hkskyline said:


> The government has been assessing the feasibility of removing 600 metres of the runway to improve water circulation and reduce sedimentation in the Kai Tak nullah, according to a spokesman from the Civil Engineering and Development Department. A conclusion should be reached within nine months.
> 
> The preliminary plan outlining the development of Kai Tak will be open to public consultation for two months. A draft of overall zoning plans is expected to be completed by the end of the year.




It would by nice if they could start construction in 2007. It would even be nice if they could finish the planning by 2007. Its been almost a decade and they still haven't done anything.


----------



## jpq21

HongKongDisneyland said:


> Picture from RTHK


My dad lives in the apartments right next to the "3" (Skytower)
I used to go to school at the place below and to the left those apartments, with the two basketball courts. (CAIS)


----------



## hkskyline

*Sports hub has public backing: Ho *
Chester Yung 
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

A proposed 27-hectare sports stadium at the former Kai Tak airport has public support and will aid sports development in Hong Kong, Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho chi-ping claimed Monday.

Ho said the proposed multipurpose, 45,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof will provide much needed sports venues for the city.

The world-standard facility will also be suitable for other major events, he said.

Environmentalists want the former airport site to be turned into a green zone, while critics argue there is already a stadium in nearby Hung Hom for multipurpose events.

To justify the plan, Ho, speaking on an RTHK program, said Hong Kong has the potential to become the "City of Sports."

"The general expectation for a stadium in the 21st century is much higher than 30 years ago," he said, adding that Hong Kong should have a stadium with the latest technology and facilities.

Last Friday, the Planning Department unveiled its vision for the 328-hectare old Kai Tak airport site, promising "exciting activities" and green spaces while maintaining links to the community's heritage. 

Planning for the land, largely unused since the opening of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok in 1998, began in June 2002 after then- chief executive Tung Chee-hwa gave his approval to the initial Outline Zoning Plan. 

Ho also said Hong Kong's preparations are proceeding well for the 2008 Olympic equestrian events.

A ceremony will be held on August 8 to promote community participation in the events.

He also said the 2009 East Asian Games Planning Committee has selected 19 competitions and two demonstration events for the games and submitted them to the organizing committee for consideration.

Among the 19 competitions selected, 15 are Olympic events while the other four are sports in which Hong Kong athletes have done well.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德交通設施不足
體育館恐成「大白象」 *
28/06/2006
太陽報

【本報訊】啟德規劃發展大綱展開第三階段諮詢之後，屢遭批評對外交通不足，規劃署透露，將在啟德設置二十二個行人設施和四個交通交匯處，但有立法會議員批評，交通設施不足，將令東九龍二百二十萬人難以享用啟德內的設施，擔心可容納四萬五千人的多用途體育館使用率低，變成啟德「大白象」。

規劃署表示，會在啟德設置四個交通交匯處，並有海上交通工具連接，方便區外市民前往啟德市中心和跑道公園。立法會規劃地政及工程事務委員會昨日召開會議，陳婉嫻表示，東南九龍共有二百二十萬人口，按現時的交通安排，他們很難享用啟德內設施，她說：「要發展大規模地下城，居民先會行去啟德。」她直言，用駁艇代替建橋連接觀塘不切實際。

*研究引入環保電動車*
另一名議員陳鑑林表示，都會公園位於跑道遠離民居，質疑公園選址欠理想。亦有議員批評當局只在啟德外圍興建天橋連接毗連的九龍城、土瓜灣、新蒲崗和觀塘，未能真正融合啟德與舊區。郭家麒擔心在啟德興建面積二十四公頃的多用途體育館，將會成為「大白象」，因體育館如沒有賽事，便恍如「死城」。身兼城市規劃委員會委員的劉秀成質疑，體育館選址海邊明顯不恰當，建議當局把體育館向內移，「觀眾入去係睇賽事，體育館放海邊，會好似文化中心浪費咁靚海景。」房屋及規劃地政局常任秘書長劉吳惠蘭重申，正研究在啟德引入環保電動車，同時在九龍城興建地下購物街連接至體育館。


----------



## Cunning Linguist

What's the point of another stadium if it's not going to be filled? HK will never be the city of sports mainly because there's not *that* much enthusiasm for sports there. How often is the HK stadium used?


----------



## hkskyline

*More links urged for Kai Tak *
28 June 2006
South China Morning Post

Legislators were united yesterday in calling for better connections between a redeveloped Kai Tak and neighbouring districts to ensure the plan revitalises the whole of southeast Kowloon. 

More underground shopping arcades and better pedestrian footbridges were among the suggestions put forward to better integrate Kai Tak with its neighbourhood, including Kowloon City, Kowloon Bay and To Kwa Wan. 

The Liberal Party's Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, told the Legislative Council's planning, lands and works panel it would not be sensible to segregate Kai Tak from the economic activities of old districts. 

She also raised concerns a proposed cruise terminal, which would take up an 800-metre stretch of the former airport runway, might not be big enough to cope with the growth in tourist traffic. 

Legislators also challenged the suggested harbourfront location for a 23-hectare stadium complex. 

Patrick Lau Sau-shing, who represents the architectural, surveying and planning sector, said the stadium could be as big a fiasco as the Cultural Centre. 

"It will be such a waste of the sea view because, like the Cultural Centre, people go to the stadium to watch what is inside the building instead of what is outside," Dr Lau said. "The harbourfront land should be allocated for residential or commercial development."


----------



## oriental_horizon

very geng plans


----------



## _00_deathscar

Cunning Linguist said:


> What's the point of another stadium if it's not going to be filled? HK will never be the city of sports mainly because there's not *that* much enthusiasm for sports there. How often is the HK stadium used?


That's what I thought too - it'd look great certainly, but it's hardly ever going to be used.

Also, when sports team do come here, only the likes of Real Madrid, Man Utd, Liverpool and so on will sell out.

I remember when Newcastle came here during 'peak' season and it looked like only 15-20 000 were inside the stadium. When Liverpool and Real Madrid came Hong Kong Stadium was sold out.

Unless they decide to invite music artists and host them in the stadium, that could be a good idea were the venue not so far (relative terms) from downtown and the airport.


----------



## hkskyline

*Interest shown in Kai Tak project*
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, July 03, 2006










Swire Pacific chairman Christopher Pratt said the company is "interested" in the former airport site, which the government said last month will be redeveloped into a multi-purpose leisure and tourist hub with sports fields, residential projects, hotels and offices, as well as a cruise liner terminal. 
He did not provide further details about which specific projects in the 328-hectare site are of most interest to Swire.

The government is currently conducting public consultations on Kai Tak redevelopment plans, but Pratt said Swire has not yet made a written submission. 

"Swire is likely to be most interested in the potential of the Kai Tak site for office and commercial developments," said an investment bank analyst. 

The Kai Tak site contains the potential for up to 700,000 square meters of Grade-A office space, the analyst said.

Pratt said Swire is very confident about prospects of the office and commercial property market in Hong Kong.

"From a strategic point of view, Swire is aiming to achieve more long- term returns from its property assets, which means it will favor commercial properties over residential properties," the analyst said.

The private residential portion of the government's blueprint for Kai Tak will contain space for the development of up to 18,000 apartments. 

The site will also spawn up to 17 new hotels to provide up to 6,800 rooms, or about half the total room inventory in the Tsim Sha Tsui area.

"Swire already has substantial stakes in several five-star hotels on Hong Kong island, and is also considering plans to invest in new hotel projects in Britain," the analyst said. 

"The group is therefore likely to be interested in the hotel projects in Kai Tak."

Planning for the land, largely unused since the opening of Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, began in June 2002 after then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa approved the initial Outline Zoning Plan.

When the Planning Department unveiled its blueprint for Kai Tak last month, it estimated the project will generate up to 85,000 new jobs.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak cruise terminal plan `for a fraction of Tamar cost'*
Jonathan Cheng
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, July 04, 2006










Plans for the development of a world- class cruise terminal at the old Kai Tak airport site will cost less than HK$1 billion, making it only a fifth of the cost of the new government headquarters at Tamar, a senior government source said.

But the government, eager to dispel long-standing public fears of collusion between officials and Hong Kong's powerful developers after the West Kowloon debacle, will retain ownership of the valuable waterfront property and only seek bids for construction and management of the site.

The source also said that the government will build more than the two cruise ship berths outlined in last month's blueprints, saying it will work closely with industry representatives to "tailor" the terminal to their needs.

The news comes as one of the cruise industry's leading businessmen visited Hong Kong Monday to meet local tourism officials, saying he was optimistic about the city's ambitions to become a regional cruise hub.

Adam Goldstein, president of Miami-based Royal Caribbean International, added that his company, one of the world's leading cruise operators, is itching to begin running routes to the mainland through Hong Kong, calling plans to build the terminal by 2011 "quite late for us."

For years Royal Caribbean made regular stops in Hong Kong, until the fallout from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks forced the company's pull-out from Asia. For the past five years, it has not offered any cruises in Asia. That, Goldstein said, will change.

"Our goal over time is being present in all of the important markets, and that means being back here again," Goldstein said, calling his company's return to the city "a question of when, not if."

Put together, the developments suggest that both the government and business interests have settled on locating a cruise terminal at the 328-hectare Kai Tak site, one of the last and most sought-after undeveloped plots of land in Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbour.

Last month the Planning Department unveiled blueprints placing a cruise terminal at the center of its designs for Kai Tak, a move meant to boost tourism and stimulate development in southeast Kowloon.

In addition to the proposed cruise terminal, the government's plans for the site include prime office space, low-rise housing, a waterfront park, a massive stadium and 17 large hotels.

Those blueprints implicitly rejected proposals from private developers to locate the cruise terminal at other locations along the harborfront, such as North Point and Tsim Sha Tsui.

But the senior government source said the administration will formally announce its rejection of the bids from six private consortiums in the near future in order to push ahead with its plans for Kai Tak.

According to the source, the site will be developed according to a model similar to that which governs the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation: the government will retain 100 percent ownership of the land, only allowing bids for development and management rights.

Under this plan, the government will have to seek funding approval for the project in the Legislative Council, like they did for Tamar.

Late last month administration officials won the HK$5.1 billion they sought for that site after a dogged months-long campaign to win over reluctant legislators.

Groundbreaking on the Kai Tak development is slated for 2008, with hopes that the site will be open to the public by 2011. The source said many details had still not been worked out, and that plans had not yet been brought before the Executive Council for consultation. But he described the plans for a cruise terminal as a done deal.

Royal Caribbean president Goldstein met for about an hour with officials from the Hong Kong Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Tourism Board Monday, saying he was "pleased" with the tone and direction of the dialogue.

"We were quite pleased with the discussions," Goldstein said. "We feel there's an open attitude here about the requirements of a future cruise terminal, and how to work cruise infrastructure into the overall infrastructure of the city."

Goldstein said his company had already booked all of its ships up to the beginning of 2008, but added that Royal Caribbean was "evaluating options for placing ships in Hong Kong after the spring of 2008."

He called the projected 2011 opening date further away than he had hoped. But he said the quality of the development is more important than the timetable, since the terminal will support cruise operators for the next three decades.

"As long as the right infrastructure is built here in Hong Kong, which year it comes is not as important. If the right terminal arrives in 2011, that'd be a great thing for us."

Goldstein rejected suggestions that Kai Tak was a problematic site for a cruise terminal because of its distance from the upscale hotels of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, calling the criticisms "premature."

He said: "So much depends on the transportation links that are built."

When asked by reporters if the blueprint's two berths would be enough for the industry, Goldstein quickly replied in the negative, saying business in the region could "grow and grow and grow."

"There is tremendous potential in Asia, and I'm very optimistic about the industry here," Goldstein said.

He also said he hoped the government would give the industry a chance to work on the "nitty-gritty" details.

"There's no opportunity yet to really give detailed feedback on what we'd like to see, but we hope to have that opportunity, because it matters a lot," Goldstein said.

Goldstein is on a four-city tour of the region that also includes meetings with officials in Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo, and described Shanghai officials as "very interested" and "aggressive" in seeking a cruise terminal of their own.

But Goldstein said that building cruise terminals at other cities in the region was in concert - not in competition - with Hong Kong's aspirations.

"It's unlikely that just one hub city can be an answer to all the opportunities in the region," he said. "It would not be bad for the region if Hong Kong, and Shanghai, and Singapore became home to cruise ports."

Rama Rebbapragada, the company's director of sales and marketing for the region, also said Monday that the Hong Kong terminal will provide an opening for the mainland's massive untapped market.

"We are very bullish on the China market, and Hong Kong will have a role to play in terms of opening that up," he said. "We feel with one of our ships over here, we could really capture that opportunity here."


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak terminal attracts interest 
Cruise operator in 'constructive' talks with tourism chief *
4 July 2006
South China Morning Post

A leading cruise operator has expressed interest in the government's proposal to build a cruise terminal at Kai Tak, following a meeting between visiting company executives and Tourism Commissioner Au King-chi yesterday. 

After the meeting, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises president Adam Goldstein was quick to comment on the design and infrastructure of the terminal, which will be in operation as early as 2011 under a government proposal unveiled last month. It will have two berths for ships of over 50,000 tonnes. 

"We had a good and constructive conversation over the cruise market and Hong Kong's new terminal," said Mr Goldstein. 

The company is involved in at least four cruise terminals around the world - St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, Barcelona, Miami and Venice. 

Asked whether Royal Caribbean was interested in operating or investing in the cruise terminal at the former airport site, general manager Joseph Lam said it was too early to comment. 

Mr Goldstein said the government was heading in the right direction with the Kai Tak plan and that 2011 was not too late for the city to have a new terminal. 

It was more important to get the "right" terminal in place by 2011, he said, noting that more berths would be needed to meet future demand in the rapidly growing cruise industry. 

"In the next 10 to 15 years, [Hong Kong may] need more than two berths for cruise ships, but it should take one step at a time," he said. 

Mr Goldstein shrugged off criticisms that the lack of first-class hotels and related facilities would undermine Kai Tak's position as a cruise terminal site, noting that its attractiveness would depend on its links with other parts of Hong Kong. 

"Hong Kong has great infrastructure," he said. 

Royal Caribbean is planning to sail a cruise ship to Hong Kong in early 2008 and will expand its business to the mainland to capture the opportunities in Asia, especially from the mainland and India. 

It said the world's largest cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas, would set sail next year. 

But the vessel, which has taken three years to design and build, might not sail to Hong Kong until 2011 as it could carry about 4,300 passengers and weighed 160,000 tonnes - too big for Hong Kong's present cruise ship terminal.


----------



## hkskyline

*'Ghost city' fears voiced in Legco over Kai Tak plan *
Albert Wong 
28 June 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The government's bold redevelopment plan for the 328-hectare Kai Tak site may become a "ghost city," with another "white elephant" and other expensive structures cut off from the public and of no use, lawmakers have warned. 

"Hong Kong's Central Park?" scoffed Chan Kam-lam, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, referring to the proposed Metro Park on the former airport runway. 

"From what I can see, it's in the center of the water, in the center of a foul-smelling gully, but nowhere near any of the residents [of Kowloon East]," he said. 

Independent lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip said the whole area risked becoming a "ghost city," because the huge area reserved for a stadium will be rarely used, the government center will shut down at five every night, and other features down the runway are so poorly connected. 

Chan Yuen-han, a lawmaker for Kowloon East, said the "whole design has neglected [the neighboring] residents." She noted that the only viable solution proposed so far to allow Kwun Tong residents access the site directly was via leisure boats. 

"Is the substantial population of Kwun Tong supposed to float and drift its way to [Kai Tak]?" she said. 

Nine senior civil servants Tuesday made their first presentation of the proposed Kai Tak redevelopment plan to the Legislative Council. 

Armed with a power point presentation and computer-simulated displays of gorgeous panoramic views and a vibrant population cycling around the site, Deputy Director of Planning Ophelia Wong Yuen-sheung emphasized the abundance of greenery and the preservation of the local heritage. 

The development will "return [the runway] to the public," she said. 

The Kai Tak redevelopment, which will include a world-class stadium, will complete the lineup of four harborfront icons, according to Wong. The others are the West Kowloon cultural district, the Tamar government headquarters and the existing Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 

But most lawmakers present, especially those representing the affected Kowloon East constituency, were unconvinced. They were particularly concerned about the foul-smelling Kai Tak nullah, and what they perceived as insufficient links to the features further down the runway. 

Wong said pedestrian links are smoothly stitched so that people can enjoy the views as they walk from the base, down the runway. 

However, Director of Planning Bosco Fung Chee-keung conceded last week that the non-existent link between Kwun Tong and the runway stretch directly opposite it, is the plan's "weakest link." 

Wong said Tuesday the government will have to wait and see, depending on whether the current cargo operations area between the runway and Kwun Tong is removed, before deciding how to create a link. 

The government says it plans to clear up the nullah and remove the "odorous sediment," before breaking up the banks to allow seawater to flow into the nullah under Metro Park. 

Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan, Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, who led the government party Tuesday, said she is confident the nullah will be successfully cleaned. 

"If this is not remedied, the whole of the Kai Tak plan would not proceed," she said. 

Albert Chan said the whole development has "betrayed the residents" of neighboring districts, since it fails to offer ways of regenerating rundown areas such as Kwun Tong, San Po Kong, and Kowloon Bay. 

Chan Yuen-han was concerned the development would become the private playground for those living in luxury houses there. "It's a beautiful development, but how do the people [in the neighboring districts] get there?" she said. She noted that 2.2 million people live in the surrounding districts and proposed an "underground city" which emerges at the runway, rather than having to walk through quaint walkways or promenades along the long stretch. 

Independent lawmaker Kwok Ka- ki said the state-of-the-art stadium, which would have a retractable roof and a sliding turf, will be another "white elephant." 

"What is the West Kowloon cultural district supposed to hold, if the sports stadium also hosts cultural events? And what sporting event in Hong Kong regularly fills up a 45,000 stadium?" he asked. 

Janet Wong Chin-kiu, from the Home Affairs Bureau, said the new stadium would provide complementary facilities, lacking in the current stadium, which would encourage more sporting activities. 

She did not provide annual attendance figures for the current stadium. 

Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, lawmaker for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication constituency, said the sporting community supports the project. 

The Kai Tak plan was revealed to the media last Wednesday. 

Public forums will be held next month and in August in the districts most affected by the proposed developments.


----------



## hkskyline

*DAB urges Kai Tak link-up *
Leslie Kwoh 
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, July 07, 2006

A link between the former Kai Tak airport site and neighboring Kwun Tong district is not only technically feasible but crucial to ensuring the area is successfully redeveloped, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has said.

The party Thursday unveiled an alternative blueprint for the 328-hectare site that links the tip of the old airport runway to Kwun Tong via a 500-meter bridge.

"The old areas surrounding the site just keep getting older," lawmaker Chan Kam-lam said. "Our focus is connectivity. We hope the new developments will help to revitalize the neighboring areas."

Despite strong public backing for such a link, government plans released for the site last month indicated no pedestrian or vehicle bridges between the two areas would be built across the water.

But DAB consultant and architect Philip Liao Yi-kang urged the government to consider relocating the public cargo area, located directly north of the runway tip, to eliminate the link's main obstacle.

The Planning Department has confirmed the cargo area will be relocated in phases, but has yet to provide a timetable or relocation destination. 

"If the public cargo area is relocated, there should be absolutely no problem building a bridge there," Liao said. "It's not a matter of technicality, but of need. We need to look at the whole concept and not be bogged down by the small details."

The proposed link was welcomed by Chan Wai-kwan, who chairs the Southeast Kowloon development subcommittee of the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee.

While Chan said he was reluctant to comment on the other aspects of the model, given his advisory role to the government, he praised the Kwun Tong link as a "very good idea."

Lawmaker Patrick Lau Sau-shing, who represents the architectural, surveying and planning sector, also welcomed the proposal but cautioned that while the cargo area could be relocated "almost anywhere else," the process could be difficult as it might affect "a way of living" for some Kwun Tong residents.

The DAB's model also challenged the proposed harborfront location for a 23-hectare stadium complex, recommending it be moved further inland instead.

The large expanse of green called "Metropark," which the government proposed to locate along the runway, should then be moved west to encircle the stadium.

A man-made sandy beach linking the park to the waterfront would complete this "green center." 

"The stadium doesn't need to be on the waterfront - leave that piece of land for the public," said party consultant Dickson Hui Chak-hung, from architecture and design firm Llewelyn- Davies Hong Kong, adding that the SAR lags even mainland cities when it comes to planning green space along waterfronts.

The repositioning of the stadium and park would improve public accessibility to those venues by reducing walking time for residents from surrounding areas such as To Kwa Wan and San Po Kong from up to 35 minutes to as little as five minutes.

Taking the place of Metropark's isolated runway position would be a mix of residential and commercial developments, which would be linked to the rest of the site via a HK$800 million monorail. The six-kilometer track would begin at the Kwun Tong MTR station on the east end of the site and end at the stadium on the west, completing a single 12-stop loop in under 30 minutes.

DAB consultant and transport expert Shirley Tam Sut-lai, from MVA Hong Kong, said the purpose of the monorail was not to eliminate the need for the proposed trunk road at the site, but to minimize the number of vehicles traveling along the road.

As for the government's planned two-berth cruise terminal, the DAB said it did not object to the proposal but recommended better use of the space.

Building residential complexes behind the terminal, for example, would ensure the area did not become a "dead zone" between dockings and retail shops and have a regular flow of customers.

The party also recommended replacing a proposed helipad adjacent to the terminal with a public observation deck, thus eliminating any effects of noise on residents.

The government kicks off the third phase of public consultation on Kai Tak tomorrow.


----------



## hkskyline

Kai Tak Airport History & Name Origin 
http://www.cad.gov.hk/english/kaitak.html


----------



## hkskyline

*Stage 3 Public Participation of Kai Tak Planning Review to hold the first public forum*
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Government Press Release

The Planning Department will hold a Public Forum this Saturday (July 8) to seek public views on the draft Preliminary Outline Development Plan (PODP) for the Kai Tak development.

The forum is the first of a series of public engagement events organised within the two-month period of the Stage 3 Public Participation of Kai Tak Planning Review launched on June 23.

The forum will be held on Saturday from 9am to 12.30pm at the Assembly Hall, 4th Floor, YMCA Hong Kong, 41 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Director of Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Yeung Yue-man, will be the convenor of the forum, while panellists include Legislative Council member, Professor Patrick Lau; Vice-Chairman of the Town Planning Board, Dr Peter Wong; Vice-Chairman of the Metro Planning Committee of the Town Planning Board, Ir Dr Greg Wong; Vice-Chairman of the Rural & New Town Committee of the Town Planning Board, Mr Michael Lai; Chairman of the Sub-committee on South East Kowloon Development Review of Harbour-front Enhancement Committee, Dr Chan Wai-kwan; and the Deputy Director of Planning, Miss Ophelia Wong.

Details of other District Forums to be organised in the period are as follow:

1. District Forum (Kowloon City) - 2.30pm to 5pm, July 15 (Saturday)
Basement, Fashion World (Site2), Wonderful World of Whampoa, Hung Hom

2. District Forum (Kwun Tong) - 2.30pm to 5pm, July 29 (Saturday)
Lecture Theatre 215, Community College of City University (Telford Annex), Telford Plaza, Kowloon Bay

3. District Forum (Wong Tai Sin) - 2.30pm to 5pm, August 5 (Saturday)
Performance Stage, Lok Fu Shopping Centre Phase 1, Lok Fu

Exhibitions of PODP proposals and a physical model of Kai Tak development will take place at the forums above and at Kowloon City Plaza, 128 Carpenter Road, Kowloon City on August 12, 13, 19 and 20. 

People are welcome to participate in the forums and visit the
exhibitions. For the forums, pre-registration is required due to the restriction of seating capacity. 

For further details of the Stage 3 Public Participation of Kai Tak Planning Review, please visit the Planning Department’s website at http://www.pland.gov.hk or contact the Department at 2231 4988, by fax at 2894 9502 or via e-mail:[email protected]


----------



## hkskyline

*Blueprint for Kai Tak savings *
8 July 2006
South China Morning Post

The DAB's Chan Kam-lam looked like a million dollars this week. Or at least the fancy Kai Tak redevelopment model he unveiled on Thursday looked like it cost that much. 

When asked by a South China Morning Post colleague about its price tag, Mr Chan (left) was coy, hinting that it cost a fortune. "We are still tallying the final cost," he said. 

My colleague then asked architect Philip Liao Yi-kang, who volunteered his services, along with a town planner and transport specialist, to build the model and draw the blueprint as an alternative to the government's plan. 

"We want to share it with the public," Mr Liao said. "At the end of the day, no one owns the copyright. It's free." 

Incidentally, the model will be exhibited at the Kwun Tong mall APM, IFC in Central, and Lok Fu shopping centre - rent free. How difficult is it to tally zero?


----------



## hkia

Any picture of the model?


----------



## sharpie20

hkskyline, it would be helpful if you would summerize or discuss those articles rather than copying and pasting, who has time to read all those articles?


----------



## HSBC

sharpie20 said:


> hkskyline, it would be helpful if you would summerize or discuss those articles rather than copying and pasting, who has time to read all those articles?



I have time to read it. If you are really concerned about what has been happening in HK, you definitely have few minutes to spare.
Anyway, he is pasting the articles from South China Morning Post, you need to pay money to subscribe for that. I haven't subscribed SCMP, so he has been really helpful.


----------



## hkskyline

sharpie20 said:


> hkskyline, it would be helpful if you would summerize or discuss those articles rather than copying and pasting, who has time to read all those articles?


Do what I love to do ... speed-read and scan. 

SCMP does release some content to the Yahoo HK news feeds. Not all of it is paid subscription anymore.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德不擬建私家醫院 *
7月 12日 星期三 17:58 更新
星島日報 

對於會否在啟德發展計劃內，預留土地興建私家醫院，衛生福利及食物局局長周一嶽表示，從規劃土地用途而言，一般是容許在「政府、機構或社區」地帶發展醫院的，但啟德發展計劃的初步發展大綱草圖中，預留的醫院用地僅作發展公立醫院。他表示，一向有機制處理有志開辦私家醫院的申請，若有關申請符合既定政策及公眾利益，當局將提供適當協助，包括考慮土地批撥申請。


----------



## Rachmaninov

Good news... I wonder what the two developments would look like...


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德跑道尾擬建觀光塔 *
08月 17日 

【東方日報專訊】被稱為市區最後一塊珍貴用地的舊啟德機場，將可能興建本港首個觀光塔，規模媲美澳門旅遊塔和上海東方明珠塔，可讓遊人從高空俯瞰維港美景。民建聯東南九龍發展計劃小組召集人發表意見陳鑑林引述規劃署消息指，正考慮於啟德跑道尾興建觀光塔，成為繼郵輪碼頭、多用途體育館後區內第三大地標。旅遊業議會總幹事董耀中歡迎構思，但建議觀光塔須設旋轉餐廳、展覽場地等配套。

規劃署稱建議可接受

規劃署官員上周三與陳鑑林會晤，收集民建聯對啟德初步規劃大綱圖的意見。陳向本報透露，署方代表對民建聯提倡跑道尾興建觀光塔的建議稱「可以接受」，會研究在大綱圖加入觀光塔的可行性。事實上，與香港關係密切的上海和澳門，均分別建有全球最三高（四百六十八米） 及全球第十高 （三百三十八米） 的觀光塔。

陳又指，維港景色世界知名，相信觀光塔會深受遊客歡迎，但觀光塔須高過跑道中央的廿層高住宅。身兼城規會成員的觀塘區議員陳華裕認為，單純建觀光塔的點綴性意義較大，建議將觀光塔低層作為連接觀塘與啟德行人橋的柱躉，為居民帶來方便。


----------



## hkskyline

*50-storey hotel planned for Kai Tak *
Government prepared to lift 100-metre height limit for project to be built near the end of former airport runway 
18 October 2006
South China Morning Post

The government is preparing to lift the 100-metre height restriction laid down in its redevelopment plan for the former Kai Tak airport to allow for a 200-metre hotel of about 50 storeys to be built near the end of the old runway. 

A government source said the proposed building would have a public viewing deck on the rooftop. 

Unionist Chan Yuen-han dubbed the arrangement a property project, and said the hotel would monopolise the best view and block southeast winds. Ms Chan was angry that the government had rushed to gazette the proposal. 

But Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Chan Kam-lam welcomed the proposal, which reflected the party's submission."We wanted the government to build a viewing tower at the end of the runway. They are responding to us - 200 metres is appropriate for [a] viewing [platform]," he said. 

A draft development plan was released yesterday after planning officials analysed 230 written submissions and views expressed in 20 open forums in July and August. 

Under the proposal, the former airport and surrounding area would be turned into a sports, tourism and business hub with three times more grade-A office space than the two International Finance Centre buildings combined. 

While the plot ratio, or ratio of total floor area to plot size, would be capped at five for residential development, the ratio for commercial buildings would be nine. The development would provide housing for 86,000 people, a 27.3-hectare stadium complex and a cruise terminal. 

The source said: "We are prepared to build a third berth for the cruise terminal. But we're not making any decision until the first two berths have been completed." 

Responding to demands from political parties, the revised proposal would turn the depot site reserved for the Sha Tin-to-Central rail link into open space and add two underground walkways linking Kai Tak, Kowloon City and San Po Kong. 

Land would be reserved for a monorail with eight stops. 

The DAB has demanded that a bridge be built to link the southern tip of the runway and Kwun Tong MTR station, and the source said the government would continue to explore the suggestion, but it could involve some reclamation. 

Some changes have been made to the development mix. The new plan would provide: 

Less land for commercial development (office, hotel, retail), but more mixed development (residential, hotel and retail); 

Less land for high-density and low-rise residential development; 

More land for government and community facilities; 

Larger areas for tourism development; 

More open space and less land for roads. 

Planning officials will present the revised proposal to the Town Planning Board, the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee and Kowloon City and Wong Tai Sin district councils in coming weeks.


----------



## hkskyline

*Secrecy over Kai Tak cruise terminal generates waves of questions *
20 October 2006
South China Morning Post

"The consortium chosen to develop a cruise terminal at Kai Tak will have the right to operate the terminal on the former airport site for more than 30 years." 

SCMP, October 19 

PERHAPS WE'LL GET around to building it then before those 30 years are up. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen had been expected to present details in his policy address last week but no luck and the leaks we are now getting are still very short on detail. 

Mr Tsang's reluctance is understandable. He has come a cropper on this idea once already. In his 1999 budget speech as financial secretary, he announced approval in principle of a cruise terminal in North Point to be built by a private developer. 

That developer was tycoon Li Ka-shing but nothing came of the idea, perhaps because of the ruckus caused by the announcement in that same budget speech of another land grant (Cyberport) made without auction or tender to a member of Mr Li's family. It was just as well perhaps as North Point is not the right place. 

Last year the government invited expressions of interest in the construction of a cruise terminal and got six replies. Only one of them proposed a terminal at the Kai Tak site, although Kai Tak had already been highlighted as a government preference. The others generally picked locations more convenient to their existing land banks. All were rejected. 

The key date is now 2012 because this is the expiry date of Wharf Holdings' 50-year land grant on the existing terminal at the tip of the Tsim Sha Tsui peninsula. The location has been ruled out for a new terminal and the government will take the site back. 

Thus Kai Tak it is to be and, judging by the latest version of the Kai Tak redevelopment plan, the terminal will feature two berths at the end of the old runway on a total of 13.3 hectares with related hotel, retail and entertainment facilities. 

And now come the questions: 

What is this mention of a consortium? There is no reason why it has to be a consortium. A single developer might do the job just as well, in fact perhaps better. Do we have a consortium stipulated because the government was embarrassed by proposing the single developer route for the West Kowloon Reclamation project and then had to reconsider? 

Has this consortium already been formed or invited to bid for the project? There would normally be no reason to raise the question except that our government has an occasional habit of putting the cart before the horse in this way for big projects. Witness Cyberport and that North Point cruise terminal idea. There are other examples. 

If no consortium already has the nod, how will the project be tendered? We are told that this is to be a 30-year build, operate and transfer project, which implies that the winner covers the cost of construction and operation, runs it for 30 years and then turns it all over to the government. Are we to have a completely open tendering process for this? Have we invited foreign terminal operators to participate? 

Will the public purse get a share of the operating revenues? Thirty years is a mighty long time. Let's spare ourselves the embarrassment of awarding the project for one low lump sum and then seeing the winner generate profits of billions a year, all of which he keeps. 

What about the land element? Will the winning bidder get the land for free and have to cover only the cost of constructing the facilities or will he have to pay a commercial price for the land? The land could be the single biggest cost element and we give land away for free much too easily in this town. 

What about the hotels, retail and entertainment facilities? These facilities will be the biggest revenue drivers and there will be plenty of room for them. A site area of 13.3 hectares translates to 1.43 million square feet and this is site area, not floor area. Will these facilities also revert to the government in 30 years or will the developer keep them? 

Has anyone in government yet obtained firm commitments from cruise line operators? Hong Kong has never been a big destination for cruises. Passenger arrivals from seagoing vessels amount to only 375,000 a year, a bare 0.38 per cent of all arrivals. How can we be sure that people will really come? New York demanded big multi-year passenger commitments from cruise operators before it built a terminal. 

There are plenty more good questions among these lines and I am sure government officials will tell us that they will all be answered in good time. Trouble is, however, that good time does not always mean good answers and there is often nothing we can do about them any longer by that time. 

This project appears a little too secretive for my liking in the way that only dribs and drabs of news on it have come out. 

We need the terms and conditions clearly and fully stated now.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德倡建摩天樓 城規委員提反對 *
10月 24日 星期二 05:10AM

【明報專訊】規劃署昨日就啟德(相關新聞 - 網站)發展大綱圖諮詢城規會，對於政府有意放寬高度限制，在跑道末端興建高200米即約60多層高的酒店地標，頂層並可供遊客俯瞰維港景色的建議，部分城規會委員提出反對。他們認為，在維港邊建「頂心杉」，是一個壞的先例。委員又促請政府盡快興建連接觀塘的大橋，促進啟德經濟發展。

曾主持啟德公眾諮詢論壇的城規會委員黃澤恩指出，公眾只希望在跑道末端興建觀光塔，不是以酒店形式興建。他說，酒店佔地6公頃，約容許發展高度由現時的100米倍增至200米，建築物會變成龐然大物，不單不配合觀塘海濱區發展，更可能會為海濱區的發展開了一個壞先例。

*指不建大橋 啟德成孤島*

黃澤恩批評，政府把單軌火車和觀塘大橋的興建時間表綑綁並不合理，因郵輪碼頭於6年後建成，如單靠乘客到啟德消費，不足以支持啟德發展。他認為應先建觀塘大橋，方便當地居民出入，而啟德亦能為居民提供就業機會。

身兼港大地理系副教授的委員吳祖南認為，規劃署應在分區計劃大綱圖上列明觀光塔高度可達200米，酒店若要放寬高度限制，須再向城規會申請，「否則香港可能會出現另一座頂心杉」。他又擔心，若不盡快興建觀塘大橋，啟德可能會成為尖東商場十室九空的翻版，變成孤島。

規劃署將於下月把分區計劃大綱圖刊憲，諮詢公眾，啟德發展的工程最快可於08年動工。


----------



## hkth

From news.gov.hk:
Kai Tak cruise terminal set for 2012


----------



## jason poon

A little bit boredom when hearing Kai Tak's news!

I wonder if it is our HK style to talk rather than action!
Shame on the current Donald Tsang gov't!


----------



## hkskyline

I'd rather they take their time to discuss and consult thoroughly rather than put out a plan and force it down the public's throat like they did in West Kowloon. The iterative exercise is crucial to properly put this huge plot of land into use.


----------



## hkskyline

*50-year deal planned for cruise ship terminal *
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The successful bidder for the two-berth cruise terminal at the old Kai Tak airport site will have the right to operate the terminal and its supporting facilities for 50 years, at a total cost of HK$2.4 billion.

The Economic Development and Labour Bureau Tuesday announced its decision to surrender the 7.6-hectare site to the private sector, saying it would be better suited to developing a competitive, world-class terminal in a short period of time.

If all goes well, the successful bidder could be reaping between HK$1.2 billion and HK$2.4 billion a year by 2020, the bureau estimated. The new terminal could also help create up to 10,900 new jobs by the same year.

Citing time pressure, bureau secretary Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said the government will invite tenders for the site in the fourth quarter of 2007, with the aim of awarding the tender in the first quarter of 2008. The successful bidder is then expected to complete construction on at least one of the two 400-meter-long cruise berths by 2012.

The berths must be able to accommodate "mega" vessels weighing up to 100,000 tons - a limit that will still rule out many of the industry's newer cruise ships.

A third cruise berth, while also in the government plans, will undergo a separate tender exercise sometime "further down the road."

"All along, the tourism sector has expressed concern about the provision of cruise facilities in Hong Kong. We have been approached by some of the largest cruise companies in the world," Ip said during a press conference Tuesday. "The sooner the first berth is built, the better. If it can be done before 2012, that is even better."

The bidder will be limited to 50,000 square meters of gross floor area for the development of the terminal and any accompanying retail facilities, which can be built in phases. The bidder must also build requisite ticketing, security, customs and baggage facilities. 

The bureau estimates site formation will cost HK$1.3 billion and berth construction about HK$300 million.

Tenderers will be judged on financial capability, past experience in operating cruise terminals, and estimated time of completion. Six proposals submitted last year by various developers to build a temporary cruise terminal were rejected because technical complications rendered their timetable uncertain, Ip said.

When asked about the fate of the terminal after the conclusion of the 50-year contract, bureau permanent secretary Eva Cheng Yu-wah replied the government would reclaim the site.

However, she declined to comment on the existing cruise facilities at Tsim Sha Tsui's Ocean Terminal, operated by Wharf. The contract for that terminal is due to expire in 2012. 

She emphasized that, since the government will not invest in the Kai Tak terminal, officials have no plans to monitor or restrict the operator.

But Ip's comments met with concern from lawmakers who originally supported the idea of the terminal at Kai Tak. 

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Choy So-yuk said she felt 50 years was too long and she had expected the contract to be closer to 20 years.

"We don't know what the company is going to do with the terminal. What happens if the company performs poorly? 

"Or, if the terminal needs to be refurbished, do we then need to obtain the permission of the company?" she asked.

The proposed terminal at Kai Tak has been a source of controversy in recent months as some sectors of the community continue to rally for the expansion of Ocean Terminal instead.

Officials have defended their choice, however, claiming Kai Tak is the only site in Kowloon with waters deep enough to accommodate up to three berths. 

Even so, with waters reaching only 10 meters deep, the site will still require dredging to ensure large vessels can anchor.

Commissioner for Tourism Au King-chi said Tuesday cruise passenger numbers worldwide have skyrocketed more than 40 percent in the past four years, to more than 14 million last year.

With more terminals also planned for Singapore and Shanghai, she said Hong Kong must act quickly to capitalize on the growing trend. 

As such, the government will launch a pre-tender consultation with the industry before the end of the year, in tandem with the gazetting of the Kai Tak outline zoning plan by the Town Planning Board.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak a diamond for developers: lawmaker *
25 October 2006
South China Morning Post

The government's proposal to turn the former Kai Tak airport into a commercial, tourism and residential complex has been criticised as a vehicle for "exchanging development rights for political favours". 

"You are cutting up a perfect diamond into several pieces," legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip told housing minister Michael Suen Ming-yeung in the Legislative Council yesterday. 

"You have distorted the original idea of a Kai Tak development." 

Fellow independent lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki said he was concerned the project would benefit private developers at the expense of the public. 

Mr Suen denied he was paying lip service to the environment and pointed out that one-third of the entire development would be devoted to publicly accessible landscaped and green park areas. 

All three main political parties - the Liberal Party, the Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong - welcomed the government's latest revised plan. 

The design includes a 200-metre, 50-storey hotel near the southern end of the runway, a heliport, a cruise ship terminal with at least two berths and a bridge connecting the area to neighbouring Kwun Tong district. 

The other end of the runway will be dominated by a multi-purpose stadium and low-density commercial and residential developments. A monorail may serve the area. 

DAB lawmaker Chan Kam-lam said an observation tower or deck should be built near the hotel. 

The current plan assumes no reclamation, although a third cruise ship berth would probably require additional dredging. 

Deputy Director of Planning Ophelia Wong Yuen-sheung said it would be best to build the first two cruise ship berths at the southern end of the runway because the sea was deeper there.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak is back. *
The Hong Kong government has chosen the old airport site for a new cruise terminal
26 October 2006
Lloyd's List

THE site of the once famous Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong has been chosen by the territory’s government as the new flagship cruise terminal facility. 

The government has its sights on a 2012 opening of the first phase as an expected cost of HK$2.4bn ($307.7m). 

Hong Kong’s secretary for economic development and Labour, Stephen Ip, told a press conference that the government would develop the new cruise terminal through an open tender. 

“The successful bidder will, at his own cost, form the site as well as design, build and operate the berthing and supporting facilities. 

“This will include reconstruction of the existing seawall and development of two alongside berths which can meet the need of mega cruise vessels up to a displacement of 100,00 tonnes.” 

The plan is that a new cruise terminal will be developed on a site of 7.6 ha earmarked at the southern end of the old runway. Following completion of the first berth the government will offer land adjacent to the cruise terminal to the market for development of tourism-related facilities, such as hotels. 

“Depending on the implementation programme of the successful bidder, the first berth at Kai Tak is expected to be completed in 2012,” he said. 

The successful bidder will also be required to build and operate the second berth, with the option of a third berth at a later date. 

“The successful bidder will have the right to develop commercial, office and retail facilities up to a total gross floor area of 50,000 sq m in the cruise terminal building. It will have the flexibility to develop these facilities in phases but within a fixed period,” Mr Ip said. 

The government intends to invite tender after the approval of the Outline Zone plan for Kai Tak in the second half of 2007. “We look forward to awarding the tender in the first quarter of 2008,” Mr Ip said. 

“The new terminal facilities will become an important tourism infrastructure for Hong Kong. It will help diversify our tourism products, enhancing our attractiveness to tourists from different segments, including the high-end market.” 

The government said according to market consultancy studies, with the availability of new cruise terminal facilities and appropriate marketing strategies, the economic benefits are estimated at HK$1.4bn- HK$2.2bn a year and offer employment to as many 10,900 workers. 

The decision, which came on Tuesday, was not unexpected. There was a widely held view that the government had always intended to develop the new cruise terminal at Kai Tak as the only site within Victoria Harbour with the capability to provide two or more alongside berths without reclamation. This did lead some to wonder why it wasted time with an “expression of interest exercise” which sought alternative site ideas at the end of last year. 

Kai Tak, once famous for the challenging descent required by aircraft to land in the territory, closed in 1998.


----------



## hkskyline

*Tender plan for Kai Tak under fire *
9 November 2006
Hong Kong Standard

The government's proposal to grant a 50-year contract for the new cruise terminal at Kai Tak encountered its first stumbling block Wednesday when an advisory body criticized officials for jeopardizing public interest by giving ``free rein'' to the successful bidder. 

Members of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee questioned the administration's logic behind granting unchecked ``flexibility'' to the developer of the 7.6-hectare site, pointing out the contract's long duration, coupled with a lack of conditions or supervision, could result in yet another mega-commercial complex. 

``How will you ensure that the bidder exercises sustainable development? How will you ensure that quality of the site is on par with a waterfront promenade fit for public use, and not just cruise passengers?'' asked the Conservancy Association's Alvin Kwok Ngai- kuen. ``We need to know you will set criteria and incorporate planning principles into the contract.'' 

The government has recently been eager to accelerate the HK$2.4 billion project in light of the rapidly growing cruise market, citing similar structures going up in Shanghai and Singapore. Officials have set a 2012 deadline for the first of the three cruise berths. 

But Kwok's concerns Wednesday were echoed by several other members who feared rushing the project would compromise one of the last pieces of prime waterfront land. 

Institute of Architects vice president Vincent Ng Wing-shun wanted to know how the government came to the decision to allow the developer a gross floor area of 50,000 square meters for the terminal and accompanying retail facilities. ``Will it be just hotels and malls, or will you require the bidder to submit a proposal? Our concern is that you don't seem to have a concept plan at this stage, and that town planning concepts won't be incorporated into the planning,'' he said. 

Tourism Commission officials said the proposed gross floor area was decided after consultation with the cruise industry and consultants on what was ``necessary'' in terms of space. 

Commercial facilities at similar sites like the existing Ocean Terminal and China Ferry Terminal measure about 40,000 sqm, the officials added. 

While admitting she envisioned much of the site would be used to develop shopping facilities, offices and hotels, Commissioner for Tourism Au King-chi reassured the resulting development will be one that adds ``vibrancy'' and ``attracts people.'' A pre- tender consultation with ``all stakeholders,'' set to begin early next year, will determine what conditions to include in the tender document, she said. 

As for the remainder of the 328-hectare site, members said they were concerned it would remain incomplete in the government's rush to finish building the first cruise terminal berth. 

The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, meanwhile, has expressed objections to the location. 

In a submission to the Legislative Council's planning, lands and works panel, the association said the economic case for a cruise terminal is not proven. ``We have serious reservations on Kai Tak as the most suitable location for a cruise terminal as it is remote and distant from other tourism nodes.'' 

The association also said its preference is to locate the cruise terminal at either West Kowloon or Hung Hom using existing seawall facilities or to focus on upgrading existing facilities at Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui. 

The government expects to invite tenders for the terminal by the fourth quarter of next year, with the aim of awarding the tender in early 2008.


----------



## redstone

What's that mound on the site?


----------



## JoshYent

redstone said:


> What's that mound on the site?



not sure


----------



## LS木糖醇

Oh , i know the airport


----------



## Manila-X

Kaitak is the idea location for a cruise terminal while Ocean Terminal can be a substitute. 

Another thing, there were plans before for land reclamation between the runways, just wondering what happened to that.


----------



## hkskyline

WANCH said:


> Kaitak is the idea location for a cruise terminal while Ocean Terminal can be a substitute.
> 
> Another thing, there were plans before for land reclamation between the runways, just wondering what happened to that.


A much better location for a new cruise terminal was floated in West Kowloon, but due to the depth of the water, serious dredging would need to take place if the terminal was built in the cultural district.


----------



## Cunning Linguist

I really think they should reclaim the sea in between the runway and ... is it Hung Hom? Then create an area of low-rise with vast spaces of open landscaped park. Also have the terminal at the end, with a road at the end so there's no traffic going along the main runway.


----------



## hkskyline

Cunning Linguist said:


> I really think they should reclaim the sea in between the runway and ... is it Hung Hom? Then create an area of low-rise with vast spaces of open landscaped park. Also have the terminal at the end, with a road at the end so there's no traffic going along the main runway.


There won't be reclamation to the west of the runway. That's a huge bay leading to Hung Hom and it is too big to fill in. Kai Tak actually is a fairly green redevelopment plan. The first plans that came out advocated a pollution-free city whereby roads are buried underground and parks dominate the landscape.


----------



## EricIsHim

i know a lot of people don't want any reclaimation on either side of the runway. i agree with not to fill the gap west of the runway, but east of it (between the runway and kwun tong) should be reconsidered. there was an article in the newspaper a few days ago about the issue of trapping polluted water inside the gap between the runway and kuwn tong, and making the area smells bad. the planning development is now considering filling that gap to eliminate further pollution problem there. The article sais an EIS is going to be performed to determine the need of any reclaimation or what other ways can solve the problem.


----------



## Pax Sinica




----------



## Ah! Monterrey

I hope that that pilot never rises my flight


----------



## hkskyline

*Council anger at missing bridge from Kai Tak plan *
8 June 2007
Hong Kong Standard

A failure to include maps of a proposed bridge in the Kai Tak runway redevelopment caused uproar at the Kwun Tong District Council Thursday. 

The maps were left out of documents presented to councillors when government engineers explained the plan for the redevelopment, which would begin in 2009. 

Councillor Tang Chi-ho said a failure to include the bridge in plans would be tantamount to ``chopping the project into pieces''and presenting it in bits. 

Councillor Poon Chun-yuen said that without the bridge there would be no direct connection between the runway park and inland. 

Civil Engineering and Development Department chief engineer Yung Kin- man reassured the upset councillors, however, that his department is looking into building the bridge to connect a cruise ship terminal to Kwun Tong. 

``There is no conspiracy to take it away. It has always been our plan to have the bridge,'' Yung said. 

Plans being presented to councillors, Yung said, covered only advance infrastructure that is to be gazetted next month and, since the bridge is not a part of those works, it was not marked on the maps given to the councillors. 

The government hopes to redevelop the old Kai Tak runway, with the first phase of the works to focus on expanding road networks and the sewage system, to be followed by building the runway park and the first berth of the cruise ship terminal. 

But most councillors took the department to task for bringing the issue to them only this month, when it plans to gazette it next month with the blessing of the district council. 

Yung apologized for not clarifying the matter from the start of the briefing. 

He said that such a big project would usually be built in phases according to needs, so the first berth and the runway park would be next in line once the advance infrastructure was built. 

When pressed for reassurances over the bridge, Yung said the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has already reserved space for the landing of the bridge. 

Regarding a proposed heliport, he said the Town Planning Board is still considering it and has yet to do the environmental assessment. 

Infrastructural works are expected to start at the beginning of 2009 and finish in 2011. 

The first berth of the much hyped cruise ship terminal would be operational in 2012. 

A second berth may be built and in operation after 2015, depending on market needs, the councillors were told. 

The advanced infrastructure includes a 1.7-kilometer road from the cruise terminal along the runway leading straight into Kwun Tong. 

Two intersections in Kowloon Bay, Wang Chiu Road and Sheung Yee Road, as well as Cheung Yip Street and Hoi Bun Road would be widened as, according to traffic analysis, these measures could ease congestion in the district as well as cater for an expected increase in traffic coming from the cruise terminal. 

Sewage pumping stations and pipes would be built to channel sewage arising in the early stage of the Kai Tak development, to the nearby Kwun Tong Sewage Treatment Plant. 

Department engineers said the two intersections were often congested and that the new traffic flow to and from the ship terminal would make things worse. 

They hope the road widening could solve the two problems in one go. 

Also, two existing mooring buoys near the end of the runway would be moved further down Kwun Tong offshore due to dredging work for the terminal. The outline zoning plan of the whole Kai Tak project was gazetted in November and is currently under the Town Planning Board's consideration. 

Even though the whole uproar came from misunderstandings, Chan Chung- bun, chairman of the Kwun Tong District Council, said the bridge is very important to their commercial area and that he will meet with the Town Planning Board. 

`` If the terminal couldn't connect with Kwun Tong I'm afraid Kwun Tong may become marginalized.''


----------



## Mr. Maciek

how man planes have actually crashed at kai tak airport over its existance?


----------



## great184

Any timetable for a finalized plan?


----------



## gladisimo

It's not as bad as you think, according to Wikipedia (questionable source, but I find it generally accurate) lists 12 incidents since 1950, of which:

11 actually occurred within Hong Kong's vicinity, of which
8 involved civilian airlines, of which
6 involved civilian passenger liners. 

9 of them involved fatalities.

The last fatal accident involving a passenger, civilian aircraft occurred in 1988 (1967). 

The worst accident occurred in 1965, a US Military Hercules crashed, killing 59 soldiers.


----------



## hkskyline

Ironically, Chek Lap Kok saw a much more fiery crash soon after its opening when a Taiwanese jet crash landed during a typhoon. A lot of the 'recent' accidents at Kai Tak were runway overshoots and not an explosion on land.


----------



## gladisimo

^^ Yes, as spectacular as the landings were, Kai Tak is actually very, very safe. Except for the Taiwanese China Airlines, who have a notoriously bad record


----------



## hkskyline

Site Photos 6/23


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruisers harbour plans for mainland routes *
23 June 2007
South China Morning Post

The government and the Tourism Board are exploring opportunities to develop cruise itineraries involving mainland destinations in Hainan , Guangdong and Fujian , said Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan. 

New routes would bolster the city's cruise business ahead of the opening of the first of two new cruise ship berths at the former Kai Tak airport site in 2012. 

Star Cruises' SuperStar Aquarius sailed into Hong Kong for the first time yesterday. It is the line's third ship, and the biggest, to be based in the city, which is already the home port of the Star Pisces and the Wasa Queen. 

Star Cruises president David Chua Ming Huat said the new liner could accommodate almost as many passengers as the other two vessels put together, and so will effectively double the line's capacity. SuperStar Aquarius has a capacity of 1,520; Star Pisces can accommodate 1,287 and Wasa Queen 379. 

He said the Hong Kong-based ships would help the Malaysian company develop the China market, which had very strong growth potential. Last night SuperStar Aquarius set off on its maiden cruise from Hong Kong, an overnight trip in the South China Sea. It will also operate two-night cruises to Xiamen . 

The cheapest one-night package on SuperStar Aquarius costs HK$619. 

"We want to do our existing routes well first. Then we will consider other routes," Mr Chua said. 

The company's executive director, William Ng Ko Seng, hopes SuperStar Aquarius can attract more mainland tourists. They account for one in 10 of the 1,200 to 1,500 passengers leaving Hong Kong each day on Star cruises. 

Mr Ng said the company supported the government's plans for a new cruise terminal, which he expects will attract more liners to Hong Kong. 

Mr Ip said: "Our plan is to invite tenders [for building the new berths] upon completion of the town planning procedures in the fourth quarter of this year." 

Tourism Commissioner Au King-chi said the new terminal should be flexible enough to accommodate big liners and smaller, more luxurious ships.


----------



## Jim856796

Let's hope that proposed stadium on the Kai Tak Airport site has a 60-80,000+ capacity. That stadium will replace Hong Kong Stadium, right? If so, what other kinds of sports facilities will be built?


----------



## hkskyline

Jim856796 said:


> Let's hope that proposed stadium on the Kai Tak Airport site has a 60-80,000+ capacity. That stadium will replace Hong Kong Stadium, right? If so, what other kinds of sports facilities will be built?


I don't think Hong Kong Stadium will close. The two will complement each other.

8/4 photos


----------



## _00_deathscar

Hong Kong Stadium is criminally underused as it is - why do we need another stadium which is far larger than an underused one?


----------



## hkskyline

_00_deathscar said:


> Hong Kong Stadium is criminally underused as it is - why do we need another stadium which is far larger than an underused one?


The whole idea rose out of the Asian Games bid which failed and the Games were won by Doha. The renewed interest in sports facilities and subsequent successful bid for the 2009 East Asian Games is prompting renewed focus on the Kai Tak stadium plan.

Actually, Hong Kong Stadium can host a lot more events but that's not the case due to noise issues and nearby resident complaints.


----------



## _00_deathscar

hkskyline said:


> Actually, Hong Kong Stadium can host a lot more events but that's not the case due to noise issues and nearby resident complaints.


Can't win either way can they? I really do despair about the whining Hong Kong public sometimes.


----------



## EricIsHim

_00_deathscar said:


> Can't win either way can they? I really do despair about the whining Hong Kong public sometimes.


Majority of the HKer would love to have more events at the stadium. But those people live up the hill around HK Stadium has the $$$; and still $$$ means voice sometimes. They fight for their right for a quite atmosphere.

40,000 seats are quite enough. Beside 7-rugby, the stadium doesn't get filled up usually. But the thing is, HK Stadium is located not in an ideal location for any large event holds ten of thousands people. When there is an event at the Stadium, it causes a major traffic problem in Causeway Bay with many road closure for the pedestrian traffic. Before the event, Eastern Hospital Rd is limited for one-way service with limited direct taxi and bus service; after the event, Eastern Hospital Rd is completely shut down for pedestrian. It's 15 minutes walk from the closest bus stop and 20 minutes walk from the closest MTR station. It takes hours of road closure for a few hours of event. 
The stadium is definitely has enough capacity, but it causes a lot more other problems because of its location.


----------



## hkskyline

Hence, even if the Kai Tak stadium plan pushes forward, Hong Kong Stadium will not likely be torn down.

Ironically, the rich people living around the racecourse don't find the rowdy gamblers noisy at all.


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Hence, even if the Kai Tak stadium plan pushes forward, Hong Kong Stadium will not likely be torn down.
> 
> Ironically, the rich people living around the racecourse don't find the rowdy gamblers noisy at all.


I don't think the stadium will be torn down either. It's still use-able; just have to plan the schedule out when to use which one.

I guess the racecourse doesn't make as much noise by people as having a concert with hundred of loud speakers at the stadium. I mean, the stand is on west side of the racecourse and the stand itself block out noise traveling west; and there is quite a distance to reach any building south and east of the racecourse.


----------



## hkskyline

EricIsHim said:


> I don't think the stadium will be torn down either. It's still use-able; just have to plan the schedule out when to use which one.
> 
> I guess the racecourse doesn't make as much noise by people as having a concert with hundred of loud speakers at the stadium. I mean, the stand is on west side of the racecourse and the stand itself block out noise traveling west; and there is quite a distance to reach any building south and east of the racecourse.


I'm thinking more about the folks in Leighton Hill. There are so many more residentials on the east (open) side than the west (blocked off by the stands).


----------



## hkskyline

From HK Place :


----------



## EricIsHim

* Cruise terminal tender to start Q4*

The tendering exercise for the Kai Tak cruise terminal project will start in the fourth quarter, the Tourism Commission says, adding it has proposed development parameters for the project.

According to the commission's document submitted to the Legislative Council today, bidders must have at least three years' immediate experience in operating a cruise terminal with a minimum annual throughput of 200,000 homeport passengers. They will be required to propose a design that can provide flexible services to different cruise operators.

The terminal's first berth is slated to open in February 2012. The successful bidder should provide a bond of 5% of the estimated construction cost of the facilities to the Government as a financial disincentive against any delays.
*
2nd berth*

The second berth should be commissioned within three years upon a demand letter issued by the Director of Lands. The target date is beyond 2015.

The successful bidder can also commission the second berth earlier to handle smaller cruise vessels, subject to Government approval which would take into account various implications such as traffic conditions and marine safety.

The successful bidder is given the flexibility to complete the commercial area in phases by 2020 and it will be required to build a landscaped deck on the roof of the cruise terminal building to allow the public to enjoy the waterfront.

The landscaped deck can be delivered in phases to allow creativity and flexibility in design and completion of the commercial facilities. Such a phasing arrangement should not compromise the iconic outlook of the terminal as the first berth is commissioned.

*Performance pledges*

Bidders will be required to submit a comprehensive plan with specific performance pledges on the operation, business and marketing aspects. They will be required to demonstrate commitment to attract cruise vessels home-porting at the new cruise terminal.

They need to set out their arrangements on fees and charges, and allocation of berthing slots and should submit pledges on how they would work together with the Tourism Board and Tourism Commission in cruise market development.

The successful bidder will be required to provide space for the board's visitor service kiosk at the new cruise terminal rent-free.

*Tender assessment*

On the tender assessment, the commission said a committee will be formed to assess the proposals and a 30:70 weighting ratio for financial and non-financial criteria will be adopted.

The Government intends to seek nominations from bodies like the Institute of Architects and the Tourism Board for appointment as independent advisors for the assessment process during the tender exercise.

An interdepartmental steering committee will be established to monitor implementation of the land lease after the tender award.

The successful bidder will be required to enter into a service agreement with the Government. It will include performance pledges made by the bidder, in particular those relating to the operation, management and maintenance of the new terminal.


----------



## hkth

Details from the HKSAR Gov't Gazette:
Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance (Chapter 127) (Notification under section 5)--Kai Tak Development--Reconstruction of Seawall and Dredging Works for New Cruise Terminal

Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance (Chapter 127) (Notification under section 5)--Public Works Programme Item No. 7711CL Kai Tak Development--Advance Infrastructure Works for Developments at the Southern Part of the Former Runway


----------



## hkskyline

*最快11月招標 擬建園景平台 
啟德郵輪碼頭2012啟用*
10/08/2007
太陽報










拖延多年的郵輪碼頭工程終有進展，政府正全速草擬標書，最快今年十一月會招標邀請財團在啟德跑道尾興建郵輪碼頭，首個大泊位可望於二○一二年投入服務。不過，當局指定興建、將開放予公眾的碼頭上蓋園景平台和鄰近的商業設施，未必與碼頭同步啟用，可能令郵輪碼頭運作初期會有配套不足的情況出現。

*倘服務差可收回土地*
此外，政府又罕有地規定中標者須與當局簽署一份等同土地契約的服務協議，確保服務質素，若中標者的營運質素未能達致要求，政府有權收回土地。

按計劃，政府明年第二季可批出標書及簽署土地契約。啟德新郵輪碼頭佔地七點六公頃，當中五公頃可用來興建商業設施，碼頭長八百五十米，擬建的兩個泊位最少可予排水量十一萬公噸的世界級郵輪停泊，包括瑪麗皇后二號。

首個大泊位將於二○一二年二月投入服務，而三年後當海底煤氣管工程完成時，第二個大泊位也可全面應用。旅遊事務專員區璟智昨日表示，中標者可按需要提早啟用第二個泊位，但第二個泊位在相關管道完成前只能予較小型郵輪停泊。

根據標書規定，中標者擁有郵輪碼頭五十年經營權，要斥資三十二億元興建碼頭及配套設施，並須向政府補地價；中標者又須在客運大樓上蓋建逾二萬平方米的園景平台，且必須開放讓市民入內俯瞰維港景色，平台及商業設施可於二○二○年前分階段落成。

標書又為競投興建碼頭的財團訂立最低要求，訂明要在過去三年有營運郵輪碼頭客量每年達二十萬人次的經驗，區璟智稱若參考該最低要求，全港有四十家公司合乎有關資格，投標者可委聘合夥人或承辦商達到上述要求。

*審批考慮地標式建築*
她續稱，由於外間普遍認同碼頭必須是一個地標式建築物，故審批標書時會考慮建築物的設計、美觀和與附近環境協調，及有否加入環保元素，當局將會成立評審委員會審理標書。

至於交通配套，在首個泊位投入服務前，政府會完成興建一條連接郵輪碼頭與九龍各區的雙線行車路，又會在該路行經的龍翔道一帶實施交通紓緩措施，讓旅客可乘公共交通工具往返市區。

當郵輪碼頭落成後，本港郵輪碼頭泊位共增至四個。當局預期到二○二○年，新郵輪碼頭每年為本港帶來十四億元至二十二億元的經濟收益，每年吸引一百四十萬名旅客人次使用碼頭。


----------



## hkskyline

*郵輪碼頭招標質素掛(金勾)*
東方日報 
10/08/2007



















拖 延 多 年 的 郵 輪 碼 頭 工 程 有 進 展 ， 政 府 正 全 速 草 擬 標 書 ， 最 快 今 年 十 一 月 會 招 標 邀請 財 團 在 啟 德 跑 道 尾 興 建 郵 輪 碼 頭 ， 首 個 大 泊 位 可 望 於 二 ○ 一 二 年 投 入 服 務 。 不 過， 當 局 指 定 興 建 、 將 開 放 予 公 眾 的 碼 頭 上 蓋 園 景 平 台 和 鄰 近 的 商 業 設 施 ， 未 必 與 碼頭 同 步 啟 用 ， 可 能 令 郵 輪 碼 頭 運 作 初 期 會 有 配 套 不 足 的 情 況 出 現 。

此 外， 政 府 又 罕 有 地 規 定 中 標 者 須 與 當 局 簽 署 一 份 等 同 土 地 契 約 的 服 務 協 議 ， 確 保 服 務質 素 ， 若 中 標 者 的 營 運 質 素 未 能 達 致 要 求 ， 政 府 有 權 收 回 土 地 。

按 計 劃 ， 政 府 明 年 第 二 季 可 批 出 標 書 及 簽 署 土 地 契 約 。 啟 德 新 郵 輪 碼 頭 佔 地 七 點 六公 頃 ， 當 中 五 公 頃 可 用 來 興 建 商 業 設 施 ， 碼 頭 長 八 百 五 十 米 ， 擬 建 的 兩 個 泊 位 最 少可 予 排 水 量 十 一 萬 公 噸 的 世 界 級 郵 輪 停 泊 ， 包 括 瑪 麗 皇 后 二 號 。

*建 園 景 平 台 可 俯 瞰 維 港*
首 個 大 泊 位 將 於 二 ○ 一 二 年 二 月 投 入 服 務 ，而 三 年 後 當 海 底 煤 氣 管 工 程 完 成 時 ， 第 二 個 大 泊 位 也 可 全 面 應 用 。 旅 遊 事 務 專 員 區璟 智 昨 表 示 ， 中 標 者 可 按 需 要 提 早 啟 用 第 二 個 泊 位 ， 但 第 二 個 泊 位 在 相 關 管 道 完 成前 只 能 予 較 小 型 郵 輪 停 泊 。

根 據 標 書 規 定 ， 中 標 者 擁 有 郵 輪 碼 頭 五 十 年 經 營 權 ， 要 斥 資 三 十 二 億 元 興 建 碼 頭 及配 套 設 施 ， 並 須 向 政 府 補 地 價 ； 中 標 者 又 須 在 客 運 大 樓 上 蓋 建 逾 二 萬 平 方 米 的 園 景平 台 ， 且 必 須 開 放 讓 市 民 入 內 俯 瞰 維 港 景 色 ， 平 台 及 商 業 設 施 可 於 二 ○ 二 ○ 年 前 分階 段 落 成 。

標 書 又 為 競 投 興 建 碼 頭 的 財 團 訂 立 最 低 要 求 ， 訂 明 要 在 過 去 三 年 有 營 運 郵 輪 碼 頭 客量 每 年 達 廿 萬 人 次 的 經 驗 ， 區 璟 智 稱 若 參 考 該 最 低 要 求 ， 全 港 有 四 十 家 公 司 合 乎 資格 ， 投 標 者 可 委 聘 合 夥 人 或 承 辦 商 達 到 上 述 要 求 。

*每 年 經 濟 收 益 達 廿 二 億*
她 續 說 ， 由 於 外 間 普 遍 認 同 碼 頭 必 須 是 一 個地 標 式 建 築 物 ， 故 審 批 標 書 時 會 考 慮 建 築 物 的 設 計 、 美 觀 和 與 附 近 環 境 協 調 ， 及 有否 加 入 環 保 元 素 ， 當 局 將 成 立 評 審 委 員 會 審 理 標 書 。

至 於 交 通 配 套 ， 在 首 個 泊 位 投 入 服 務 前 ， 政 府 會 完 成 興 建 一 條 連 接 郵 輪 碼 頭 與 九 龍各 區 的 雙 線 行 車 路 ， 又 會 在 該 路 行 經 的 龍 翔 道 一 帶 實 施 交 通 紓 緩 措 施 ， 讓 旅 客 可 乘公 共 交 通 工 具 往 返 市 區 。

當 郵 輪 碼 頭 落 成 後 ， 本 港 郵 輪 碼 頭 泊 位 共 增 至 四 個 。 當 局 預 期 到 二 ○ 二 ○ 年 ， 新 郵輪 碼 頭 每 年 為 本 港 帶 來 十 四 億 元 至 廿 二 億 元 的 經 濟 收 益 ， 每 年 吸 引 一 百 四 十 萬 名 旅客 人 次 使 用 碼 頭 。


----------



## hkskyline

*Terminal will give HK capacity to host five liners simultaneously *
10 August 2007
South China Morning Post

When the first phase of Hong Kong's new cruise terminal opens at the former Kai Tak airport site in 2012, Victoria Harbour will be capable of accommodating up to five cruise liners at any one time. 

Tourism commissioner Au King-chi said yesterday that the successful bidder for the project would be required to build two berths with a combined length of 850 metres. The first, which the government expects to bring into service in February 2012, should be able to accommodate one mega-liner and one small one, or three small liners, she said. 

If three liners were berthed there, and two more were docked at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, the city would host five cruise liners simultaneously. 

Crociere's Hong Kong-based Allegra, which weighs 28,430 gross tonnes and is 187.7 metres long, is considered a small vessel. 

The terminal is being designed to accommodate the biggest ship the world expects to see for several years to come, the Royal Caribbean line's Project Genesis. That means having berths and other facilities big enough to handle a ship of 220,000 gross tonnes, carrying 5,400 passengers and 1,200 crew. 

Those requirements match the expected size and capacity of Project Genesis, the as yet unnamed mega-liner due for launch in 2009. 

Joseph Lam, Royal Caribbean's international representative for Hong Kong, said it was not expected that vessel would be surpassed for several years after its launch. 

The liner was also unlikely to visit Hong Kong until several years after its launch, he said. 

The government will invite tenders for the project late this year or early next year. The winning bidder is likely to have to spend at least HK$3.2 billion, on top of the land premium, to develop the 7.6-hectare site. 

About 60 per cent of the site will be built on - facilities will include shops and a hotel. A 35-metre height limit will be imposed. 

A third berth, protruding into the harbour, may be built later.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德築河貫城 限樓高擴景觀 *
2007年8月17日

【明報專訊】規劃署建議修訂東南九龍的啟德城中心設計概念，包括把啟德明渠美化成貫穿啟德城中心的河道，部分沿河地帶將由商業及其他用途改為綜合發展區，容許在城規會同意下興建不高於40米的樓宇。

河道北改作發展區 樓高降至40米

規劃署早前完成啟德規劃研究，並根據發展局、建築署、房屋署及地區組織等意見，提出多項修訂建議，包括把啟德明渠美化成河道。為免大量高樓大廈阻礙區內車站廣場和體育館公園的景觀，河道北面兩旁的土地用途，將由商業及其他用途，改為綜合發展區，樓宇高度限制將由150至175米，大幅降至15至40米，並需經城規會審議通過。

規劃署建議沿河開設食肆、咖啡店和商舖，讓市民能在河畔散步消遣。綜合發展區東面的政府及社區用地樓宇高度限制，則由45米減至15米，以保持一致的樓層高度。但為了在啟德城中心興建地標式大樓，署方建議把綜合發展區東面其他用地內的樓宇高度限制，維持於175米。

啟德站倡建地標 建路連接新蒲崗九龍城

在沙中線啟德車站的走廊入口，規劃署建議興建兩幢地標式大樓，附近商業用地的樓宇高度限制將改為80米，非住宅地積比率為5；但面向公共屋的土地將不容許興建建築物，保持空曠的視線走廊。

另外，為加強新蒲崗、九龍城與啟德的聯繫，政府建議興建U形行人路，連接新蒲崗、九龍城及啟德政府辦公大樓，以及通往啟德城內體育館公園的綠化地帶。行人路的中央部分將興建人工瀑布，連接河道頂部。

大量行人路橋樑 減可建築住宅面積

經修訂的啟德城中心設計，將建有大量行人路或橋樑，方便市民步行前往政府辦公大樓、車站廣場、多用途運動場、啟德坊等。修訂後的商業用地將由14.1公頃微增至14.4公頃，住宅用地則由27.2公頃增至29公頃，但可建築住宅面積卻由160.3萬平方米減至約159萬平方米，可提供約2.1萬個單位。

立法會議員陳鑑林表示，民建聯曾與政府進行多次會議，政府基本上同意民建聯所有意見。「我們建議沿河樓宇不高於40米，因為這令視野更廣闊。」他希望啟德城除商業發展外，應同時發展文娛康樂，並推動社區發展。另外，民建聯又建議同步發展啟德和新蒲崗，「新蒲崗對面有不少舊工廈，希望政府重建該範圍，與啟德商業區一同發展」。


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
Service agreement framework for new cruise terminal at Kai Tak


----------



## ntly1

Congratulations Hong Kong...this is a good project ! no more those typical towering buildings in this project !


----------



## hkth

2007-08 Policy Address:


> *(9) Kai Tak Development Plan:*
> The formulation of the Kai Tak Development Plan is an example of successful public engagement. The challenge now is to take forward this major project within a tight schedule. Statutory procedures to amend the Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan are almost finished, after which the project will enter the implementation stage. We will invite tenders in due course to construct a new cruise terminal. The first berth is expected to be operational in 2012. A high-level inter-departmental committee led by the Secretary for Development will ensure that the project stays on schedule. It will also ensure that this vast ex-airport site will be developed into an attractive place for our citizens to enjoy and take pride in.


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
Draft Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan Approved


----------



## Aboveday

*Tenders invited for Kai Tak cruise terminal*

November 8, 2007 



Tenders invited for Kai Tak cruise terminal 

The Government will invite tenders for the development of a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak starting tomorrow. The successful bidder is expected to *design, build, operate, manage and maintain *the new cruise terminal for 50 years and begin operating the first berth in *February 2012.* 

The Tourism Commission today said the Government plans to close the tender on March 7, after the completion of relevant statutory processes under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and Foreshore & Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance, and to award the tender in the second quarter of 2008. 

Tenderers are expected to fulfil a minimum requirement of three years' immediate experience in operating a cruise terminal with a minimum annual throughput of 200,000 embarking and disembarking homeport passengers. 



Service agreement

The successful tenderer will be required to enter into a service agreement with the Government. The service agreement incorporates the successful tenderer's proposals and service pledges for the operation and management of the new cruise terminal. It will be co-terminous with the land lease. 


The Government will adopt a two-envelope tender approach, with 70% weighting to be given to the quality aspects and 30% to the premium aspects in assessing the bids. 


The tender assessment panel, chaired by the Commissioner for Tourism and comprising representatives of the relevant Government bureaus and departments, will assess the bids' technical aspects as well as the operation and management aspects. 


International experts appointed by the Tourism Commission and Civil Engineering & Development Department wil advise the panel on the bids. The experts will act as consultants and provide input on cruise terminal operation and engineering aspects. 



Expert advice available

The Legislative Council's Economic Development Panel Chairman Jeffrey Lam and Tourism Board Executive Director Anthony Lau will serve as advisers to the panel on tourism and marketing aspects. 



The Institute of Architects and Institution of Engineers are invited to each nominate a member to advise the panel on architectural and engineering aspects. 



More information will be uploaded onto the Lands Department's website tomorrow. The Tourism Commission will also launch a designated web page tomorrow.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak cruise papers studied *
10 November 2007
South China Morning Post

Developers and cruise operators yesterday began studying government plans to redevelop the site of the former Kai Tak airport to include a cruise terminal . 

A spokesman for Star Cruises said it was studying the tender documents and could not comment on the tendering exercise. "We are very supportive of the government on this issue," he said. The tender process opened yesterday. 

Star Cruises operates the 1,287-passenger Star Pisces, the Wasa Queen with room for 608 guests and the SuperStar Aquarius, which can accommodate 1,529. 

Spokesmen for developers Sun Hung Kai Properties and Henderson Land Development also said they were busy studying the project. 

The deadline for the tender is March 7 and the government expects to award it in the second quarter of next year. 

The first berth is scheduled to be commissioned by February 2012. 

The successful bidder will be subject to a 50-year service agreement that specifies certain requirements. They include seeking government approval for any changes in the project team members during the initial stages and organising a market forum to promote Hong Kong as a regional cruise hub. 

It is the first time the government has put the new cruise terminal project up for tender. In 2005, during the Kai Tak Planning Review, expressions of interests were invited for the development of a new cruise terminal at a location other than Kai Tak, resulting in six submissions. They were rejected due to technical difficulties. 

The new Kai Tak terminal will feature a cruise terminal building for hotels, convention halls, offices, shops and dining areas totalling not more than 50,000 square metres. There will also be about 30,000 square metres of space for baggage handling, passenger waiting and queuing, customs, immigration and a health quarantine area.


----------



## hkskyline

9/26


----------



## mbuildings

stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## hkskyline

*HK plans to become hub for maritime tourism *
Vince Chong, Hong Kong Correspondent 
9 November 2007
Straits Times

New cruise terminal to open by 2012 and attract up to 1.4m passengers a year 

HONG KONG wants a multi-billion-dollar cruise terminal up and running by 2012 to make the city stand out on the sea tourism map. 

The city's government today will start inviting tenders to build the 7.6ha terminal at Kai Tak, a former airport site which itself will be transformed into a leisure hub complete with a stadium, hotels, shops, convention facilities and waterfront homes. 

The launch of the terminal project comes after the overall zoning plan for Kai Tak was finally approved yesterday following legislative debates that lasted for over a year. 

The fact that the 323ha site is one of the last vacant plots in the city centre available for large-scale development made the long deliberations necessary. 

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang had earlier named the development of Kai Tak as one of many plans to develop the city's quality of life by improving the living environment, enhancing heritage protection and revitalising historical buildings. 

The Victoria Harbour cruise terminal - estimated to cost at least HK$3 billion (S$560 million) - is expected to attract as many as 1.4 million cruise passengers yearly by 2020. 

The terminal, the second in Hong Kong, is seen as long overdue as the existing Tsim Sha Tsui facility is plagued by lengthy berthing queues. 

The present terminal is also unable to accommodate bigger ships like the 150,000-tonne Queen Mary II, which has to drop anchor at the Kwai Chung container port located some distance from the city centre. 

Also, cruise tourists are coming in greater numbers, with more than 400,000 people arriving on cruise ships last year, a hike of almost 27 per cent from the previous year. 

Consultancy studies have shown that a new terminal could fetch between US$1.4 billion and US$ 2.2 billion (S$3 billion) annually and generate up to 11,000 jobs by 2020. 

The successful tenderer, the authorities said yesterday, will be expected to 'design, build, operate, manage and maintain the new cruise terminal for 50 years', with the first berth to operate by February 2012. 

Supporting facilities for services such as customs, immigration and quarantine are to be incorporated in the design. 

'With its prominent location, we expect the development to be iconic and project an image befitting the position of Hong Kong as Asia's world city and a major tourist destination,' said a Tourism Commission spokesman. 

The commission has also reportedly met the world's three cruise giants - Carnival Cruise Lines, World Caribbean Cruise and Star Cruises - which account for 80 per cent of the global cruise market. 

They could use the terminal as their home port, Hong Kong Tourism Commissioner Au King Chi has told the media previously. 

The government said yesterday that, to be eligible, tenderers must have at least three years' experience in operating a cruise terminal with a minimum annual turnover of 200,000 passengers. 

The government also announced a plan to set up an advisory committee on the cruise industry. 

Among other things, the committee will help liaise with neighbouring coastal regions in China to develop itineraries and promote cruise tourism. 

It will also look into training and recruitment of talent for the cruise market and related industries. 

'The government attaches equal importance to the development of hardware as well as software facilities for the cruise market,' a spokesman said.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong’s cruise bidder hunt resumes * 
12 November 2007
Lloyd's List

TENDERS have reopened for the development of Hong Kong’s new cruise terminal on the site of legendary former airport Kai Tak, writes Mike Grinter. 

An attempt to attract two bidders two years ago fell flat due to lack of interest. So this time an advisory committee will be set up in an effort to convince travel operators and cruise lines of Hong Kong’s cruise credentials ready for the new terminal’s proposed opening in 2012. 

The government said bidders would be expected to have a minimum of three years’ direct experience in running a cruise terminal with at least 200,000 arriving and departing passengers annually. 

The contract for the terminal will run for 50 years. The government will adopt a two-pronged tender approach with a 70% weighting given to quality considerations and 30% to the land premium aspect in assessing the bids. 

The tender assessment panel, to be chaired by the commissioner for tourism and on which other government representatives will sit, will assess the technical and managerial aspects of the bids. 

The panel will take advice from international experts and independent advisers, including lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung and representatives from the Institute of Architects and Institute of Engineers. 

The tendering process will close on March 7, and the winner is expected to be announced in the second quarter of next year. 

To make the terminal a regional hub, the government will set up an advisory committee on the cruise industry to seek advice on improving areas such as the supply of workers for the cruise market and working with neighbouring coastal provinces to develop cruise itineraries.


----------



## agent1

I think Shanghai is a better prospect. China central government should develop Shanghai into maritime hub rather than HK. HK going down...


----------



## superchan7

agent1 said:


> I think Shanghai is a better prospect. China central government should develop Shanghai into maritime hub rather than HK. HK going down...


Central government does not directly control the developments of Shanghai or Hong Kong. What those two cities want to become is ultimately up to their respective local governments.


----------



## hkskyline

There is a greater push to develop secondary ports such as Ningbo and Tianjin. Besides, much of China's container port projects have Hong Kong investor participation. Doesn't hurt to diversify the revenue base at all.


----------



## gladisimo

hehe agent1 is another one of those people who have it against hk. 

Anyway. I agree with hkskyline. Diversity increases stability.


----------



## hkskyline

1/1/2008


----------



## hkskyline

*A new spin on the future of Kai Tak *
19 December 2007
South China Morning Post

Thousands of people could soon be getting airborne again at the former Kai Tak airport site, where architects have proposed building a horizontal Ferris wheel to rival the giant London Eye wheel and Paris' Eiffel Tower as a city icon. 

Intrernational architecture firm Aedas envisages the wheel, 100 metres up a leaning tower, would house bars and restaurants, with a lift taking visitors to an observation deck 100 metres higher. 

The project, which Aedas calls Hong Kong Spin, would cost between HK$1.5 and $2 billion to build, it says. 

Nigel Reading, the senior associate who came up with the design, described it as the Eiffel Tower and the London Eye "rolled into one". 

Its shape would combine the Chinese character for middle and the Greek letter phi, standing for symmetry, and would represent the fusion of eastern and western cultures to be found in Hong Kong. 

The Town Planning Board envisages a maximum building height of 175 metres at the former airport site in Victoria Harbour. 

However, Kyran Sze, Aedas' Hong Kong managing director, said the government had responded positively to the proposal. A feasibility study has yet to be carried out. Aedas' local projects include the Mandarin Landmark, Skyplaza at the airport, the Disneyland MTR station at Sunny Bay and Alexandra House retail. 

Mr Reading said some of the energy to run the attraction could be generated using wind turbines. 

A Tourism Commission spokeswoman said it would keep an open mind about the proposal. 

Wong Kam-sing, chairman of the Institute of Architects' board of local affairs, said Aedas' idea merited public discussion. "Take the successful example of the London Eye. No one commissioned the architect to build something like that. It was the architect who thought that London needed the design and suggested it. At last, it materialised and became world-famous," he said. 

Bernard Lim Wan-fung, architecture professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the public was against imposing tall structures on harbourfront sites such as Kai Tak. "We should think about whether Hong Kong really needs to build an icon," he said. "Isn't our Victoria Harbour our icon that we should try our best to protect and make more charming?" 

It is not the first time the construction of a Ferris wheel has been proposed on the former airport site. In 2000, the Territory Development Department issued plans to site a Ferris wheel at the tip of the old runway. 

In 2001, Wharf (Holdings) proposed building a 75-metre-high Ferris wheel at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.


----------



## Rachmaninov

Too bad we quite often have to follow the footsteps of other cities..


----------



## Letniczka

Rachmaninov said:


> Too bad we quite often have to follow the footsteps of other cities..


Absolutely!
Whatever should happen, I'll always miss my landings there. No other city could offer such a unique kind of "events", much more exciting than the craziest helter skelter on earth.


----------



## Cunning Linguist

What they should do -->


Reclaim the sea north of the runway. Turn it into a big **** off park with trees/grass/small sports areas, maybe an artificial river or some such. Beautify it.

Mix in a few low rise restaurants, boutiques, art shops, whatever. Maybe even have an outdoor/or indoor performance area.


----------



## Jim856796

A large stadium (which has about 80,000 or so seats) and some other sports facilities may be built on the former site of the airport. The stadium may replace the existing 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium. If the stadium is completed the Hong Kong stadium may be demolished to make way for a residential development.


----------



## Sexas

Letniczka said:


> Absolutely!
> Whatever should happen, I'll always miss my landings there. No other city could offer such a unique kind of "events", much more exciting than the craziest helter skelter on earth.


Kai Tak was the closest fighter jet landing feeling you can get from a 747


----------



## _00_deathscar

Jim856796 said:


> A large stadium (which has about 80,000 or so seats) and some other sports facilities may be built on the former site of the airport. The stadium may replace the existing 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium. If the stadium is completed the Hong Kong stadium may be demolished to make way for a residential development.


That shouldn't be allowed to go through.


----------



## hkskyline

Jim856796 said:


> A large stadium (which has about 80,000 or so seats) and some other sports facilities may be built on the former site of the airport. The stadium may replace the existing 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium. If the stadium is completed the Hong Kong stadium may be demolished to make way for a residential development.


I remember seeing that in the original plans before.


----------



## EricIsHim

Isn't that stadium still in the latest plan?


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
CEDD awards contract on decommissioning and decontamination works for Kai Tak development


----------



## Pax Sinica

*Preview*


----------



## hkskyline

*Heritage find could alter Kai Tak plans *
23 May 2008
South China Morning Post

Relics believed to be of a 130-year-old stone pier have been uncovered at Kai Tak during excavation for a heritage assessment of the former airport - a discovery that could lead to a change in development plans.

The Development Bureau said about 10 stone slabs had been found west of the former airport terminal building, where residential and commercial development is planned.

"Once they are confirmed as part of the pier, the government will consider possible options to preserve them," a spokeswoman said.

The slabs, thought to be part of a structure known as the Longjin Bridge - named after the Longjin River, as the Kai Tak nullah was once called - were dug up last month by the Civil Engineering and Development Department.

A Planning Department source said the department would adopt a flexible approach in preserving the relics, including changing planned land use. "It all depends on the scale of the preservation," the source said.

Formed with 100 stone slats, the pier was built between 1873 and 1875. It and the Kowloon Walled City were the only places kept by the Qing dynasty after Kowloon was ceded to Britain. The pier was covered by reclamation for housing in 1920.

According to the government's preliminary engineering study for the South East Kowloon Development, the pier was destroyed by the reclamation, except the first few sections at the landward end, buried under Prince Edward Road. Most of the site now lies under the western part of the old terminal building, the study says.

Conservancy Association campaign manager Peter Li Siu-man said it should be preserved in situ and connected with the Kai Tak nullah.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise hub 'needs 10 to 20 years' *
30 June 2008
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong needs at least one to two decades before it can fully develop its burgeoning cruise market, but in the meantime the government should give local operators more support, Asia Cruises president Benny Ki says.

"Hong Kong's cruise market has a long way to go," Mr Ki said. "The potential is there, although the market will probably take 10 to 20 years to mature."

Hong Kong is building terminal facilities at the former Kai Tak airport, which are due to open by 2012. Ocean Terminal, where passenger liners now berth, has a limited capacity and cannot accommodate the largest ships.

The government planned to announce the winning bid for the new terminal within the second quarter, a spokesman said.

Asia Cruises was set up in 1999 and operates Asia Star and Omar III. The twin-hull Asia Star is the world's biggest catamaran and was bought by casino tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun - an investor in Asia Cruises - from the Finnish government for nearly HK$500 million.

The ship can accommodate about 400 passengers and offers night cruises and itineraries to Shantou.

The Omar III cruise liner can take about 600 passengers and makes day and night excursions, as well as cruises to Shantou. Asia Cruises has no plans to sail to Macau.

"Everyone can see that there is already a demand here," Mr Ki said. "A cruise terminal is one of the infrastructures in a community that should be built regardless of the revenue it can generate."

Since last year, five international cruise liners have operated cruises out of Hong Kong and Mr Ki said local competition would only increase.


----------



## hkth

Oh, man! We have to re-tender again! hno:

From news.gov.hk:
Cruise terminal project to be re-tendered


----------



## hkskyline

*Tenders for cruise terminal scuppered *
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, July 10, 2008

Submissions by Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties for building the cruise terminal at Kai Tak have been rejected by the government, which will call for new tenders.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si- hang said the government will pay about HK$1.8 billion to HK$2 billion to the successful tenderer for site formation, government accommodation and the landscape deck in the cruise terminal - to be built at the former Kai Tak airport site - in order to increase the attractiveness of the project. 

He said the government planned to apply for funding from the Legislative Council Finance Committee in the fourth quarter and to invite tenders by the end of the year. 

The first berth is expected to commence operations in the second quarter of 2013, which is almost a year later than the original timetable. 

"Due to the change in the economic environment in the past few months, and also since neither of the tender submissions fully conformed with the requirements, we have decided to reject their submissions and cancel the tender," Ma said. 

A government source said one of the tenderers requested permission to develop an additional commercial site while the other proposed selling individual hotel rooms, which the government considered was similar to residential development.

The government now estimates the construction of the terminal to cost around HK$4 billion, about 20 percent more than last year's estimate. Originally, the government did not plan to pay for the project. To better monitor funding use, a government source said the HK$1.8 billion will be given to the successful tenderer in three stages.

Should the retender exercise fail, the government will develop the cruise terminal and then lease it to an operator. 

Sun Hung Kai, which submitted a tender with Star Cruise, said it is interested in studying the retender. Cheung Kong, which partnered with Ceres Terminals, did not respond. Wharf Holdings, which did not bid last time, said it will study the retender and reconsider its position.

Inbound Travel Association chairman Paul Leung Yiu-lam said he is disappointed with the delay. 

"Successful travel destinations such as Miami, Barcelona and Venice have allocated a lot of resources to cruise travel development," he said. "It is such a waste that Hong Kong has so many complementary facilities like good hotels and yet we have to wait for a cruise terminal." 

Sunflower Travel assistant general manager Anthony Chan Hung-cheong said cruise vacations are becoming more popular and there is a need for a world-class terminal.

Tourism Board chairman James Tien Pei-chun said he is disappointed with the delay and asked the government to consider whether the tender conditions are too strict.


----------



## hkskyline

*$2HKb carrot for cruise bidders
Kai Tak terms eased after terminal bids fail *
South China Morning Post

Taxpayers will have to put up a $2HK billion sweetener to entice developers to build a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak, after the two consortiums bidding for the project were yesterday knocked back for failing to meet the government's requirements.

The administration will tweak its requirements and invite fresh bids by the end of the year in the hope of salvaging the botched tendering exercise and keeping further delays to a minimum.

However, the first berth will open at least 13 months later than planned, and that could have wider ramifications. Wharf Holdings' lease on the city's only cruise liner berths, at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, runs out in 2012, and the terminal at the former airport site will not be ready until spring 2013 at the earliest.

The government is prepared to take on the project itself if it does not receive any acceptable bids, but warns that doing so will push up the cost of the project and delay it by at least another year and possibly longer.

In the hope of securing acceptable bids, the government now says it will reimburse the winning bidder for the cost of preparing the site and building government facilities - estimated in September last year at between $1HK.8 billion and $2HK billion.

However, given spiralling commodity prices, that figure is likely to rise, a government source said. Former Hong Kong Institute of Engineers president Greg Wong Chak-yan said it could increase to $2HK.2 billion.

The government will seek Legislative Council approval for the sum this year.

Inflation means the project is now expected to cost $4HK billion, two-thirds more than the government's 2006 estimate of $2HK.4 billion.

The tender for the project launched in November attracted bids from only two consortiums, led by developers Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong (Holdings). Both were rejected for going outside the tender requirements. One of them wanted to sell off hotel rooms individually while the other asked for up to 190,000 square metres more space for commercial development.

"Of course, between last November and the closing of the tender, the global macroeconomic environment had undergone some changes, causing the tenderers to ask for additional conditions in their tenders," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang said.

"For the sake of fairness and openness, we decided to retender the project."

Mr Ma said alternative berthing arrangements were in place to accommodate liners for as long as the new terminal was delayed.

Sun Hung Kai and Sino Land expressed interest in the fresh tender. Henderson Land Development and Star Cruises, partners of Sun Hung Kai in its rejected bid, said they would wait and see. Cheung Kong had not responded by last night.

Massimo Brancaleoni, a vice-president of the Costa Crociere cruise line, and Joseph Lam - who represents another line, Royal Caribbean, in Hong Kong - declined to comment until after today's regular quarterly meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Cruise Industry. Mr Lam said Asian cruise itineraries had not been planned beyond 2010.

Tourism Board chairman James Tien Pei-chun was disappointed both bids had been rejected and said the government's requirements might have been too tough.

He said inviting fresh bids would affect the city's tourism promotion.

"If we can't use the terminal in 2012, the cruise companies we are currently in talks with will have to make adjustments because they have to come a year later," Mr Tien said. "Of course, this is not that ideal."

Tourism sector lawmaker Howard Young said inviting new bids was the only option.


----------



## rockin'.baltimorean

i love this pic, hkskyline!!!kay:


----------



## Jim856796

_00_deathscar said:


> That shouldn't be allowed to go through.


I needed this stadium built. Where else in Hong Kong am I supposed to build my replacement stadium now? There ain't enough space in Hong Kong to build a huge sports complex.


----------



## EricIsHim

Two HKSAR Government issued Gazettes Published on Friday, 29/8/2008 No. 35 Vol. 12

Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370) as applied by section 26 of the Water Pollution Control (Sewerage) Regulation (Chapter 358, sub. leg.)--PWP Item No. 469CL--Kai Tak Development--Infrastructure at North Apron Area of Kai Tak Airport--Stage I Infrastructure Works for Public Housing Sites and Government Offices--(Notice under section 8(2) of the Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance as applied by section 26 of the Water Pollution Control (Sewerage) Regulation)

Roads (Works, Use and Compensation) Ordinance (Chapter 370) (Notice under section 8(2))--PWP Item No. 469CL Kai Tak Development--Infrastructure at North Apron Area of Kai Tak Airport--Stage 1 Infrastructure Works for Public Housing Sites and Government Offices


----------



## TallBox

Interesting posts above. 

What kind of infrastructure/experience requires 20 or 30 years to mature before you can have a cruise terminal? 

Surely it is 'simply'...
- berths for large ships
- maintenance (paintworks, catering, laundry) facilities for ships to use shoreside
- adequate hotel facilities for tourists
- experience in handling cruise ships and operations (can be brought from abroad??)

Not sure why it is a 20 year process?


----------



## hkskyline

TallBox said:


> Interesting posts above.
> 
> What kind of infrastructure/experience requires 20 or 30 years to mature before you can have a cruise terminal?
> 
> Surely it is 'simply'...
> - berths for large ships
> - maintenance (paintworks, catering, laundry) facilities for ships to use shoreside
> - adequate hotel facilities for tourists
> - experience in handling cruise ships and operations (can be brought from abroad??)
> 
> Not sure why it is a 20 year process?


There is a lot of decontamination work being done and I believe some land reclamation might be necessary as the runway itself may be too narrow to support the full development.

I actually haven't seen much about hotels and the facilities to support the cruise terminal yet. I wonder how those will complement this plan?


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise terminal transport plan *
(10-24 18:15)
Hong Kong Standard

There will be temporary transport facilities in place to connect the Kai Tak cruise terminal and other parts of the city by 2013 when the first berth is due to be completed.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said the government made a resolute and wise decision in shouldering the entire construction of the terminal before the financial tsunami struck Hong Kong.

Lau added the price tag of the project jumped from HK$2.4 billion to HK$7.2 billion because the HK$2.4 billion was intended as a subsidy to a development first intended to be private.

Meanwhile Lau will discuss with Walt Disney Company on the expansion of the Hong Kong Disneyland next month.


----------



## hkskyline

By *fatshe* :


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德中央冷凍系統14億元*
明報11月1日 星期六 14:00

環境局長邱騰華指，在啟德發展區設立中央冷凍系統將要14億元。

他指，預計2012和2013年，啟德發展區建築物陸續落成啟用，為整個區域提供冷氣，每年可節省8500萬度電，區內建築物亦不需建水塔，令整個區域得益，減少炭排放。


*啟德擬建水冷系統料省電三成半 *
(星島)11月1日 星期六 12:24

環境局局長邱騰華表示，今年年底或明年年初，推出一籃子改善空氣質素的方案，諮詢公眾；並出資在啟德 興建中央水冷系統，預計可為區內減少20至35%的用電量。 目前香港的空氣質素指標，早於80年代訂立，與世界衞生組織所訂的指標有相當距離，《2008-09年度施政報告》提出按部就班，達到世衛的階段性指標。 邱騰華今天（11月1日）出席電台節目時表示，目前本港的指標是每天排出每立方米350微克的二氧化硫，要減少三分二，才可達到世衞第1期標準，即每立方米125微克；雖然不容易，但必須達到，包括逐步轉用燃氣發電，取代燃煤。 說，今年年底或明年年初推出一籃子方案，諮詢公眾；市民需考慮處理那些問題，例如是否針對發電源頭、如何處理交通運輸及工商業的排放、市民願意付出多少代價及時間表等。 當局本立法年度內會提交法案，落實推行建築物能源效益標準；並出資在啟德發展區興建中央水冷系統，節省能源，有助達致目標。 透過設立區域供冷系統，預計可為區內減少20至35%的用電量，或8,500萬度電，每年的溫室氣體排放量，減少60,000噸；由於建築物毋須興建水塔，也可令天台的使用更靈活。 當局亦已預留1.5億元，資助大廈業主進行能源及二氧化碳排放綜合審計，以及3億元作改裝設施及提升能源效益工程費用的資助；計劃詳情容後公布。


----------



## hkskyline

*九龍灣地盤三級火個多小時後救熄*
(星島)10月18日 星期六 16:08

Video : http://hk.news.yahoo.com/video.html?url=/081018/11/8s7m.html










九龍灣一建築地盤18日下午發生三級火，個多小時後被救熄，初步消息指事件中無人受傷。消防正調查起火原因。現場是九龍灣啟福道宏天廣場對出一建築地盤，是啟德機場舊消防局。火警於下午一時十三分發生火警，並於下午一時二十六分升為三級，消防員動用六條喉及六隊煙帽隊進行灌救，火警於下午二時二十五分被救熄。起火地點接近舊啟德機場的跑道尾，現場一度有大量濃煙升上半空，維港對岸都清晰見到。消防事後表示，起火現場為一個空置貨倉，儲存塑膠水馬，所以起火時冒出大量濃煙。


----------



## hkskyline

By *1.21.6* from HKADB :


----------



## hkskyline

*維港東擬供郵輪中流碇泊*
11月20日 星期四 05:30

(星島日報報道)啟德郵輪碼頭啟用前，來港的巨型郵輪安排在將軍澳對開水域中流碇泊，但由於位置偏遠，對旅客不便，政府正與郵輪業研究在維港東面海岸，物色公眾碼頭供郵輪作中流碇泊；北角和觀塘海岸均有登岸點，有機會供郵輪旅客上落，以縮短他們的登岸時間。

啟德郵輪碼頭首個泊位在二○一三年啟用前，巨型郵輪來港時仍需要以不同方式停泊。旅遊事務署數字顯示，明年暫時預計有二十一班次的來港郵輪，未能停泊於尖沙嘴海運碼頭；若然未能安排於葵涌 貨櫃碼頭或堅尼地城招商局碼頭「埋岸」，可能需要選擇中流碇泊於將軍澳對開水域。

郵輪業諮詢委員會成員韋榮恩表示，郵輪以中流碇泊方式上落客，在海外也很常見，只是將軍澳的選址路途較為遙遠，旅客須搭近四十分鐘駁船登岸很不方便。他表示，隨着當局落實興建啟德郵輪碼頭，前機場跑道對開水域遲早也要展開挖泥工程，令維港日後有足夠水深讓郵輪進入，故業界早前向當局反映，希望加快展開有關挖泥工程，讓巨型郵輪可於內港位置中流碇泊，縮短旅客的登岸時間。

須足夠空間停旅巴

旅遊事務助理專員蘇貝茜接受訪問時表示，當局已因應業界建議，與海事處等部門考慮於多個水域作中流碇泊可行性，包括前機場跑道對開水域。她指出，郵輪下錨作中流碇泊後，會隨水擺動，因而較一般靠岸停泊要求更大水域空間，「以巨型郵輪鑽石公主號為例，料須大約直徑一公里水域空間。」

她又指出，新郵輪碼頭的船隻迴旋區，處於維港主航道及前機場跑道間，即使挖泥工程完成後，仍不足以容納瑪麗皇后二號或鑽石公主號等巨型郵輪安全碇泊，因此水面平靜及海域廣闊的將軍澳對開位置，仍是目前可用作中流碇泊的最合適地點。

不過，當局嘗試進一步改善現有的中流碇泊安排，旅遊事務署正與有關部門及旅遊業研究，為郵輪乘客在維港東面兩岸物色適合的登岸點，以縮短接駁渡輪的航程和時間。

該署高級經理盧錦欣表示，目前在灣仔至鯉魚門 的沿岸，尋找適合碼頭或公眾上岸梯級，黃埔、北角及觀塘沿岸也有類似的登岸設施，正與業界商討其中一至兩個地點，作為郵輪中流碇泊的駁船上岸點，但前提是不影響原有公眾碼頭運作。他又指出，駁船登岸點須適當配套設施作配合，因此會與運輸署研究，「讓旅客以最短路程前往觀光點是很重要，加上郵輪旅客眾多，因此會確保登岸點擁有足夠空間，可以停泊大量旅遊巴士，並且貼近主要公路。」


----------



## hkskyline

*受惠啟德發展 貧民區變天 *
28 November 2008
香港經濟日報 

過去九龍城曾經是一個貧民區，但是隨著啟德機場的發展，帶動區內商業活動，令該區成為美食天堂。

據了解，九龍城過去有不少舊式圍村聚集，較多人認識的包括鶴佬村，鶴佬本聚居廣東的歸善縣，即今天的海豐、陸豐、惠陽、惠東、五華等地，方言是潮州語。

客家族群聚居

與客家同時期進駐香港，他們最擅長打石，今香港各區墳場必定有他們的作業存在，由於他們來港的時候，族群比較少人，多聚居於九龍城。

至1930年機場工程始正式完成，為配合機場及周邊城市發展，以及行政管理的需要，九龍城多條街道如：賈炳達道、福佬村道、獅子石道、龍崗道、南角道等皆在1933年同時刊憲命名。

可以說，機場填海工程帶動著九龍城的發展，原有的歷史面貌如福佬人居住的村落已逐一消失，街道的名稱於是成為這段歷史的唯一證明。


----------



## Mzz(:

Great pics..

a cool airport for a cool city.


----------



## hkskyline

*北角觀塘上岸 可節省時間 維港東擬供郵輪中流碇泊 *
星島日報 
20 November 2008

啟德郵輪碼頭啟用前，來港的巨型郵輪安排在將軍澳對開水域中流碇泊，但由於位置偏遠，對旅客不便，政府正與郵輪業研究在維港東面海岸，物色公眾碼頭供郵輪作中流碇泊；北角和觀塘海岸均有登岸點，有機會供郵輪旅客上落，以縮短他們的登岸時間。 

啟德郵輪碼頭首個泊位在二○一三年啟用前，巨型郵輪來港時仍需要以不同方式停泊。旅遊事務署數字顯示，明年暫時預計有二十一班次的來港郵輪，未能停泊於尖沙嘴海運碼頭；若然未能安排於葵涌貨櫃碼頭或堅尼地城招商局碼頭「埋岸」，可能需要選擇中流碇泊於將軍澳對開水域。 

郵輪業諮詢委員會成員韋榮恩表示，郵輪以中流碇泊方式上落客，在海外也很常見，只是將軍澳的選址路途較為遙遠，旅客須搭近四十分鐘駁船登岸很不方便。他表示，隨着當局落實興建啟德郵輪碼頭，前機場跑道對開水域遲早也要展開挖泥工程，令維港日後有足夠水深讓郵輪進入，故業界早前向當局反映，希望加快展開有關挖泥工程，讓巨型郵輪可於內港位置中流碇泊，縮短旅客的登岸時間。 

須足夠空間停旅巴 

旅遊事務助理專員蘇貝茜接受訪問時表示，當局已因應業界建議，與海事處等部門考慮於多個水域作中流碇泊可行性，包括前機場跑道對開水域。她指出，郵輪下錨作中流碇泊後，會隨水擺動，因而較一般靠岸停泊要求更大水域空間，「以巨型郵輪鑽石公主號為例，料須大約直徑一公里水域空間。」 

她又指出，新郵輪碼頭的船隻迴旋區，處於維港主航道及前機場跑道間，即使挖泥工程完成後，仍不足以容納瑪麗皇后二號或鑽石公主號等巨型郵輪安全碇泊，因此水面平靜及海域廣闊的將軍澳對開位置，仍是目前可用作中流碇泊的最合適地點。 

不過，當局嘗試進一步改善現有的中流碇泊安排，旅遊事務署正與有關部門及旅遊業研究，為郵輪乘客在維港東面兩岸物色適合的登岸點，以縮短接駁渡輪的航程和時間。 

該署高級經理盧錦欣表示，目前在灣仔至鯉魚門的沿岸，尋找適合碼頭或公眾上岸梯級，黃埔、北角及觀塘沿岸也有類似的登岸設施，正與業界商討其中一至兩個地點，作為郵輪中流碇泊的駁船上岸點，但前提是不影響原有公眾碼頭運作。他又指出，駁船登岸點須適當配套設施作配合，因此會與運輸署研究，「讓旅客以最短路程前往觀光點是很重要，加上郵輪旅客眾多，因此會確保登岸點擁有足夠空間，可以停泊大量旅遊巴士，並且貼近主要公路。」


----------



## hkskyline

*Leisure liftoff sought for Kai Tak site *
8 December 2008
Hong Kong Standard

The government has been urged to open parts of the former Kai Tak airfield for recreation.

The call came from legislator Starry Lee Wai- king who told RTHK one of her aims as a district councillor was to turn a piece of unused land into a park. However this had failed to materialize because of constraints in trying to win approval as well as insufficient funds.

``The government's response to the Kai Tak proposal was negative simply because the land has been earmarked for development into a cruise terminal,'' said Lee, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

She said she cannot understand why the government has ruled out short- or medium-term use of Kai Tak even though the start of the cruise center project is still some years away.

Speaking on the Letter To Hong Kong program, Lee doubted the effectiveness of consumer coupons to boost spending, as proposed by the Liberal Party, because they would involve high administrative costs.

She believes the current annual budget of HK$300 million for local projects is sufficient.

``However, very often district councils have great difficulty getting approval for their projects, so they are delayed and opportunities to create jobs are missed,'' Lee said.

The DAB has proposed a HK$32.1 billion revitalization plan to create 20,000 jobs.

One suggestion is to raise the appropriation of capital works projects for district councils to HK$1 billion.

The party has also proposed a HK$500 million lucky draw to be supported by the government and private companies with homes, cars and holidays as prizes.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德明渠擬覆蓋除臭 *
10 December 2008
東方日報 

啟德發展區的建造工程明年初展開，涉及三百二十八公頃土地，工程預計可創造八萬三千八百多個就業機會。工程顧問公司的環境影響評估報告指出，啟德明渠臭味問題嚴重，建議覆蓋明渠、對明渠進行局部維修挖泥、在舊跑道北段開出一個六百米寬的缺口，改善明渠水流，並以生物除污法處理啟德明渠進口道和觀塘避風塘所積累的沉積物，但承認部分地方在最壞情況下仍會受臭味影響。另外，因應區內人口增加，觀塘初級污水處理廠需要進行改良工程，提升處理能力。

啟德工程亦會造成噪音滋擾，其中聖匠小學及文理書院部分時段的噪音水平，會達七十四至七十五分貝；住宅翔龍灣、囱景閣更達七十八分貝，南苑在二○一五年全年的噪音水平亦達七十二分貝。至於居民擔心多途體育館產生噪音滋擾，顧問認為可透過裝設伸縮屋頂或固定屋頂解決問題。

龍津碼頭遺址原地保留

另外，舊啟德機場的文物資源，如舊遠東飛行學校及魚尾石文物價值屬中等，但宋皇臺石刻文物價值高，若要遷移要進行適當保育，而早前在區內發掘到的龍津碼頭遺址，會原地保留。

啟德發展區除建造郵輪碼頭外，亦會興建公私營房屋、商用辦公室及酒店，樓宇高度上限為六十層，呈梯級狀發展，減低屏風效應。

政府會興建沙中線、環保運輸系統及地區冷卻系統等配套設施，預計工程在二○二○年後完成。


----------



## hkskyline

*Study plain sailing for proposed cruise hub *
11 December 2008
Hong Kong Standard

An environmental and impact study has given the proposed Kai Tak cruise terminal the all clear.

The study by engineering consultants Maunsell Aecom found emissions at residential areas from cars and cruise ships and industrial emissions from San Po Kong, To Kwa Wan and Kwun Tong would comply with current air quality objectives.

Although a planned industrial building on the development's south apron is expected to exceed the one-hour average objective set for sulfur dioxide, the analysis said this is tolerable as the building will be centrally air-conditioned.

The report also recommends central air system intakes for the 328-hectare project be at or below 40 meters above sea level to draw cleaner air.

A total of 1,363 trees will be felled and 887 transplanted, with 5,000 planted in new open spaces and about 1,000 on new roads.

The loss of sea views from nearby districts will be compensated by open space, of which 89.5 hectares will be developed and 1.4 hectares from neighboring areas, the report said.

Hot waste water and chlorine from an ambitious cooling system will only affect a localized area before being broken down.

A 600-meter gap will be opened at the northern section of the former airport runway to improve water circulation and accumulated sediment will be treated to combat odor.

An estimated 1.38 million cubic meters of seabed will be removed for the cruise terminal with another 350,000 cubic meters removed every five to 10 years for maintenance.

To combat traffic noise, the report recommends buildings be set back as far as possible from roads.

Noise barriers are set for some roads to mitigate the effects of a proposed light public transit system.

The report said sensitive areas of schools and housing estates should be also be away from roads.

Windows should be closed during construction to reduce noise.

Areas subject to construction noise include Buddhist Chi King, SKH Kowloon Bay Kei Lock, and Holy Carpenter Primary schools, along with Cognitio and Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College, Lee Kau Memorial School, CCC Kei To Secondary, South Mansion, HK Society for Blind Hostel Grand Waterfront and Hang Chien Court.

The site of the Old Far East Flying Training School, Fish Tail Rock, Sung Wong Toi Inscription Rock and Longjin Pier will be preserved or protected.


----------



## city_thing

hkskyline said:


> By *1.21.6* from HKADB :


Whoever designed the colour scheme for this orange & green building needs to be shot hno:

The land leftover by the closure of Kai Tak has so much potential - I really hope HK does something amazing with it.


----------



## hkskyline

city_thing said:


> Whoever designed the colour scheme for this orange & green building needs to be shot hno:
> 
> The land leftover by the closure of Kai Tak has so much potential - I really hope HK does something amazing with it.


It's a new residential. There are a few more tall ones in the area but I agree that colour is too sharp against the grit.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hope for $718m cruise terminal plans *
17 December 2008
Lloyd's List

SEVERAL false starts and criticism from cruise line executives have dogged plans by the Hong Kong government to develop a state-of-the-art HK$5.6bn ($718m) cruise terminal at the former airport at Kai Tak, writes Keith Wallis.

But there has been renewed hope that the complex will go ahead after officials pledged taxpayers’ cash for the scheme rather than rely on private sector investment.

This followed an abortive tender earlier this year when the government received just two bids, neither of which conformed to the tender requirements, for a franchise to build and operate the facility.

Instead, the government will seek funding approval possibly as early as next year from local lawmakers to build the two- or three-berth terminal, which will be capable of handling cruiseships up to 220,000 gt.

Commerce and Economic Development Bureau secretary Rita Lau said the first berth will come into operation in mid-2013, about 18 months later than planned.

The delay has already led to an increase in the cost of the terminal from HK$4bn to HK$5.6bn as a result of the rising price of construction raw materials, although given the global economic downturn it is possible the estimated cost could fall.

The go-ahead for the terminal is unlikely to stop criticism of Hong Kong’s lacklustre facilities for cruiseships. In October, the 115,875 gt Diamond Princess became the latest casualty of the inadequate facilities when the ship had to anchor in the harbour and passengers had to embark and disembark using pontoons and launches. Princess Holidays, the general sales agent for Diamond Princess, said dropping anchor in the harbour was equivalent to “dropping a diamond into the water”.

While the territory’s cruise facilities have come under the spotlight, Hong Kong’s ferry network with neighbouring cities in the Pearl River delta has continued to grow.

The latest additions have been made by Turbojet, which, with 31 vessels, already operates Asia’s largest fleet of jetfoils and high-speed catamarans on routes between Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen. In October, Turbojet took delivery of two 47.5 m catamaran ferries that were originally built by Western Australia-based Austal for fellow Hong Kong operator New World First Ferry.

The vessels, capable of operating at speeds of more than 42 knots and carrying 418 passengers, have been deployed on Turbojet’s regional routes including the Hong Kong-Macau service, which carried 17m passengers in 2007, and Macau-Shenzhen international airport.

Turbojet has continued to expand its fleet despite competition from Cotai WaterJets (Macao), which also operates 14 high-speed catamarans between Hong Kong and Macau mainly in support of the gambling-orientated resorts in Macau controlled by Las Vegas Sands.

Ten of the 47.5 m vessels were initially ordered by Cotai WaterJets (Macao) but the company placed an order with Austal for four further ferries, which will be delivered in the first half of 2009.


----------



## hkth

RTHK News:
Govt go-ahead for HK$103bln Kai Tak plan


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak takes off *
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Details of a long-awaited HK$100 billion plan to transform the Kai Tak airport site into a city-within-a-city with its own international cruise terminal were unveiled by the government yesterday.

Officials also expressed hope to fast- track the first phase of the government- bankrolled scheme by creating 1,500 jobs this year in a bid to ease the strain of the economic crisis.

To do this, the Legislative Council will be asked to release HK$3.3 billion from the public coffers in the second quarter of this year so that seven initial sub-projects can be started.

One of the key features of the plan for the 320-hectare site is to turn the notoriously pungent Kai Tak nullah into a pleasant, more open stretch of water.

Phase one is due to be completed by 2013 and includes the building of 13,000 public housing flats, three schools and a government office building on the north apron of the old airport. It will also contain the first berth of the cruise terminal, a park and a 200-meter long waterfront promenade along with a new cooling system. 

This phase - excluding the cruise terminal and runway park - will cost HK$15 billion. 

Key transport projects, including Route Six and the MTR Sha Tin to Central Link, will be included in the HK$66 billion phase two part of the scheme to be completed by 2016. 

The Kai Tak Approach Channel - better known as the Kai Tak nullah - will be cleaned up using bio-remediation treatment, the creation of a 600-meter wide opening in the former runway to improve water circulation in the channel and the interception of polluted discharges in the hinterland.

"The bio-remediation project is expected to commence in 2011," a government spokesman said, adding that they hoped a significant reduction in odor and improvement in water quality will be seen by 2014. 

The second phase will see the completion of the second berth of the cruise terminal, underground streets connecting the new development to Kowloon City and San Po Kong, and a heliport.

The HK$22 billion final phase is due to be completed by 2021. This will include a multipurpose stadium with more than 45,000 seats, sites for residential, commercial developments, a metro park and, perhaps, a monorail and bridge link to Kwun Tong waterfront. 

In a separate development, the government is seeking HK$988.3 million from Legco to implement 22 additional minor works projects, bringing the Capital Works Reserve Fund from HK$7.57 billion to HK$8.56 billion and creating 1,600 jobs. 

The government spokesman said: "These projects will provide jobs for Hong Kong workers returning from Macau." 

The projects include refurbishment of the exterior of 50 government buildings, renovation of aged protective surfaces of 500 slopes, the installation and retrofitting of energy-efficient facilities for various government departments, and provision of green roofs on 40 government buildings. 

Total cost of the projects is HK$1.6 billion, of which HK$990 million will be spent in 2009-2010.


----------



## The Terminator

From Mingpao (and my translations
The former Kai tak Airport will be undergoing massive renovation. The project will be completed in three stages. of which will be completed in 2013, 2016 and 2021 respectively. 

Phrase 1 will be a crusier port, a promaide along kuwn tong, and some residental developments.

Phrase 2 will be a cleanage of the current Kai Tak drain, which fouls the smell around it, a heliport, a commercial area and another cruiser port.

Phrase 3 will be a 24km square Metropolitan park, hotels and residental buildings on the former runway, and a multi use sports complex.

The project will also create 86,000 new jobs. The project is expected to cost around HKD 103 billion.


----------



## EricIsHim

Finally~~~


----------



## hkskyline

*Now create a harbour we can take pride in *
14 January 2009
South China Morning Post

After years of making and revising plans, the government has finally unveiled a development blueprint for the former Kai Tak airport site that looks set to go ahead. At long last, officials have come up with a viable plan that seems to have bypassed the sort of pitfalls and minefields that held up development of Tamar, the Central-Wan Chai bypass and the West Kowloon arts hub. Moreover, the economic climate has worsened, changing public sentiment. It is easier, now, for the government to push ahead with major infrastructure and development projects, given the need to provide work and stimulate the economy.

Along with West Kowloon, the 320-hectare Kai Tak site is the most valuable piece of vacant urban land we have, and one that does not have roads blocking access to our beautiful waterfront. We must make sure it stays that way. The site's development is important to the whole city, not only to those who will move to live there. One major concern is the relative geographic isolation of the site. Planners must ensure easy access for future residents, visitors and tourists. Its success will very much depend on accessibility.

There are two reasons why the latest blueprint will be acceptable to the public. First, the government will pay most of the bill, which will amount to more than HK$100 billion over 12 years. This will help the administration avoid any allegations of collusion with big business interests. Suspicions of this kind contributed to problems for the original plan for West Kowloon to be built by a single developer. The government was forced to backtrack and parcel out the site as individual projects for different bidders. The proposed cruise terminal, a major component of the Kai Tak site's development, was originally to be built and run by a single private operator. But several private bids failed to meet minimum government requirements. Now, the government will be the main builder.

Second, the government recognises the Kai Tak site amounts to a sub-district, so it has something for everyone: schools, public housing flats, private residential development, government offices, parks, a cleaned-up nullah to be turned into a river, a major stadium, tourist attractions and shopping malls. An MTR station connecting Sha Tin and Central will be built, and possibly a monorail. There is also the possibility of a bridge linking the tip of the runway to Kwun Tong. Questions have been raised about whether building this will contravene harbour protection laws against reclamation and block the flow of vessels. It must be carefully thought through.

With the latest blueprint, the government has made an attempt to avoid flaws in the way it had conducted previous public consultations. Since 2004, it has made extensive use of the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee to gauge opinions across different sectors regarding the Kai Tak development. In the past, critics have accused officials of failing to highlight the salient points and hiding the real agenda behind major public projects. In turn, officials have become upset that attempts at transparency have opened them up to attacks and criticism. So even now, Kai Tak's planners should listen to legitimate concerns about their project and, where possible, adopt changes that can bring improvement.

With the Kai Tak blueprint, all the major development plans are now in place. The future landscape of our city is taking shape. Our children will have to live with this for a long time. Let's now create a new harbourside of which Hong Kong can be proud.


----------



## icedragon

*hkskyline*, I appreciate your updates on Kai Tak. Cheers and thanks.


----------



## jim_ozora

What scale are of the residential buildings going to be? 

I really hope they don't go gung-ho and build massive 屏風樓 there, hope they
won't try to maximise profits for these visual eyesores. 
We deserve better !


----------



## hkskyline

By *nislrahc * from dchome :


----------



## darioperu

QUE BELLA CIUDAD!!


----------



## SilentStrike

i really really like this plan. How deep is victoria harbour?


----------



## Cunning Linguist

Victoria Harbour is famed for being deep - it is Hong Kong's only natural resource and is why the port sprang up in the first place.

I hope they reclaim the nullah and then put a moritorium on all reclamation for good. What's the point of having it there?


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong's battle to preserve waterfront *
5 February 2009
Financial Times

Six of the 14 stations on Hong Kong's Island underground railway line are named after bays or streams that no longer exist, obliterated decades ago by landfill projects that greatly diminished what had been one of the world's most beautiful harbours.

The government's original redevelopment plan for Kai Tak, the city's former airport, threatened to eradicate Kowloon Bay, the last vestige of the once spacious Victoria Harbour.

But when a 12-year, HK$100bn ($12.9bn, €10bn, £8.9bn) blueprint for Kai Tak was finally released last month, environmental activists were pleasantly surprised to find that the Hong Kong government had taken a "zero reclamation option".

"It is a major success - there will not be one square foot of reclamation," says Winston Chu, a solicitor who has led the fight to preserve what remains of the harbour. "This is the last bay left."

Mr Chu, who began his crusade in 1994 at the urging of his late mother, and his fellow campaigners owe much of their success to Hong Kong's independent judiciary and the rule of law, tools not available to would-be citizen activists in other Chinese cities.

Mr Chu has won five of seven lawsuits against the government. Another victory was the protection of the harbour bill adopted on the eve of the former British colony's return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. It declared that the harbour "is to be protected and preserved as a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong people, and for that purpose there shall be a presumption against reclamation".

Six years later, a legal test case set a high bar for proposed reclamations, saying they could proceed only if they met an "overriding public need". One that did is a bypass expressway to be built on the controversial Central and Wanchai (Cantonese for "Little Bay") reclamation, which is in full swing and will reshape the waterfront of Hong Kong's main business district.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's secretary for development, calls it "the final, final piece of reclamation - that's it".

"We respect the law," Ms Lam says. "We should do much better on enhancing the waterfront because Victoria Harbour is such a natural asset . . . It's also about respecting the history of the place." Much of the damage to Hong Kong's harbour was in fact done decades ago by British rulers trapped by huge development pressures in the cramped colony and their fiscal dependence on land sale revenues. Roughly half of Kowloon Bay was lost to reclamations completed by 1977; the new plan for Kai Tak will preserve the bay's remaining 300 hectares.

Mr Chu jokes that Hong Kong's former rulers, perhaps homesick for the Thames, set out to turn Victoria Harbour into Victoria river. He compares the government sanctioned erosion of the harbour that is the city's raison d'être and gave it its name - "Hong Kong" is Cantonese for "fragrant harbour" - to the slow but steady mastications of a silk worm. "It's only one small bite at a time - chomp, chomp, chomp - but then the leaf is gone," he says.

While activists pledge to remain vigilant of future landfill encroachments, their focus is turning to the revitalisation of Hong Kong's dispiriting waterfront. Public promenades are piecemeal and often truncated by industrial installations.

These waterfront wastelands contrast sharply with Hong Kong's world class natural park system, which encompasses almost half the territory's land area. When people seek solace and natural beauty, they head to the hills not the harbour.

"There's no vision for what the harbour might look like one day," says Margaret Brooke, who chairs the best practice committee at the Harbour Business Forum, a concern group backed by many of Hong Kong's leading companies.

"Providing a [continuous] promenade is going to be a nightmare because you've got so much engineering stuff on the harbour . . . We just have to improve it inch by inch. It's a dead economic asset at the moment."

Ms Lam agrees: "We have tended to put a lot of functional things by the waterfront." She says she maintains "an open mind" about the possible creation of a more powerful harbour authority. But she also defends the government's current "bits and pieces" approach to harbour development, citing an HK$18m project to pedestrianise a 200-metre stretch along Kowloon Bay. "We don't want to lose any opportunity to make improvements."


----------



## diddy

HK never cease to amaze me, always finding space where to create great urban environments! Go HK !


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak bidders sought *
7 March 2009
South China Morning Post

The government is inviting preliminary applications for the design and building of the cruise terminal building at Kai Tak.

Application details have been gazetted. Forms can be obtained from the Architectural Services Department and must be submitted by March 31. The department will then "prequalify" four candidates to take part in the tender exercise.

The Tourism Commission said it was working simultaneously to prepare for the invitation of tenders for the site formation and the cruise terminal building. The move will shorten the construction lead time.

The government will seek funding approval from the Legislative Council later this year for carrying out the site formation work, which is expected to begin before the end of the year. It is hoped the first berth can begin operation by mid-2013.

A Development Bureau spokesman said the 320-hectare development would include residential and commercial buildings, a sports stadium, a cruise terminal and a park. The site has been vacant since the new airport opened in 1998.

The Kai Tak project - drawn up 10 years ago with plans to reclaim about 200 hectares - underwent a major review in 2004 after a court ruled that harbour reclamation had to pass a test of overriding public need. The development scale was reduced to avoid reclamation, and building heights were lowered.


----------



## hkskyline

*Green issues spur rethink of Kai Tak bridge project *
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The government is having second thoughts about the proposed bridge connecting the former Kai Tak airport southern runway to Kwun Tong because of harbor reclamation concerns, it was claimed yesterday.

The proposed bridge over the Kwun Tong typhoon shelter was set to connect the old town with the Kai Tak redevelopment and at the same time support the environment-friendly monorail system.

But the government is now looking for an alternative route or the possibility of extending the rail system by connecting the monorail to the Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay MTR stations, the source said.

The monorail system is a part of the final stage of the Kai Tak development targeted to be completed in 2021. 

Meanwhile, the government plans to ask the Legislative Council in May for HK$1.185 billion to start four public works projects for the Kai Tak development.

Work on the first two projects may begin in the summer, and all four projects are expected to create 739 jobs.

Infrastructure at the north apron area of the old airport will cost HK$564.9 million. It includes the construction of new roads; the realignment of Concorde Road and the extension and widening of Kai Wah Street; construction of footbridges; improvements to existing subways; and the construction of box culverts.

The second project, costing HK$538.1 million, will cover advance infrastructure works at the southern runway including the construction of new roads; improvements to the existing bridge, roads and junctions; construction of a fireboat berth; and a sewage pumping station.

The third and fourth programs are design and consultancy works costing HK$50 million and HK$32 million, respectively.

The Legco panel on development will discuss funding approval Tuesday.

Applications for three other projects - a district cooling system, sewage system in Kowloon City and Truck Road T2 - have been submitted to the panels on environmental affairs and transport.


----------



## hkskyline

*Plan for Kai Tak monorail may be extended into east Kowloon *
25 March 2009
South China Morning Post

Residents of Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong may be able to commute to the future Kai Tak City by monorail under the latest plan for bridging the gap between east Kowloon and the former airport site.

A monorail is already proposed to run the length of the new city, from the tip of the former runway in the south to Kai Tak MTR station in the north.

Now the Civil Engineering and Development Department is looking into whether it could be extended to east Kowloon.

A new bridge had been planned from the tip of the old runway to Kwun Tong but a recent study by the department found this might not be feasible in the short term because the construction could infringe the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.

"To allow vessels to pass under the bridge, it would have to be very high, which is not very user-friendly," a spokesman for the Development Bureau said.

As an alternative, the department is studying the feasibility of extending the monorail to neighbouring areas, including Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong, across an existing bridge.

The preferred route would be from the MTR stations in Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay to Kai Tak station on the Sha Tin-Central Link. The rail system is expected to be completed in 2021, subject to the detailed design.

"The extended rail link looks more user-friendly and it serves the same purpose, strengthening the connection of old and new districts," the bureau's spokesman said.

But the spokesman said the study was still at a preliminary stage and a lot of problems had to be solved to implement the plan.

He said the government had to ensure streets in old areas were wide enough for the monorail.

Construction work on the monorail could also be complicated by the busy road traffic and the public utilities carried underground.

The Development Bureau will seek funding of HK$1.18 billion from the Legislative Council for the infrastructure and detailed design of Kai Tak, including a study of the monorail. The infrastructure is expected to be completed in three phases: public housing, cruise terminal and waterfront promenade in 2013; residential development, underground street to Kowloon City and San Po Kong, heliport and Kai Tak station in 2016; and monorail, stadium complex, remaining residential and commercial developments, and the last stage of the district cooling system in 2021.

The first phase is expected to commence in July this year.


----------



## hkskyline

*Panel smells trouble for Kai Tak nullah plan *
1 April 2009
Hong Kong Standard

The stench of the infamous Kai Tak nullah could blight a cruise terminal planned for the site, lawmakers fear _ despite claims by government engineers that they can clean it up.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat fears the lingering odor will drive tourists away.

He outlined his worries as the Legislative Council's panel on development began discussions on giving the green light to HK$1.185 billion in funding for four public works programs to transform the old airport site.

One of the programs is made up of site investigations and design of the environmental improvement works in the Kai Tak Approach Channel and Kwun Tong typhoon shelter.

It also includes bioremediation treatment, or the clean-up of contaminated sediment, and the creation of a 600-meter-wide opening on the former runway.

The majority of lawmakers said they have reservations about the government's claim because odor problems in Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter, Belcher Bay in Sai Wan and Sha Tin's Shing Mun River are still bothering residents after years of work.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Chan Kam-lam said the party supports the projects in principle. But the Kowloon City District Council and residents of To Kwa Wan are worried that once a 600-meter opening is created on the northern runway, the sediment will flush to To Kwa Wan causing a stench.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department said tests on a sample obtained from the Kai Tak Approach Channel and a computer simulation showed satisfactory results.

The department will not create the opening unless repeated tests prove the To Kwa Wan neighborhood will not be polluted.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the government will continue to listen to public opinion.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise ships in HK set to get a wholelot bigger even before Kai Tak's ready *
10 April 2009
South China Morning Post

A leading Europe-based cruise operator plans to base bigger, more modern liners in the city and may do so as soon as 2011 - though they will have to dock at container terminals until the first berth at the new Kai Tak cruise terminal is ready in 2013.

Italy's Costa Crociere cruise line plans to base ships weighing between 90,000 gross tonnes and 115,000 gross tonnes in the city.

Until now, the biggest cruise liner to have been based in the region is Royal Caribbean's 79,491 tonne Rhapsody of the Seas, though it was replaced by a slightly smaller ship that can more easily dock at existing terminals in the region, including Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The European line's 28,400 tonne, 800-passenger Costa Allegra has operated from Hong Kong since 2006. Yesterday, the line's 53,000 tonne Costa Classica arrived to begin service. A second 53,000 tonne liner, the Costa Romantica, will replace the smaller Allegra in May next year.

Although these ships can dock at Ocean Terminal, bigger liners such as the 105,000 tonne Costa Magica, have to berth at the container port in Kwai Chung or anchor in the middle of Victoria Harbour.

The limited berths at Ocean Terminal also mean that not all ships can dock there when they want to. The arrival of the Costa Classica meant the Costa Allegra would have to berth at Kwai Chung today, Massimo Brancaleoni, Costa's vice-president of Asia-Pacific operations, said.

He hopes Costa's bigger liners will be based in Hong Kong "very soon".

"But for sure, it will not be in 2010," he added.

"If we find the same kind of growth rate that we had in the past years, maybe we can consider starting in 2011. But this decision will only be taken in the coming six to eight months because I need to see how active the bookings are for Romantica in 2010."

Costa has cut prices by single-digit percentage points because of the economic downturn, but Mr Brancaleoni said the outlook for the cruise industry was "pretty good".

The government has decided to build a cruise terminal at the former Kai Tak airport after rejecting tenders from the private sector to build it. The first berth is expected to be ready by mid-2013, though terminal facilities may not be completed until 2015.

Singapore expects to complete its International Cruise Terminal next year. It will have two berths capable of accommodating ships nearly twice as big as the largest liners Costa is planning to send to Hong Kong - the 220,000 tonne Genesis-class vessels operated by Royal Caribbean.


----------



## hkskyline

* Speak out for Kai Tak promenade *
15 April 2009
South China Morning Post

Would you like to enjoy an outdoor dining experience on the waterfront of the former Kai Tak airport - the last large piece of undeveloped urban land in Hong Kong?

If the answer is yes, now is the time to speak out, suggests Ah Pak.

Eric Wong Chun-yu, a co-head of Asia property research at UBS, supports an e-mail campaign launched by Designing Hong Kong, a group founded by four individuals including Christine Loh Kung-wai, the chief executive of think-tank Civic Exchange, to oppose the government's current intentions for the site.

There will be no outdoor dining under the government proposal since 80 per cent of the site will be given over to roads.

"Recent international studies showed that every great harbour front, whether in Singapore, Sydney, Vancouver or Cape Town, have roads away from the waterfront. Properties shield the waterfront promenade and provide facilities for culture, entertainment, restaurants and marine support," the group said. "A promenade could be used by pedestrians and cyclists for leisure, recreation, with facilities for outdoor seating and boating."

The solution: just set back the roads from the waterfront and follow the example of successful waterfronts around the world.

Mr Wong declares he is not a member of Designing Hong Kong but shares their view by forwarding the e-mail to friends, relatives, and people of influence to spread the idea.

The roads and the upgrading of the existing taxiway bridge will cost HK$1.1 billion of public money.


----------



## altuzarra27

The Development Bureau will seek $1.185 billion for the Kai Tak Development's detailed design and construction, and the detailed design of environmental improvement works to the Kai Tak approach channel.

casas rurales en tarragona |casas rurales en granada |casas rurales en cadiz |casas rurales en alicante


----------



## hkth

HK Gov't Press Release:
Infrastructure Works at Kai Tak North Apron gazetted

Tenders invited for infrastructure works for Kai Tak Development


----------



## jhalsey

Could put a few good sized skyscrapers there.


----------



## Halawala

You could have a Sheik Zayed Road-style development in that area. For those not familiar with SZR, its basically a road in Dubai lined with skyscrapers.


----------



## Fei Jie

Come on! FAI DI LA!!!!!


----------



## hkskyline

*$100m to blow our way as mainlanders cruise in *
20 April 2009
Hong Kong Standard

Hong Kong may land an extra HK$100 million a year in a central government plan that will allow mainland tourists to visit the SAR while on Taiwan cruises.

National Tourism Administration director Shao Qiwei, at Boao Forum on Hainan Island, said yesterday he had discussed cruises to several ports including Hong Kong with Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.

"The central government has allowed mainland tourists to take Hong Kong- based cruises to Taiwan," Shao said. Cruise operators are mainly based in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"We are considering cruise trials from selected ports, including Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian, Hainan, and Xiamen."

Tourists may visit Hong Kong before going to Taiwan or after returning to the mainland, Shao said.

But he said many details need to be worked out, including immigration and customs matters, to ensure the business is sustainable and of long-term economic benefit.

"Tourists will stay in the cruise ships but not hotels, which means we need comprehensive facilities.''

Most cruise ships berth at Ocean Terminal, which can accommodate vessels of up to 500,000 tonnes. It cannot cater for larger vessels such as the world's second-largest liner, the 151,400-tonne Queen Mary II, which was forced to berth at Kwai Chung container terminal.

The government is building a cruise terminal at Kai Tak but it is scheduled for completion in 2013.

A fewer-than-expected 170,000 mainland tourists visited Taiwan from January to March.

Shao said cross-strait direct flights have just started and it will take time for numbers to grow.

Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association chairman Simon Hau Suk-kei urged the government to build the Kai Tak terminal sooner.

"There will be an annual increase of 20,000 to 30,000 mainland tourists visiting Taiwan when the cruise tours begin. This will translate to an extra HK$100 million of annual economic benefit to Hong Kong," Hau said.

More than 16 million mainland tourists visited Hong Kong last year.

Separately, Premier Wen Jiabao offered a list of sweeteners to Hong Kong on Saturday after talks with Tsang.

They include expanding the number of institutions allowed to issue yuan- denominated bonds, the launch of more bond funds, letting Hong Kong companies in Shanghai and Guangdong use SAR assets as collateral for loans, aiding the distribution of products from Hong Kong-owned factories in the mainland, and expanding access for Hong Kong firms to accountancy, education and training in the mainland.


----------



## hkskyline

*Work on Kai Tak terminal has to go full speed ahead, say cruise operators*
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Cruise operators and the tourism sector have called on the government to speed up work on the Kai Tak cruise terminal and implement interim measures so Hong Kong can cash in on an expected surge in mainland passengers.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai- lan has vowed to improve Hong Kong's soft infrastructure and move full speed ahead on the project, at which the first berth is expected to open in 2013.

Beijing has announced plans to allow mainland tour groups to travel from here to Taiwan on Hong Kong-based cruises. A government spokesman said it is in talks with Beijing on when and how the policy will be implemented. 

Half a million mainlanders boarded cruises in Hong Kong last year, but the majority were interested only in overnight gambling, tourism board figures show. Just 80,000 traveled elsewhere. 

Inbound Tours Operators' Association chairman Simon Hau Suk-kei expects the policy to bring more than 200,000 mainland tourists - with a spending power of HK$1 billion a year - to Hong Kong. Hau called on the government to help cruises and the ferries carrying passengers to shore to find room for embarking and disembarking at cargo terminals and piers before the completion of the Kai Tak terminal.

Royal Caribbean International operated itineraries between Hong Kong and Taiwan in February, March and April last year and has one cruise using Hong Kong as home port every season. Its representative Joseph Lam Shu-tak said Beijing's plan is good news. 

Star Cruises operates five trips a year between Hong Kong and Taiwan. Its spokesman urged the government to enhance communication with the sector on dealing with issues such as high oil prices, facilities and pricing.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong set for Taiwan cruise boost *
21 April 2009
Lloyd's List

HONG Kong is expecting to pick up substantial new business if the Chinese government gives the green light to cruiseships from Taiwan making calls in Hong Kong, writes Sandra Speares.

Local press reports suggest that China’s central government will allow tourists from mainland China to take cruises from Hong Kong to Taiwan.

Hong Kong has been keen to boost its cruise business with development of a new terminal at Kai Tak, the site of the old airport. The Hong Kong tourism administration is understood to be considering trial cruises from a number of mainland Chinese ports, including Shanghai, Dalian and Qingdao.

Hong Kong’s cruise development will concentrate initially on a 7.6 ha site earmarked at the southern end of the runway. Land next to the cruise terminal is scheduled for development of tourism-related facilities, such as hotels, shopping malls and conference facilities, as Hong Kong seeks to develop a one stop shop to encourage turnaround cruise business. The cruise terminal is scheduled to be completed in four years’ time, following a tender process.


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德鐵路擬接九龍灣觀塘*
3月25日 星期三 09:55

【明報專訊】政府研究未來於啟德發展區興建的環保鐵路運輸系統，打算伸延至九龍灣、觀塘舊區，作為活化新舊區之間的聯繫；但連接機場跑道與觀塘區的鐵路橋工程，可能觸犯《保護海港條例》，或要以其他路線代替。

啟德發展計劃橫跨2013至2021年，2021年區內環保運輸系統就會建成，發展局早前表示，屬意興建單軌鐵路，但原定路線只在啟德兩岸行駛。政府消息人士昨日指出，九龍灣和觀塘的地區人士有意見，希望鐵路延至區內，故政府正考慮更改鐵路走線。

政府消息人士說，延伸鐵路擬採高架路方式，由將來的港鐵啟德站，連接現時的九龍灣站和觀塘站，由於兩區屬已發展的舊區，故要小心考慮高架路、車站等的落點，目前未決定具體走線。

往觀塘天橋或觸《保護海港條例》

現時啟德機場跑道已有一條橋連接九龍灣，原是飛機滑翔跑道，消息人士說，只要略為改建就可供鐵路行走；而跑道南端連接觀塘的天橋，則可能難產。消息指出，《保護海港條例》規定，不可阻礙船在維港航行，而該處卻是通往觀塘避風塘必經航道，當局會研究是否可行，必要時放棄興建，改在九龍灣繞路往觀塘。


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/middlehill/


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/samuelng/06052009


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
LCQ2: New cruise terminal at Kai Tak


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak residents want flying club out of district after helicopter crash *
21 May 2009
South China Morning Post

More than 90 per cent of the residents who live near the former Kai Tak airport in Kowloon City want the Hong Kong Aviation Club - located next to the airport site - to move out, a survey has found.

The Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood interviewed 243 residents between May 4 and May 16 - just days after a chopper crashed into a parked tour bus in the district on May 1. Some 84 per cent of those polled said they were affected by the club's flight activity, while 83 per cent were worried a similar accident could happen again.

Rosanda Mok Ka-han, the association's vice-president and a Kowloon City district councillor, said noise from the flight activity had bothered residents for years. "The May 1 accident is a wake-up call. The population in the district keeps increasing. It is dangerous to allow flying activity in the district," she said.

The helicopter carrying pilot Ng Shu-keung, 48, and his son, Ng Yu-hin, smashed into the front of the bus about 100 metres from where the aircraft was scheduled to land at the club in Sung Wong Toi Road.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department said an investigation into the accident was still under way and a report was expected to be completed early next month. "We have also issued a notice to the club to suspend flight activity at the site until further notice," he said.

Yolanda Wong, the club's general manager, said the club understood residents' concerns.

"Safety of those flying in the air and those on the ground has always been our top agenda. Flight activity is regulated by the Civil Aviation Department and we have to follow guidelines too," she said.

"We hope the residents understand that our work is more than just flying helicopters. We also do lots of aviation education for members of the public."

About 4,000 people - including children - had registered to visit the club during the summer holiday, she said. "But they might be disappointed when they come, as flight activity has been suspended after the accident and we don't know when flying can be resumed."


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise ships to get on-shore power supply *
12 June 2009
South China Morning Post

The planned terminal for cruise liners at Kai Tak will be one of just a few in the world to offer on-shore power supply to ships - an environmentally friendly alternative to keeping the vessels' engines running.

"Previously when a cruise liner anchored at a terminal, its electricity generator had to keep running, so there would be some emissions [of pollutants such as] carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide," CLP Power director Paul Poon Wai-yin said yesterday after the topping-out ceremony for the first electricity substation at the Kai Tak site.

"But with the on-shore supply system, liners get electricity on shore and can switch off the generators so that there will be no emissions {hellip} in the city centre," he said.

Cruise liners mainly used diesel to generate electricity, Mr Poon said, while the power company used more environmentally friendly resources - apart from coal - such as natural gas and nuclear power.

Another advantage of the on-shore system was its reliability.

Five power substations will be built at Kai Tak. Apart from the cruise terminal, the facilities will also supply energy to nearby government offices, the Sha Tin-to-Central MTR link, the district cooling system, and residential and commercial projects.

The first substation is expected to be commissioned in mid-2012.


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f40/peace6/


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德不填海 造價貴30億 *
19 June 2009
文匯報 (香港)

【本報訊】啟德郵輪碼頭落實興建，政府最快會於8月就跑道平整工程招標，包括移除跑道兩邊的防波海堤。惟消息人士表示，當局為免牴觸《保護海港條例》，舊啟德機場跑道兩旁的防波海堤不會採用填海方式填平，政府建議將整幅海堤由水面至海床削走，之後加建樁柱，直插海床，上面則興建碼頭設施。業界估計填海需8至10億元，但削堤則貴2至3倍，造價最多需40億元。

昔日讓飛機升降的啟德跑道，至2013年會陸續變身成為有2個泊位的郵輪碼頭，首先要解決的是跑道兩旁的防波海堤，傾斜的海堤原本是用來擋大浪的衝力，保護跑道。不過，日後會阻礙郵輪泊岸，要解決此問題，較為簡單又便宜的方法是填海，將當中的三角位填平，業界估計所填的闊度約是30米。

削堤加樁再建碼頭

但有傳媒引述消息人士指出，因為難以證實填海有凌駕性需要，並不符合《保護海港條例》可能引起訴訟，建議將整幅海堤由水面至海床削走，之後加建樁柱，直插海床，上面則興建碼頭設施，業界估計填海需8至10億元，但削堤則貴2至3倍。

避法律爭議免誤時

工程師學會會長黃耀新表示，削堤是可行方法，亦不是最昂貴的方法，贊成盡量保護海港。而俯瞰下去，海港面積沒有縮細，其他陸地面積亦沒有增大，相信較符合法例上要求。學會認為，為了保護海港，多花公帑亦是值得。

早於2004年保護海港協會就灣仔北填海區上訴，終審法院裁定城規會錯解《保護海港條例》的法律定義，訂下維港填海準則，訂明必須通過「有凌駕性公眾需要」單一測試，而「公眾需要」即指經濟、環境和社會影響需要。其中，啟德郵輪碼頭的填海工程受《保護海港條例》規範，為免牴觸及引起法律爭議，填海時需考慮「有凌駕性公眾需要」及「其他合理選擇」，包括金錢成本、時間及引起延誤。


----------



## hkskyline

*HK slow to join Asian cruise ship gravy train *
6 July 2009
South China Morning Post

Hong Kong is among the last of the major Asian ports to develop a terminal that can handle the world's largest cruise ships, which means planning the itineraries for such liners is not likely until 2011 at the earliest.

The government's planned cruise terminal will be at the former Kai Tak airport site, with the first berth scheduled to be ready by mid-2013. However, terminal facilities may not be completed until 2015. Singapore is on track to complete its International Cruise Terminal next year. Itinerary planning for cruises usually starts about two years in advance.

Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, said several factors had to be considered.

"If the new terminal in Hong Kong is ready to take ships in mid-2013, then during the year 2011 into early 2012 will be the decision time for us. How do we take advantage of this facility? We have little more than two years from now to see how Legend of the Seas performs, how the market in Asia is performing overall, where we think Hong Kong fits into the strategic picture medium-to-long-term, and what other infrastructure development there is in the region.

"One thing about the cruise industry is it's regional in nature. The home ports are key but you can't be an effective home port if there aren't great ports of call to visit."

US cruise operator Royal Caribbean will deploy its Legend of the Seas in the region for a year from November. At about 70,000 gross tonnes and capacity for more than 2,000 passengers, Legend of the Seas is the smallest ship in its fleet. By the end of next year, the fleet will have 22 ships, 14 of which will be between 90,000 and 220,000 gross tonnes; its Oasis of the Seas is the world's biggest cruise ship.

Hong Kong's new cruise facilities are designed to handle ships like the 6,000-passenger Oasis of the Seas, set to be in service in five months. Mr Goldstein said Royal Caribbean strove to have all passengers embark or disembark within 15 minutes.

At Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Oasis of the Seas would initially sail from, there were 90 immigration counters to process incoming passengers and 24 customs counters, although this was not necessarily what Hong Kong needed, he said.

At present, ships larger than Legend of the Seas cannot dock at Ocean Terminal and are usually diverted to the container terminal in Kwai Chung or have to anchor in the middle of the harbour.


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbarkey/sets/72157620907047119/


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.pbase.com/specialteam


----------



## hkskyline

*Tenders invited for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development work *
Friday, July 17, 2009
Government Press Release

The Civil Engineering and Development Department today (July 17) invited tenders for site formation works for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development.

The scope of the project "Site Formation for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Development" comprises construction of an 1,100-metre-long seawall, two alongside berths and necessary mooring and fender systems, including 850m-long berthing structures and about 150m-long associated transition structures at two ends, for berthing of cruise vessels.

It also provides for a 35m-wide apron area along the berthing length, and dredging of adjoining seabed to allow manoeuvring and berthing of cruise vessels with deep drafts.

The works are scheduled to begin this December with target commission of the first berth to receive cruise vessels in mid-2013. The remaining works will be completed in 2014.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department has commissioned Scott Wilson Ltd to design and supervise the construction works.

The invitation to tender was gazetted today and the closing time of the tender will be noon on August 28.


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong invites cruise terminal tenders *
21 July 2009
Lloyd's List

OFFICIALS have formally invited tenders for the construction of two berths and associated facilities as part of Hong Kong’s HK$5.6bn ($718m) cruise terminal at the city’s former international airport, writes Keith Wallis in Hong Kong.

Construction contractors have until August 28 to submit their bids for the Hong Kong government-funded scheme, which has been designed by marine engineering consultancy firm Scott Wilson.

Under the plans, contractors will build an 850 m long berthing structure that will be capable of handling two cruiseships together with mooring and fender system offshore from the former airport’s old runway. There will also be a 1,100 m long sea wall and two 150 m link structures to connect the berthing piers with the shore. Extensive dredging will be carried out to create a turning basin and deepen the harbour alongside the terminal.

Work is due to begin in December in time for the first berth to handle its first cruiseship in mid-2013. This is about 18 months later than was originally planned when the terminal was first proposed in 2006.

The first berth will be capable of handling cruiseships up to 220,000 gt.

The Tourism Commission, which is co-ordinating development of the terminal, is also preparing to invite tenders for the design and construction of the main 103,140 sq m cruise terminal building and ancillary facilities. Construction is expected to take about 30 months.


----------



## hkth

Gov't Press Release:
CEDD (Civil Engineering and Development Department) awards contract for Kai Tak development infrastructure works (with photo)


----------



## GuiH

HK is awesome !!


----------



## hkskyline

*New home arising. An exhibit showing plans for the old Kai Tak airport area has...*
29 July 2009
South China Morning Post

New home arising. An exhibit showing plans for the old Kai Tak airport area has opened at the Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery. The model has been set up across 460 square metres in the Murray Road multi-storey car park building while the permanent venue at City Hall undergoes expansion. It will serve until the five-storey gallery opens in 2012. The model includes interactive displays featuring railways, new towns, heritage works and harbour developments.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cool savings as Kai Tak project sets green trend *
The Standard
Tuesday, December 08, 2009

The HK$1.67 billion district cooling system set to be installed at the Kai Tak development is expected to cut electricity consumption by up to 35 percent compared to traditional air- conditioning systems.

The eco-friendly cooling system can cover 1.73 million square meters and cool 30 40-story buildings. It is expected to save up to 850 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 18,000 households.

It can also reduce 59,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide - equivalent to the emission from 9,000 people.

It will cool all government buildings and government- funded facilities such as schools and hospitals. 

The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in time for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal's opening in 2013.

"Once the land for private development is sold, the government will encourage developers to adopt the system as well," Principal Assistant Secretary for the Environment Katharine Choi Man-yee said yesterday.

She said the exact tariff rate will need approval from the Legislative Council, but she is confident the system will appeal to private developers.

The system's massive ground level plant in the north of the Kai Tak development and an underground plant in the south will make chill water which will be distributed to buildings through underground pipes. Heat exchangers at each building will then turn the chilled water into cool air. 

"Extra spaces such as rooftops can be turned into gardens and the heat island effect can be reduced," Assistant Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services Alfred Sit Wing-hang said.

The tender process will end early next year and construction will begin immediately. The second and final phases will be completed by 2016 and 2021, respectively. 

The same cooling system is being considered for the West Kowloon cultural district project.


----------



## hkskyline

12/6


----------



## hkskyline

*Asian Games bid 'more likely' *
15 December 2009
SCMP

The success of the East Asian Games has strengthened official resolve to explore the possibility of Hong Kong staging the 2019 Asian Games.

Tsang Tak-sing, the Secretary for Home Affairs, said yesterday he was confident the territory could stage a successful Asian Games in 10 years, and also promised that the new sports hub, which will include a new stadium at the former Kai Tak airport site, would be ready by then.

"These East Asian Games have shown us what benefits hosting an Asian Games will bring to Hong Kong, but we have to listen to the people and we would have to devote a substantial amount of resources to it," said Tsang, the government's top sports official.

"But first, a decision [to make a bid for 2019] has to be made by the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee. We can only act after a formal decision has been taken, for right now we have only spoken informally."

Hong Kong Olympic chief Timothy Fok Tsun-ting was bullish about a 2019 bid, but said he would wait until the dust settled from the East Asian Games euphoria before assessing whether to go ahead with plans to host the bigger Games.

"The success of the East Asian Games shows we have got a mandate from the government as well as the public to host the 2019 Asian Games. But I know quite a few countries have expressed interest in hosting these Games and we will have to assess everything before making a decision," Fok said.

It is believed that Manila, Dubai and Taipei were all interested in hosting the 2019 Asian Games.

Hong Kong made an unsuccessful bid - which cost HK$15 million - to host the 2006 Asian Games, losing out to Doha, Qatar.

The next Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou next year, while the 2014 event will be held in Incheon, South Korea. The Asian Games cycle will be changed then, with the 18th edition to be held a year late, in 2019, so that it falls a year before the Olympics.

While only nine countries and regions took part in 22 sports in Hong Kong's first multi-sports event over the past fortnight, the Asian Games will feature about 40 sports and about 44 countries, which means Hong Kong will need extra facilities.

Tsang promised that the sports hub on the old airport site - part of the government's HK$100 billion Kai Tak development project - which would include a 45,000-seater stadium, would be ready.

"We will have the facilities in place by then. The Kai Tak sports hub will be finished by 2017, or no later than 2018," Tsang said.

Tsang was also pleased at the medal tally won up the local athletes - 100 medals, including 26 golds.

"I'm especially pleased that we won a gold medal in team sports - in soccer - for the first time at an international games," he said.

Hong Kong beat Japan in a penalty shoot-out to secure soccer gold at Hong Kong Stadium.


----------



## hkskyline

*SCED speaks on Kai Tak Cruise Terminal *
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Government Press Release

The following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) made by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, to the media after attending the ground-breaking ceremony of the site formation for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal today (December 23):

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: We are very pleased to witness the commencement of the site formation works for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. The commencement signifies a very big and major step forward in the development of cruise tourism in Hong Kong. Work is also being undertaken to proceed with the design and construction of the cruise terminal building. We are hoping to get our proposal to the Legislative Council for funding support probably in the middle of next year. This will be an iconic building not only in Hong Kong, but also in this whole part of the region. Passengers on board will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of our Victoria Harbour. The terminal facilities will of course be on a par with the best of international facilities. The hospitality services that Hong Kong are renowned for will be offered in this new cruise terminal building.

Reporter: Singapore is also going to be developing its own cruise terminal. But because of delay, it is going to open before Hong Kong. Are you concerned about Hong Kong being overshadowed by other regions' lead?

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: We have our own development plan to promote the tourism industry in Hong Kong. We are aware of the developments in the region. Each city or each economic entity may have its own plan for development. The important thing for Hong Kong and the tourism industry is to really try to enhance its strength so that we remain a very competitive and attractive tourist destination, not only within this region but also around the world.


----------



## hkskyline

*Anchors aweigh at cruise site *
24 December 2009
The Standard

Construction of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal has begun, with officials confident they can stick to the HK$2.3 billion budget for site formation work, which includes berthing facilities.

The whole project will cost HK$7.2 billion.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday marks a milestone in the territory's efforts to further develop cruise tourism.

``The government is committed to enhancing tourism infrastructure and supporting software to further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a premier cruise hub in the region,'' Tsang said.

Ultimately, the SAR will have four cruise berths catering to ships of various sizes.

The new terminal will have two berths with no height limit on the vessels it services.

The first is expected to be completed in 2013 and will have room for the world's largest cruise ships, such as the Costa Classica and the Oasis of the Seas that have a gross tonnage of more than 220,00 tonnes.

The second berth, available in 2014, will be able to accommodate medium-sized vessels.

The government is also assessing tenders for a second works contract, which involves the design and construction of the terminal building.

Construction on that project is expected to begin next year and should be completed by 2015.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said the terminal will become an iconic landmark.

Lau hopes to get the terminal proposal to the Legislative Council for funding by the middle of next year.

She said the government is committed to developing the cruise market in Hong Kong.

As a result, it will continue to liaise with the industry and neighboring ports and concentrate on improving service quality to ensure it remains a leading competitor in the industry. The Advisory Committee on the Cruise Industry has been established to advise the government on policies to further develop the territory as a regional hub.

In April, Beijing brought in regulations allowing mainland tour groups traveling to Taiwan to board cruise ships that are based in Hong Kong.

About 20 sailings from Hong Kong to Taiwan with a total capacity of about 30,000 passengers will be launched next year.

Costa Crociere marketing manager Eunice Lee Sau-yan and Royal Caribbean International international representative Joseph Lam are upbeat about the Hong Kong market.

Lam said: ``There should be more terminals that can berth larger vessels, as well as more training of talent to handle the cruise business.''


----------



## ano369ther

I have blog and I thanks to say you thanks. Regards!


----------



## hkskyline

By *watermark* from skyscrapers.cn :


----------



## hkskyline

*Full speed ahead as work finally starts on Kai Tak cruise terminal *
24 December 2009
SCMP

Construction work on the long-awaited Kai Tak cruise terminal finally began yesterday, after the site lay vacant for more than a decade.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the terminal's site formation work, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the government was building the terminal at "full pace" in view of the tremendous potential of the cruise industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

"After the first berth commences operation in 2013, the new terminal will be able to berth the world's largest and most advanced cruise vessels," he said. "It will provide high-quality infrastructure for the long-term development of the cruise industry in Hong Kong and in the region."

The second berth will be available in 2014 for medium-sized cruise vessels and will begin to accommodate mega-cruise ships after underwater gas mains are relocated.

With Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong will have a total of four berths for different types and sizes of vessels.

The HK$2.3 billion site formation work involves the construction of berthing facilities, including the building of a sloping sea wall of 1,100 metres and an apron area to berth cruise vessels of different sizes and capacities. It also involves the dredging of 1.38 million cubic metres of sediment.

The government is assessing tenders for the design-and-build contract for the terminal building, for which construction is expected to begin next year and be completed in 2014/15.

"We are hoping to get our proposal to the Legislative Council for funding support [of this contract] in the middle of next year," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said.

Late last year, the government abandoned tendering and decided to build the cruise terminal by itself, after its failure to find a suitable candidate in two rounds of tendering.

The administration will fund, design and build the cruise terminal, and lease it to an operator while retaining ownership of the site and terminal. Situated at the tip of the old Kai Tak airport runway, the new terminal will form part of the 320- hectare Kai Tak project that was first drawn up 10 years ago.

The current scheme, approved in 2007, will be developed in three phases and include public housing flats, schools, a government office building, a hospital and railway link. The whole project will be completed in 2021.

The chief executive said the government would strengthen liaison with the cruise market and neighbouring ports, improve service standards and enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong in the regional cruise market.


----------



## hkskyline

*Green public housing estate to rise at former Kai Tak airport*
18 January 2010
South China Morning Post

An energy-saving system will be installed at the public estate planned at the former Kai Tak airport to help cut carbon emissions, according to the Housing Department.

Occupying 9.17 hectares, the estate will comprise 15 blocks with 13,300 flats and is expected to be completed by 2013.

Deputy director Ada Fung Yin-suen said the housing estate had adopted a sustainable and environmentally friendly principle for the development.

"We will use an energy-saving system to help cut down carbon emissions. Solar energy will also be used," she said.

"The public housing estate has reserved areas for the green belt. The green belt is about 2.7 hectares, which is about 30 per cent of the construction site."

A cooling system will be installed in the shopping mall.

There will also be LED (light emitting diode) lighting and a water-saving system.

A grid-connected solar energy system covering 1,200 square metres will be installed, supplying about 2 per cent of the electricity in each block.

Paths and flower beds will be built using recycled construction materials, some of them coming from the demolition of old public housing estates in the city. There also will be an electric car-charging system in the estate's car parks.

The department has conducted micro-climate studies to ensure good ventilation around the estate.

It also will reserve an area to set up an exhibition gallery showcasing the history of Kai Tak airport.


----------



## hkskyline

*Shenzhen to launch seaplane service as HK delays approval *
7 January 2010
SCMP

Hong Kong-based WaterfrontAir, which originally planned to operate a seaplane service between the city and Macau, will launch seaplane flights from Shenzhen to Macau and Guangzhou in the fourth quarter of this year.

WaterfrontAir and Shenzhen Airport Ferry Terminal Services Company, a subsidiary of the Shenzhen Airport Company, yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to provide seaplane services from the Shenzhen Airport ferry pier to neighbouring cities in the Pearl River Delta.

WaterfrontAir, which will have its headquarters in Shenzhen, hopes to launch seaplane services from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau next year. The company will start with seaplane flights from the special economic zone to Macau and Guangzhou.

The firm, set up by entrepreneurs Michael Agopsowicz of Canada and Peter de Kantzow of Australia, will lease a fleet of 18-seater DHC-6 Twin Otter floatplanes for the flights.

WaterfrontAir has been pressing ahead since last year with the plan to operate a scheduled seaplane service between a new Kai Tak waterfront aerodrome and the Pak On ferry terminal near Macau's Cotai Strip.

The Tourism Commission and the Tourism Board have given their backing for the proposal, saying it will enhance Hong Kong's appeal. But the project needs to pass an assessment of its environmental impact.

Scheduled seaplane services operated between Hong Kong and Macau between the 1930s and 1950s.

"It takes a long time to get approval for launching seaplane flights in Hong Kong, and we have decided to start our operations in Shenzhen as the city happened to be a lot faster in granting the green light," Agopsowicz said.

The company intends to commission an environmental impact assessment and a noise impact assessment in the first half of the year.

"If things proceed smoothly, we expect to launch seaplane flights between Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau next year," said de Kantzow, the son of Cathay Pacific co-founder Sydney de Kantzow, who also set up Macau Air Transport Company in 1948.

The flight from Hong Kong to Shenzhen will take 15 minutes, compared with 45 minutes for the Hong Kong to Guangzhou trip. The flight from Hong Kong to Macau would take 20 minutes.

The firm plans to charge about HK$2,800 for a one-way trip between Hong Kong and Guangzhou.


----------



## EricIsHim




----------



## hkskyline

Looks like they razed all the pavement lately ...


----------



## hkskyline

*Aging areas want to get on track *
19 February 2010
The Standard

Most people living in Kowloon City want the Kai Tak light rail system to pass close to their homes to help revitalize the old district.

A survey by the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong found more than 95 percent of respondents agreed with the construction of the railway.

Some 85 percent felt it would revitalize their aging area and help merge it with newer districts.

More than 85 percent of 795 respondents also wanted it to link up with To Kwa Wan, another aging area in the district, where a building collapsed earlier this month killing four people.

``The lack of attention to the To Kwa Wan area is probably one of the reasons why a building there actually collapsed. With the light rail system, the area may be revitalized,'' Legislative Council member Starry Lee Wai-king said.

Lee, who is also a Kowloon City district councillor, said the construction of the light railway posed less of a threat to the foundations of buildings than an underground system like the MTR.

``The light rail does not go underground, so it should not affect the foundations of buildings,'' she said.

According to the government's most recent proposal, neither To Kwa Wan nor Kowloon City are included in the light rail route.

The DAB said 82 percent of the respondents said it would ease the traffic jams and about half that it would help improve air quality, as well as increase the pace of redevelopment.

As the government is now still in the consultation process before arriving at a final plan, the DAB said it will meet Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) Ir Mak Chai-kwong at the Development Bureau next week to present the survey results.


----------



## hkskyline

*Future of the old Kai Tak airport mirrors changing sensibilities*
Vancouver Sun
5 April 2010

Landing at Hong Kong's trademark Kai Tak airport, jutting out into Victoria Harbour from the teeming tenements of East Kowloon, used to be an adrenalin rush that rivalled any fairground ride.

But since Kai Tak was shut down after the opening of Hong Kong's revolutionary new international airport on a man-made island off Lantau Island in 1997, its 320-hectare site has become perhaps the world's most valuable derelict property.

It is a unique site in the heart of a city where property and land prices are always close to the boiling point -- under pressures from a growing population of over seven million and a finite stock of usable land heavily constrained by sea and mountains.

Real estate industry valuations of the Kai Tak site range from $25 billion to $40 billion, a price tag of record proportions in this city where records fall with ho-hum regularity.

But that is not the main reason why it has taken a dozen years to develop a plan, get agreement and start construction on the Kai Tak site.

Just as in the old days, landing at Kai Tak was a foretaste of the excitement and possibilities lurking on every Hong Kong street corner, so in retirement the airport site has become a symbol of the people's vision of their community, its culture and future.

The first plans for what to do with Kai Tak were very much in line with the old-style Hong Kong approach to property development -- demolish, then build, build, build.

In the case of Kai Tak, though, the plans were influenced to a degree by that final few minutes of the plane bouncing so close to the Kowloon apartments you could see what people were watching on TV, the sharp right turn at the traffic lights, the heart-thumping drop onto the runway, and the scream of the brakes as the pitch into the harbour approached at breakneck speed.

When the plane doors opened and it was safe to take a deep breath of gratitude for another safe landing, the lungs and nose were greeted by the stench of Kai Tak's notorious nullah.

A nullah is essentially an open sewer. The one flowing by the eastern side of Kai Tak's runway contained many generations of sewage from the old Kowloon walled city and the many communities that grew up around it.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's secretary for development and the government minister responsible for the Kai Tak project, said in a recent interview that the original idea was to fill in the nullah, thus burying the accumulated submarine poisons, and also to "reclaim" land by filling in the fishing boat harbour and typhoon shelter to the west of the runway.

This, she said, would have added almost 300 hectares to the 320 hectares of the existing Kai Tak site, and provided space for homes for 280,000 people.

But over on the other side of the harbour in the late 1990s, a campaign launched by former member of Hong Kong's legislative assembly, Christine Loh, to stop further filling in of the harbour without compelling reason caught the public mood.

In 2002, the government responded to the new reality by revising the Kai Tak plan and cutting the land to be reclaimed to only 133 hectares.

But even that scheme fell away when Loh's group took the issue of land reclamation to the Court of Final Appeal. In 2004, the court ruled that the government had to prove that reclamation schemes were in the public interest and that there was no reasonable alternative to landfill.

Lam said that even though the court's ruling was not directly aimed at Kai Tak, the government realized the general principle applied.

The government began a process of public consultations, information seminars and town hall-style meetings that went on for two years.

What came out of the dialogue was a consensus that there should be no filling in of the harbour to expand the site at all. Now even the noxious nullah is to have only a chemical refurbishment.

People said they wanted a mixture of public and private housing, and a maximum of open space and recreational facilities. The result is a plan that will see housing for only 88,000 people -- nearly 200,000 less than the first plan.

Construction of the public housing portion of the development is already under way, and the $12.8-billion plan will proceed in three stages culminating with the opening in 2021 of a new cruise ship terminal at what was the harbour end of the Kai Tak runway.

Lam expects the development will help the regeneration of neighbouring areas, some of the most rundown in Hong Kong.

But it is clear she has some doubts about the force with which public opinion has moved.

"Society has changed and people's aspirations have changed," she said. "They used to be proud of the pace of development -- building skyscrapers, making efficient use of the limited land supply, and so forth.

"But the pendulum has moved the other way, and people want to conserve everything. There's a price to be paid for that, and we are starting to struggle to find the centre, the middle ground."


----------



## Scion

Renders of the chosen design for the cruise terminal building


----------



## hkskyline

*Speech by the FS at the Signing Ceremony for the Design-and-Build Contract for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Building*
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Government Press Release

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at the Signing Ceremony for the Design-and-Build Contract for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Building held in New Annex, Central Government Offices, this morning (May 8):

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Good morning.

It is indeed my great pleasure to be here this morning to attend this signing ceremony today.

Kai Tak is a name that elicits fond memories. As a legendary airport, Kai Tak touched the lives of people here and around the world. Now it is about to enter a new chapter in its development.

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Dragages on being awarded the design-and-build contract for the Cruise Terminal Building.

Indeed, this project is something of a homecoming for Dragages, and completes a full circle of the company's presence here in Hong Kong for over half a century.

Dragages came to Hong Kong in 1955. One of its first projects was to redesign the runway of the former Kai Tak International Airport. And many other projects since followed.

I am confident that Dragages has the experience and the expertise to transform this site into a major Cruise Terminal that will also provide a fitting sequel to the legend of this iconic location.

The cruise market in the Asia Pacific Region has been growing quickly, and Hong Kong is well-positioned to benefit from this growth.

First, with a magnificent and deepwater harbour, world-class tourism infrastructure and great shopping, Hong Kong is widely regarded as a must-see cruise destination. Second, we are located at the heart of East Asia, with close ties and proximity to the Mainland market as well as excellent connections with the rest of the world.

We also have a professional and versatile tourism sector that is well-versed in welcoming cruise vessels and their guests.

These are significant attributes that will help to establish Asia's world city as a major cruise hub in the region. 

The site formation works for the Cruise Terminal started last year, and the first berth will be commissioned in mid 2013. It will be capable of accommodating the world's largest cruise vessels.

The signing of this contract today will propel the works of the Cruise Terminal Building ahead at full steam. The building will be completed in 2013 – a year ahead of our original schedule – to provide world-class services to cruise passengers from the get go.

It will also provide another landmark to grace our spectacular harbour and welcome visitors from around the globe.

The Terminal Building will uphold our city's reputation for providing state-of-the-art facilities with high levels of comfort and efficiency. It will also adhere to the highest levels of environmental awareness and incorporate the latest energy saving technologies.

At its busiest, the facilities will be able to accommodate two mega cruise ships at the same time. 

During off-peak cruise periods, the cruise terminal operating area may be converted for other uses to achieve maximum potential from this prime location.

The Government will continue to promote Hong Kong as a cruise hub. We are strengthening co-operation with neighbouring Mainland coastal provinces and promoting cruiseoperation. We also recognise the need for an adequate supply of talent to meet the demands of an expanded cruise sector as well as related industries.

As a youngster, I remember coming to the former airport to watch planes come and go. I am pleased the Cruise Terminal will continue this tradition of connecting with the public. A landscaped deck on the top floor will be a great spot for families and friends to meet and enjoy the spectacular view of the great Victoria Harbour. 

Once again, congratulations to Dragages on being awarded the design-and-build contract. I wish the project every success.

Thank you very much.


----------



## hkskyline

*AECOM Provides a Wide Range of Design and Professional Services to the Hong Kong Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Project*

HONG KONG, May 28 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: ACM), a leading provider of professional technical and management support services for government and commercial clients around the world, announced that it had been engaged to provide a wide range of design and professional services for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal project by the design and build contractor, Dragages Hong Kong Limited. This is the latest key infrastructure project at the Former Kai Tak International Airport working together with the Architectural Services Department, HKSAR Government and Dragages.

Located at the southern end of the former runway, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal will be developed on a 7.6 hectare site, aiming to sustain Hong Kong's position as the regional cruise hub. Alongside the cruise terminal will be a range of tourist facilities including hotels, malls and an aviation themed park, which provide unique leisure open space for tourists as well as local residents.

AECOM, as an international design consultancy firm, has been assigned to provide a wide range of services to this milestone project in Hong Kong. Together with our global expertise, AECOM will be working on areas including civil, structural and geotechnical engineering, building services and fire engineering, traffic engineering, environmental, acoustic and sustainable design, space planning for cruise terminal design, as well as landscape design.

Tony Shum, AECOM Chief Executive, Asia comments, "The project features long span structures, and many green initiatives will be incorporated into the design. Our multi-disciplinary collaboration and extensive knowledge of the Kai Tak area will be an added value contribution to the success of the project."

"This is a prominent, iconic building on the famous Hong Kong harbor front, demonstrating world class architecture and incorporating innovative engineering solutions," he added.

The first berth is targeted to be completed in mid-2013.


----------



## hkskyline

*Rebuild bridge as heritage attraction, planners urge*
5 June 2010
South China Morning Post

Planners have suggested recreating the 140-year-old Lung Tsun stone bridge, found in the Kai Tak redevelopment area, to attract tourists and showcase Kowloon City's history.

The bridge, built in the 1870s, functioned as a pier for official use in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Officials were welcomed at a pavilion close to it and were escorted to the Kowloon Walled City to execute their duties.

Town Planning Board member Ho Puay-peng said the remains should not just be protected by a glass box because "it will stop visitors from having direct interaction with the heritage". Lau Chi-pang said the bridge could be rebuilt with similar materials so people could walk on it and experience the past. This idea was echoed by Maggie Chan Man-ki, a Wong Tai Sin district councillor, who said: "The bridge can be presented as a time tunnel, bringing people back to the Qing dynasty." She said the area had always been a transport hub, including through the pier, an airport and soon a cruise terminal.

Kai Tak Office head Stephen Tang Man-bun said the government would release preservation options for public consultation by the end of this year.


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> *Rebuild bridge as heritage attraction, planners urge*
> 5 June 2010
> South China Morning Post
> 
> Planners have suggested recreating the 140-year-old Lung Tsun stone bridge, found in the Kai Tak redevelopment area, to attract tourists and showcase Kowloon City's history.
> 
> The bridge, built in the 1870s, functioned as a pier for official use in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Officials were welcomed at a pavilion close to it and were escorted to the Kowloon Walled City to execute their duties.
> 
> Town Planning Board member Ho Puay-peng said the remains should not just be protected by a glass box because "it will stop visitors from having direct interaction with the heritage". Lau Chi-pang said the bridge could be rebuilt with similar materials so people could walk on it and experience the past. This idea was echoed by Maggie Chan Man-ki, a Wong Tai Sin district councillor, who said: "The bridge can be presented as a time tunnel, bringing people back to the Qing dynasty." She said the area had always been a transport hub, including through the pier, an airport and soon a cruise terminal.
> 
> Kai Tak Office head Stephen Tang Man-bun said the government would release preservation options for public consultation by the end of this year.


----------



## hkskyline

*Three schools get go-ahead to move to Kai Tak as enrolment declines*
25 June 2010
South China Morning Post

Three schools in Wong Tai Sin which have been struggling to retain pupil numbers are to be moved to two new premises at Kai Tak, which is about to undergo a burst of development.

Principals of Kowloon schools say the shift could ease enrolment pressure on other schools in the district, where supply of places has outstripped demand in recent years.

The adjacent Yat Sau and Ching Shan primary schools, operated by the Anglican Primary Schools Council in Choi Hung Estate, will be combined and moved to one premises.

The Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School will move to the other.

The moves, part of the government's drive to redevelop the old Kai Tak airport site, came as the government announced the results of applications for three premises, including one in Kwai Chung.

Yat Sau school principal Ho Yick-yee said teachers and parents from the school - which currently offers only 12 classes in spite of its 24-class capacity - were thrilled by the move, which would take place in 2013.

"Both schools were established 45 years ago. The facilities are quite old. The new campus is within 10 minutes' walking distance from our current site. So it won't inconvenience current students," she said, adding that new residential developments in Kai Tak would boost the student intake. "Old districts like Wong Tai Sin face enrolment pressure.

"After relocation, there won't be any problems offering 30 classes of 25 students each."

Sister school Ching Shan with a 24-class capacity, offers just nine.

Of about 1,700 primary one places on offer in Wong Tai Sin last year, 1,354 were filled.

Law Lai-yin, principal of Carmel Leung Sing Tak School in Kwun Tong near the Kai Tak area, says moving the three schools could help lessen the enrolment pressure in the district. "It's a good government policy to move schools in districts, where supply of school places outstrips demand, to new residential areas that will have a big demand," he said.

With one school offering four classes of 25 students, Law said 300 places would be taken out of the district following the relocation of the three schools.

Shek Lei Catholic Primary School has been given the site of the Sheung Kwai Chung Government Secondary School in Kwai Chung, which was closed last year due to insufficient enrolment.

The Education Bureau said it received 19 applications from 14 bodies for the three school sites.

It said competition was very keen, in particular, for the two new school premises in Kai Tak.


----------



## caelus




----------



## hkskyline

*Preserving bridge to a fascinating past*
23 June 2010
The Standard

Development work in the city has, on several occasions, uncovered secrets from the past.

Just over two years ago, archaeologists doing environmental impact assessment at the Kai Tak redevelopment found something amazing right under the old airport's passenger terminal building - the remains of a 19th-century stone bridge.

It was part of the Lung Tsun stone bridge, first built in 1873 as a landing pier on the coast near Kowloon Walled City.

It was used by imperial Chinese officials to reach the Walled City, which remained under their jurisdiction even after Kowloon became part of Hong Kong. Two years after it was built, a gateway with a pavilion was built to receive these visiting officials.

Photographs of these places do survive.

However, after the structures were buried by reclamation in the 1920s and airport work during World War II, it would not have seemed likely that anyone would actually see any traces of them again.

But we now have several segments, including part of the bridge deck and some support pillars.

What should we do with these remains?

The government has classified the site as highly significant, so the remains will be preserved, on-site, in some way. But how exactly?

The government is keen to get the public involved, and a two-stage engagement program is taking place.

The first stage is about sharing information and views. District councils have already taken part, with community workshops scheduled for this Saturday and the next. The second stage later in the year will help decide how best to preserve and display these fascinating relics. Bernard Charnwut Chan, chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, sees culture from all perspectives.


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/jacksklam


----------



## hkskyline

*Bridge at Kai Tak site too big, advisers say *
22 July 2010
South China Morning Post

Harbour advisers have suggested the government review the designs of a bridge and a helipad planned at the tip of the Kai Tak development to give the public more access to the harbourfront.

The proposed bridge, which would connect the runway of the former airport and Kwun Tong, could become an eyesore taking space away from a future park on the runway, said Vincent Ng Wing-shun, a member of the government's Harbourfront Commission.

The architect said the bridge's anchor points must stand on the two sides of the channel and not on the seabed, given reclamation in the harbour was not allowed anymore.

"The bridge must be built high enough to allow barges to pass underneath. This means the ramps on both sides would have to be several storeys high, swirling like spaghetti before reaching the ground," Ng said.

Paul Zimmerman, of the Society for Protection of the Harbour, agreed that the bridge would take up some beautiful open space at the runway. The society is member organisation of the Harbourfront Commission. Both men were expressing their individual views.

The Kai Tak development into a cruise terminal, and residential, commercial and community facilities covers more than 320 hectares and will be completed in three phases in 2013, 2016 and 2021.

Concern over the layout was also expressed at a meeting of professionals from a committee that advises on bridge designs earlier this week. An engineer said the bridge, carrying vehicles and pedestrians, would be too bulky for the 400-metre wide channel.

One way to slim down the design would be to build it solely for pedestrians, said structural engineer Dr Greg Wong Chak-yan. Another option was to have a bridge that could be raised up for specified times for barges, which would allow facilities such as a hospital or waste treatment works, to use the channel, Wong said.

Residents from Kwun Tong have strongly demanded a bridge so they can easily get to the future centre of Kowloon. The district would also be linked to Kai Tak by monorail, although the journey would take a few minutes longer than by using the bridge.

Kwun Tong District Council chairman Bunny Chan Chung-bun said the council was open to discussions if the bridge had drawbacks. A footbridge would be acceptable as long as it had an iconic design, he said.

Commission members, however, are split about the location of a helipad, also planned at the tip of the runway. Ng said the site should be accessible to the public and not fenced off for the cross-border facility. Government planners are studying the possibility of relocating the helipad to the rooftop of a 100-metre observation tower nearby, but this would confine the use of the helipad to the more costly double-engine helicopters.


----------



## hkskyline

Runway tip :


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak rail line may link to other districts*
31 July 2010
South China Morning Post

The Kai Tak development will be served by an elevated rail line that will offer an internal transport system as well as connect to future MTR stations and possibly to nearby neighbourhoods.

The government is assessing several routes for the rail system to be built on the 320-hectare site, which will contain a cruise terminal, residential, commercial and community facilities.

John Chai Sung-veng, director of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, said yesterday it would connect to the Kai Tak and To Kwa Wan stations of the MTR's Sha Tin-Central link. "We are also studying whether it is possible to extend it to the surrounding old districts, including San Po Kong, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong," he said.

Patrick Kwong Hing-ip, project manager of the department's Kowloon development office, said it would be a challenge, because the areas were packed with buildings and streets were narrow.

The government has studied projects in Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, Vancouver and Miami.

It found that while such systems cost billions to build, they also stimulate redevelopment and increase tourist appeal. Private vehicles will be discouraged in the Kai Tak development, which will be completed in three phases in 2013, 2016 and 2021.

Meanwhile, Chai said the department would complete landslide prevention works at some 4,600 high-risk man-made slopes by the end of this year.


----------



## Car L

__________________
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*A fading reminder of the Kai Tak landing*
The Standard
Wednesday, August 25, 2010

As chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, I receive suggestions from people who think particular places should be graded and possibly preserved as historic monuments.

Usually, they want to conserve old buildings, but I recently received a proposal to protect something different. It is a large sloped concrete slab on a hillside in Kowloon. Wild plants are growing over it, and the weather has taken its toll on the old paintwork it used to display. But you can still clearly see the large panel of faded and peeling red and white squares set out in a checked pattern.

Unless you are too young to remember the aircraft making a sharp right turn over Kowloon City when you flew into Hong Kong, you will know what I am talking about. 

It is the famous Kai Tak checkerboard, which warned pilots that a mountain was straight ahead. (In fact, there are two: another faced the runway to warn pilots taking off.)

Hong Kong learned a new phrase in recent years: collective memory. It is about past shared experiences that made the community what it is; our memories of them bind us together.

For many of us, coming home to that turning at Kai Tak was a part of our growing up. And for many residents of the area, the checkerboard - like Lion Rock above it - must remind them of good and bad times, not to mention aircraft noise.

Maybe the checkerboard will join Hong Kong's growing list of protected monuments.

Bernard Charnwut Chan, chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, sees culture from all perspectives.


----------



## hkskyline

*Disney cruises remain over the horizon*
25 August 2010
The Standard

Despite the planned opening of the Kai Tak cruise terminal in 2013, US-based Disney Cruise Line has yet to set any timetable to make Hong Kong calls.

The disclosure came from the line's senior vice president and chief financial officer, James Heaney, appointed to the Hong Kong Advisory Committee on Cruise Industry from August 1. His term runs to January 27, 2012.

``Hong Kong is an area of interest to our company,'' said Heaney, although a timetable for calls here is not a priority.

The company plans itineraries about three years in advance, and Hong Kong is not yet in sight, but the line is learning more about the territory and mainland markets.

``The cruise market hangs on having the right infrastructure,'' Heaney said. That includes port terminals being close enough to airports and the potential for attracting passengers on to ships.

``I think Hong Kong is progressing down that path,'' he said. ``It has a world-class airport. It has a world-class port terminal, and now it has to grow the market. When the market is there, cruises will come.''

Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui is the only terminal in Hong Kong but, with funding of HK$8.156 billion cleared by the Legislative Council's finance panel, construction of the Kai Tak cruise terminal has started.

The first berth is expected to be ready in mid-2013 with the capacity to take the world's largest liners. A second berth should be ready a year later.

Top officials have said the administration is committed to making Hong Kong a cruise hub.

Disney, with the cruise liners Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, mainly sails the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, northern Europe and Alaska.

``Some cruise lines have 20 ships,'' Heaney said. ``Most have at least 10. We're still very small in this business, although we're growing very quickly.''

Disney Cruise Line, set up in 1998, will have two more ships by 2012.

It currently carries about 500,000 passengers a year.

On the potential in Asia, Heaney said China has the most in terms of numbers _ ``southern China in particular. Hong Kong is an interesting market. Maybe it can become a gateway for cruising out of China.''


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak urged for affordable housing *
18 August 2010
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

DAB also seeks to raise stakes in mainland capital investors scheme

The issue of affordable housing confronted Chief Executive Donald Tsang again Tuesday, as the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) urged that lands on the old Kai Tak Airport site, as well as other sites, be reserved for construction of small and medium sized flats.

During the meeting with the DAB, Tsang heard another call for resumption of the Home Ownership scheme, as the DAB lawmaker Chan Kam-lam hammered home the message that escalating housing prices make life very difficult for prospective home buyers. He noted housing prices have escalated by over 50 percent and have created bubbles over the past two years.

At the same time, Chan said, the DAB supports the government's measures to tackle speculative property transactions.

The party also suggested reviewing the Cpital Investor Scheme under which a mainlander can obtain permanent residency here by investing HK$6.5 million in Hong Kong.

The DAB held that the Capital Investor Scheme has contributed to the property market bubbles, given that the property and stock markets are the usual investment channels for people from the mainland. The government should raise the entry amount, said Chan, or devise measures to facilitate capital intake into Hong Kong's six new premier industries other than real estate and finance.

The DAB proposed a total of 145 suggestions under 10 broad policy categories to improve livelihood and tackle the wealth gap.

Among the other proposals: an Elderly Living Allowance, alongside the existing Old Age Allowance for those who wish to take their retirement on the mainland. The proposal reflects an innovative mindset and a more targeted measure to help the elderly, said party chairman Tam Yiu-chung. The new allowance should be higher than the Old Age Allowance. It should be means-tested, Tam said, adding the party will follow up with a detailed proposal to the government.

Regarding "nasty facilities" such as columbaria and incinerators, the party reckoned such facilities should not be built in every district because they are very costly. For districts that are selected, the government should provide additional recreation amenities or power tariff allowance as compensation.

The chief executive is consulting a broad spectrum of society in preparation for his Policy Address to be delivered in October.

The employees' component of the Labor Advisory Board, at a separate meeting, urged Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang to help solve the city's housing problem. The group suggested the government set up a work site for assembly of pre-fabricated materials for infrastructure projects to ease unemployment of construction workers.

Though the minimum wage law is passed, board representatives proposed a Low Income Allowance activated when workers' wages fall below what a four-member social security family receives. The submission argued that the allowance would encourage people to find work. Board representatives also called for a new act to regulate working hours.


----------



## hkskyline

By *Star Alliance* from HKADB :


----------



## hkskyline

By *ming10120* from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

*New proposal for residents displaced by urban renewal*
15 October 2010
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

The Development Bureau released additional information Thursday about the new urban redevelopment strategy that would give residents displaced by urban renewal the choice to purchase new flats of comparable value, rather than taking a cash payout.

Under the new strategy announced by the Chief Executive during Wednesday's Policy Address, residents displaced by urban renewal will have a choice of a flat in the immediate vicinity of their previous homes, or in land set aside for residential development on 1.1 hectares in the Kai Tak Development Area, according to the Development Bureau. The Kai Tak Development would comprise a thousand flats of 400 to 600 square feet, said Carrie Lam, secretary for Development.

"The new 'flat to flat' scheme offers an alternative choice for owner-occupiers of domestic units," Lam said. She stressed that cash value under the "flat to flat" option will be equivalent to the amount otherwise payable in cash compensation. The amount of cash compensation is based on the market value of a seven-year-old replacement flat in the same locality.

Asked why Kai Tak was chosen for development of the alternative flats, Lam explained that Kai Tak was very close to Kowloon City, which holds the largest number of old buildings (over 1,000) and the largest number of dilapidated ones (320).

Another consideration is that people in Kowloon City can continue to live in familiar environments and keep their old social networks if they choose to move into the proposed Kai Tak buildings, Lam added.

Director of Society for Community Organization Ho Hei-wah believes most Kowloon City residents will welcome the new strategy as long as the new residences were of a decent size and affordable. Most of the owner occupiers affected are working poor and elderly.

"The key point of the renewal work is meeting the demands of the original residents rather than making profits by selling them new flats," said Lim Wan-fung, president of the Hong Kong Institution of Urban Design. Lim said that the outcry had already been heard about sky-high prices of previous properties built by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA).

Lim, also a professor at the School of Architecture of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, stressed that renewing a district means more than "demolishing old buildings and building new ones". The most important thing is to preserve the "local characters and cultures".

Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council Wong Kwok-keung welcomed the Kai Tak initiative. He thinks the old district would benefit from the new development that promises facilities like open space office buildings and so on.

The proposal went into public consultation Wednesday. The first pilot District Urban Renewal Forums will be set up in Kowloon City. The URA will earmark HK$500 million to set up an Urban Renewal Trust Fund to support studies and activities at the forums.

The new urban renewal strategy will remain under public until December 13.


----------



## hkskyline

By *kingkong_hk* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


----------



## hkskyline

*Legislators want greens on body to vet transport trials*
21 December 2010
SCMP

Green activists should have seats on a committee to be created to screen applications to a proposed HK$300 million fund to encourage the use of low-carbon transport technology, lawmakers say.

The call was made at a meeting of the Legislative Council's environmental affairs panel yesterday when members met to discuss the establishment of a pilot green transport fund foreshadowed by Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah in his budget earlier this year.

Some members questioned whether the proposed steering committee, to which the government only wants to appoint academics and members of the transport trade, would be representative enough.

The undersecretary for the environment, Dr Kitty Poon Kit, said the administration wanted technocrats and experts in related fields to consider the applications.

However, Civic Party legislator Tanya Chan said: "There are also different kinds of experts in green groups. Their views should also be considered."

The HK$300 million fund, open to transport sector operators, will subsidise the capital cost of innovative green products proposed for trial.

For trials of vehicles running on alternative fuels, each vehicle can be subsidised up to HK$3 million, with an upper limit of HK$9 million for each application.

The subsidy for emission-reduction devices will be set at 75 per cent of their cost, with caps of HK$1.5 million per device and HK$9 million per application.

In the case of ferries, the maximum subsidy is HK$3 million for each device, with a limit of HK$12 million for each applicant.

The steering committee will be set up to screen applications and determine the level of subsidy.

Poon said the government aimed to launch the fund in March.

Legislator Chan Kin-por said the subsidy caps were too low, and panel chairman Gary Chan Hak-kan called for the application criteria to be eased to allow people outside the transport trade to apply, such as educational research institutes.

*Legislators were told that because of rising prices, the cost of a cooling system planned for shopping malls and estates at the future Kai Tak redevelopment had more than doubled to HK$3.65 billion, from the original estimate of HK$1.67 million in June last year.*

They called on the government to control costs better.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection held its 11th annual meeting in Hong Kong yesterday.

Environment Secretary Edward Yau Tang-wah said both sides were pleased to see emissions in the region were down, saying that during 2006-09 levels of the key pollutants - sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and respirable suspended particles - fell an average of 38 per cent, 9 per cent, and 7 per cent respectively.

Yau said next year the two sides would work out another set of emission targets for the next 10 years.


----------



## hkskyline

*River recycled*
Christopher Dewolf
14 January 2011
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

Wallace Chang still remembers how disgusting the Kai Tak River was when he was a child living near its banks in the 1970s. "The water was in between grey and black and it flowed very slowly, almost stagnant," he recalls.

That didn't stop him and his friends from going near. "We didn't have a playground nearby so we played on the pipes that ran across the river and tried not to fall in. It was a challenge."

It wasn't always that way. Originally, the Kai Tak River, which runs from the Kowloon Hills to Victoria Harbour, by way of the old Kai Tak Airport, was a country stream known as the Long Jin River. During World War II, however, the Japanese Army converted it into a 2.4-kilometer drainage canal. As fields gave way to factories and squatter villages in the 1960s and 70s, the river became an open-air sewer as waste was illegally dumped into its water.

By the 1980s, the river was so polluted that passengers arriving at the airport often remarked on the foul smell. According to an old story, comedian Bob Hope once arrived, stepped off the plane and asked what the horrible stench was. A friend informed him it was sewage. "Yes I know, but what have they done to it?" Hope replied.

Chang never did fall in the river's foul water. He grew up to become an associate professor of architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The river changed, too. After the factories along its banks closed in the 1990s and the government cracked down on illegal dumping, the water became significantly cleaner. Fish returned and so did the birds that eat them.

But complaints about the river's smell in the 1980s had already kick-started the machinery of Hong Kong's government bureaucracy. In the late 1990s, plans were made to cover the river. Conservationists lobbied the government to save the river, drawing support from neighborhood residents. They eventually convinced the government to keep most of it uncovered.

Now the question is: what next?

"The Kai Tak River is a rare heritage," says Peter Li, policy director of the Conservancy Association, which fought to keep the river uncovered. Not only is it one of the few pieces of Japanese-built infrastructure in Hong Kong, it links the old airport - now the site of a vast redevelopment project - with historic villages, temples, parks and neighborhoods further inland.

Using the river to knit them together is key to successfully restoring the river, says Chang. "People still think of it as the backside of the neighborhood. We need to get them to face the river."

The government seems to be on the same page. "Our vision is to build the Kai Tak River as an attractive green river corridor through urban areas, which will provide space for leisure and public activities serving the community while meeting the need for flood protection," says a spokesman for the Civil Engineering and Drainage Department, which manages the river.

But how exactly that will be done has yet to be determined. In the meantime, artists, architects and neighborhood groups are using the river as a conduit for new ideas on urban heritage, community and redevelopment.

"The river was nothing for the community, just a muddy sewer that was very polluted," says Alessandro Carboni, an Italian artist who came to Hong Kong to study the river. "Now it has started this whole process of change, a change in mentality in this area of Kowloon. You change something and people react to it. People have started to fish again."

With that in mind, Carboni staged a performance last year, in collaboration with the arts group 1a space, in which he spread sea salt from Nga Tsin Wai, an 800-year-old walled village on the banks of the river, to various spots around the river. For centuries, salt panning was the main industry in Nga Tsin Wai, which is now slated for redevelopment.

"What's very important is to keep things visible, to keep things alive," he says. "The city is a place where we can rebuild and discuss how our actions can change the quality of a space. Changing the space means improving quality of life and the possibility to interact."

Carboni's performance was just one of a series of artistic interventions that have taken place over the past few years. For another project, people living near the river were invited to create windmills made with recycled material, which were then strung between the river's concrete banks. Secondary school students also participated in Chinese painting workshops along the river, creating gritty, urban images using a medium normally dedicated to bucolic natural scenes.

"When we threw this idea of green arts to the public, the reaction was surprisingly positive," says Chang. "It stimulated a lot of imagination. Contemporary art is so abstract, so elitist, but this opened another door for people to participate in the future of the river."

Chang sees the river as a way to blend nature with the human landscape of Hong Kong's streets, seamlessly. Last year, he published a book with one of his master's students, Marta Bohlmark, that called for the river's banks to be transformed into a boardwalk-cum-marketplace, where the surrounding area's many hawkers, including street barbers, calligraphers and cobblers, could be given a unique space in which to work.

Their plan also envisions a seamless green link between a Qing Dynasty pier discovered at the site of the old Kai Tak Airport, Nga Tsin Wai Village, the Wong Tai Sin Temple, the Chu Lin Nunnery and the site of a large squatters' village, Tai Hom, that was cleared in 2001 but still contains several historic buildings. Public amphitheatres and art spaces would dot the green space, taking advantage of the growing community of performing artists, visual artists and musicians that have opened studios in San Po Kong, an industrial area next to the river.

For the time being, though, the plan is just a dream. Even the green spaces that already exist next to the river, like Morse Park, are separated from it by fences. And though the river has done a remarkable job of cleaning itself - E. coli levels have declined by 80 percent since the 1980s - its water is still highly polluted.

In the long term, says Chang, the river's success will hinge on how it is treated by the government. He says he is optimistic. "The government always says no in the beginning, but you can convince them with good examples. It's a long process, but now they're less stubborn."

While the government initially resisted any change in its plan to cover the river, it began to soften its stance around 2007, which is also around the time it stopped referring to the waterway as a nullah - a word commonly used to describe drainage canals - and started calling it a river.

It can also be seen in the plans for redeveloping the old Kai Tak Airport, through which the river runs. Whereas it once was excluded from the plans entirely, the river is now the focal point of the future development's town center - "a unique urban and landscape axis linking and integrating the old urban districts with the new development areas," in the words of a Development Bureau spokesman.

Eventually, Chang hopes the river will serve as a lesson: "You can abandon nature, but it will always come back to us."


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak cruises into tender mode *
18 January 2011
The Standard

Tendering for the new Kai Tak cruise terminal will begin in the next few months, with the winning bid to be announced by the end of the year, Commerce and Economic Development chief Rita Lau Ng Wai-lan said.

The terminal, with its first berth due to start operation in 2013, will be run by the winning bidder for 10 years.

Under the leasing terms to be proposed to the Legislative Council's economic development panel next week, the operator will not be required to ensure a minimum patronage to keep the contract valid.

The operator will pay both a fixed rent as well as a variable one, based on profits, but will be free to determine berthing fees.

A mid-term review will be conducted five years after the terminal opens to ensure quality of service.

Commissioner for Tourism Philip Yung Wai-hung said a committee of government and industry officials will be set up to supervise the operation.

The government can terminate the rights of the winning operator if it performs badly, Yung said.

But the authorities can also extend the operator's 10-year rights by five years, according to the leasing terms.

Mechanisms are in place to ensure that the operator will have the experience and the ability to operate the terminal, he added.

The 10-year lease is expected to provide a reasonable degree of certainty for the operator to work out a longer-term business strategy and secure bookings from cruise lines.

Legislator Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, who chairs the Legco economic development panel, said the leasing arrangement is reasonable.

He said the clause establishing the authorities' power to revoke operating rights will ensure quality of service.

Yung is confident the tender will attract bids from internationally renowned cruise terminal operators.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise terminal operator to face sinking profit*
25 January 2011
The Standard

The operator of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal will have to share its gross income with the government each year.

With construction costs for the terminal at HK$8.2 billion, ``taxpayers expect to get the biggest return,'' said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau Ng Wai- lan.

``Such a mechanism will allow the authorities to capture the upside of the business and avoid unreasonable business risks to the operator,'' Lau told the Legislative Council's economic development panel.

Sharing the gross receipt, instead of net revenue, also has the advantage of encouraging the successful tenderer to control operating costs in a prudent manner, Lau said.

But wholesale and retail sector lawmaker Vincent Fang Kang thinks the terms are too harsh.

``The lease terms should allow the operator to generate a handsome profit as the Kai Tak terminal is being positioned as a world-class cruise terminal. Otherwise, it may not attract bidders from around the world,'' he said.


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise terminal may lack luxury outlook *
The Standard
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The yet-to-be-built Kai Tak cruise terminal looks to be too far from classy downtown areas, an operator believes.

Convenience and luxury are essential for those on cruises, says Silversea's Asia regional director, Melvyn Yap. "When well-heeled passengers come to Hong Kong on a cruise they want to stay at the Peninsula Hotel or at least have a view of the city skyline."

He was speaking on the 36,000-tonne Silver Spirit after it tied up at the no-frills China Merchant's Wharf in Kennedy Town yesterday. 

The liner had to use a commercial wharf away from the central harbor because Ocean Terminal cannot accommodate it. It has a length of 198.5 meters and a beam of 26.2m. 

It arrived in Hong Kong on a maiden 119-day world cruise after leaving Los Angeles two months ago. It is due in the British port of Southampton in May.

In a welcome ceremony, Hong Kong Tourism Board executive director Daisy Lam Lui Wing-han said the Kai Tak terminal will be ready for many such liners by 2013.

But that is after several delays due to red-tape issues. Completion is a year behind the original target date. 

Talking of a liking for a central berth, Yap said: "The average age of our passengers is 55, so mobility is a big issue." But Ocean Terminal "simply did not have space for us," he added. "It would have been perfect because of the convenient locale and shopping." 

The Silver Spirit certainly carries big spenders. Those on the cruise each pay from US$500 (HK$3,900) to US$1,500 a night. Top accommodation is the Owner's Suite, and top dollar for it did not deter a Hong Kong businessman. 

He paid US$225,000 to sail from Auckland to Hong Kong with his family of three. Silversea would not identity him, saying only that the family had the Owner's Suite for a 50-day trip. 

Despite the region's increasing affluence, Silversea notes that Asians make up only 5 percent of guests as long trips have yet to catch on. Most prefer short trips, such as a 10-day Antarctic cruise. 

"Last year we had a group book the whole of the Prince Albert II for an expedition," Yap said. "One passenger was Jack Ma Yun from Alibaba.com."


----------



## hkskyline

*New flats for old*
22 March 2011
The Standard

Flat owners affected by redevelopment will be able to swap to a new flat instead of getting compensation under an Urban Renewal Authority pilot scheme.

They can go for the "flat for flat" option, under which they may buy a home on the same site after it is redeveloped - but with certain size and floor-level limits - or move to a residential area in Kai Tak slated for the scheme.

The 1.1 hectares of land on the north apron area of the former Kai Tak airport will provide 1,000 flats of 400 to 600 square feet, according to the authority. The first batch of about 500 will be completed in 2016.

However, owners will still have to pay the difference between the values of the new and old flats. "The flat-for-flat option will provide an alternative choice for owner-occupiers affected by the URA's redevelopment projects,'' authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said.

A key feature of the scheme is that once an owner agrees to swap their flat, the price they pay will be fixed, even if the market goes up or down, Cheung said. This can prevent the impact of market fluctuations, he added.

"The fixed price can let owners know how much they need to pay for a new flat of their preferred size in the new development and enable them to reckon their financial commitment,'' he said.

For example, the owner of a 500 sq ft flat in a 50-year-old building may pay HK$600,000 for a new flat. This is based on an evaluation that the old flat is worth HK$3 million and a new one of the same size HK$3.6 million, or HK$7,200 per square foot.

If the owner opts for a smaller flat - say 400 sq ft - he can get back HK$120,000 as it will be worth HK$2.88 million. However, Centaline Surveyors director James Cheung King-tat said new projects in the Kai Tak area are worth at least HK$8,000 psf.

Residents affected by redevelopment projects starting after February 24 will be eligible for the scheme, the authority said.

If they choose to join the scheme, 30 percent of the price of the new flat will come from the compensation.

If not, they can still opt for compensation equivalent to the value of a seven- year-old flat in the same district.

The authority said after signing an undertaking, home owners cannot withdraw from the scheme and take back the downpayment unless the new flat available is much bigger or smaller than the one asked for when the agreement was signed.

Critics said it may take years for the Kai Tak project to be ready, meaning affected residents may have to rent another place for some time.

"Where can these residents move to before the new place is ready?'' legislator Fred Li Wah-ming asked.

Kowloon City district councillor Pius Yum Kwok-tung said it is not a real "flat swap'' scheme as residents have to buy the new property at market price. "What if the market plunges?'' he asked.

A Mr Fung, who lives in a 200 sq ft home in To Kwa Wan with three family members, said he would like to buy a new flat in the same district but is worried that he will not have the means.

"This area is going to be very expensive. I don't know if I can afford it,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the authority said owners can ask it to redevelop their property.


----------



## Rachmaninov

So, is it that people who are affected by some redevelopment in nearby districts (e.g. To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City, etc...) can opt to get a new flat within Kai Tak by paying the difference in property price?


----------



## hkskyline

Rachmaninov said:


> So, is it that people who are affected by some redevelopment in nearby districts (e.g. To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City, etc...) can opt to get a new flat within Kai Tak by paying the difference in property price?


Well, many of the existing residents are old and have paid off their properties already. Hence, the more feasible option is to accept a newer, but smaller unit.


----------



## EricIsHim

hkskyline said:


> Well, many of the existing residents are old and have paid off their properties already. Hence, the more feasible option is to accept a newer, but smaller unit.


That's probably a better option if they no longer live with the their children, which means they don't need the extra space and then they have some spare cash to spend too.


----------



## Rachmaninov

So the answer is "yes" 
If the children, being unable to afford another flat, have to live with the parents, then they might be able to pay the difference. A friend of mine just did the same in the Serenade where this idea started off.


----------



## hkskyline

I quite liked how Swire allowed the flat-for-flat exchange for the Serenade project. But then, are developers willing to voluntarily do this rather than pay off the residents at a lower price on expropriation?


----------



## koc12hi

Its really superb and awesome awesome posting
an incredible work done
i like this effort too much


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise ship terminal aims for the big league*
9 April 2011
SCMP



















After years of discussion, Hong Kong's bid to enter the big league of global cruise line destinations has finally got off the drawing board.

The project signals a new seafaring life for the old Kai Tak airport site and Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So Kam-leung were there for yesterday's ceremony to mark the start of work on the terminal building.

The terminal and the first berth, which can handle the world's biggest ocean liners, will come into operation in the middle of 2013.

A second berth with similar capacity will start operation two years later.

The government will pay the building costs while operators are being invited to submit tenders for running the finished facility. The deadline for applications is June this year.

Tourism Commissioner Philip Yung Wai-hung said interested parties had already been in touch about the tender. However, he refused to reveal the number of applications the government had received.

The latest tender invitation comes after two failed rounds in 2008, when plans by two investors failed to meet government requirements.

Following this, the government decided to fund the design and construction of a terminal and lease it to an operator for a 10-year term, reduced from 50 years.

"We will ask cruise companies to send more ocean liners to Hong Kong in 2013," Yung said.

The three-storey terminal is at the southern tip of the former Kai Tak runway and will provide a commercial area of about 60,000 sq ft and there will be a landscape deck on its roof. The customs hall will be able to clear 3,000 passengers in an hour.

Tourism sector lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun looked forward to the start of operations at the terminal which he hopes will put an end to big ships berthing in inaccessible places. "Several cruise vessels have had to berth in Kwai Chung" because of their size, he said.

The world's largest transatlantic ocean liner, Queen Mary 2, which was too big for Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, docked at Junk Bay in Sai Kung last month.

Tse was optimistic operators would be interested in submitting a tender, saying running a terminal cost much less than building one.

Local companies specialising in the cruise business have started training personnel, he said. They have also promoted the terminal at international conferences.

A total of 660,000 travellers arrived on cruises last year, 9 per cent more than in 2009, according to the Tourism Board.


----------



## clairetaliana

*lots of pollution .*

Air pollution in Hong Kong is considered a serious problem. Visibility is currently less than eight kilometres for 30% of the year. Cases of asthma and bronchial infections have soared in recent years due to reduced air quality.

Hammocks


----------



## caelus




----------



## mylifesucks

I am quite disappointed that they don't build another iconic skyscraper in kaitak. and they should build a museum about aviation. Kaitak was the first international airport in the Greater China area, the first airport all built on reclaimed land, the last international airport operating in the city centre and the most exciting & dangerous landing in the world.


----------



## hkskyline

*Foundation stone laid for New Cruise Terminal Building at Kai Tak *
Friday, April 8, 2011
Government Press Release










The foundation stone laying ceremony for the Cruise Terminal Building at Kai Tak was held today (April 8). 

The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, officiated at the ceremony to mark this important milestone of the cruise terminal project.

Other officiating guests were the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So; the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism), Mr Andrew Wong; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Wai Chi-sing; the Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Philip Yung; the Director of Architectural Services, Mrs Marigold Lau; the Managing Director of Dragages Hong Kong, Mr Nicolas Borit; and the Group Chairman of Wong Tung & Partners Limited, Mr Edward Ho.

The new cruise terminal will be an iconic building at the centre of Victoria Harbour. It will be able to berth the largest cruise vessels in the world. It is highly functional and efficient, and will bring together environmental friendly facilities to provide world class services to cruise passengers. The terminal building also provides an ancillary commercial area of about 5 600 square metres, and a landscaped deck with open space and greeneries on its roof for public enjoyment.

The Government has funded the design and construction of the cruise terminal and will lease it to an operator for management and operation. The terminal building and the first berth, which is able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in the world, are expected to come into operation in mid-2013. The second berth will be commissioned in 2014 and will also be able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in 2015 after dredging works on the seabed are completed. 

Construction works of the cruise terminal are moving ahead as planned. The Government is inviting tenders for the tenancy of operating and managing the terminal, with a view to appointing the operator by the end of this year.


----------



## hkskyline

By *meiem * from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

*Urban design enhancements proposed for Kai Tak Development*
Friday, May 13, 2011
Government Press Release



















The Government has proposed to further enhance the urban design of the Kai Tak Development to reflect the community's views on the preservation of the Lung Tsun stone bridge remnants and public aspirations for a more accessible waterfront. 

"These further initiatives are in line with the Government's policy emphasis on heritage conservation and harbourfront enhancement in recent years," a spokesman for the Development Bureau said today (May 13).

"Since these latest improvements are the outcome of an extensive public consultation undertaken by the Kai Tak Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), we will proceed with the necessary planning application in order to sustain the development momentum of this important area," the spokesman added.

Implementation of the Kai Tak Development has been proceeding at full steam since the approval of the statutory Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) in 2007.

The first batch of projects is under construction with target completion in 2013. They include the cruise terminal building and its first berth, the public housing development and supporting infrastructure. Other building projects like the Kai Tak Government Offices will commence next year while two school projects are planned to commence shortly.

In terms of housing land supply, the site earmarked for the Urban Renewal Authority's (URA) "flat for flat" initiative will be handed over to the URA in 2012 while the first batch of private housing sites should be ready for disposal in 2013.

At a press conference today, the Head of the Kai Tak Office, Mr Stephen Tang, said that following the approval of the Kai Tak OZP in November 2007, CEDD conducted two stages of public engagement from May 2010 to April 2011 to collect views on the preservation of remnants of the Lung Tsun stone bridge.

After a series of public workshops and consultations with District Councils and statutory bodies, there was general support for designating a corridor to preserve the remnants in situ.

"Based on these public views, we propose to incorporate a 30-metre-wide corridor zoned as Open Space to accommodate the remnants and ancillary facilities," Mr Tang said.

"We also propose to provide a dedicated subway under Prince Edward Road East, with a heritage theme to form a linkage between the corridor and other areas in Kowloon City," he added.

In response to public aspirations for a more accessible waterfront in the Kai Tak Development, the Government has proposed to relocate two roads and the associated landscaped deck away from the waterfront to the centre of the former runway to enhance public accessibility and enjoyment.

Mr Tang said the opportunity had also been taken to relocate another road from the waterfront at the South Apron for better accessibility. The road and pedestrian linkage layout of the South Apron was also optimised to group several split-amenity areas into a usable Government, Institution or Community site, he added.

The Government will consult the District Councils and the Town Planning Board on the proposed enhancement measures in the coming few months, and will initiate amendments to the approved OZP afterwards.


----------



## gladisimo

It's unfortunate Hong Kong's authorities have no sporting ambitions, the Kai Tak runway would've been a perfect location for a GP circuit. While the implications, logistics, etc etc would've no doubt been complicated, it also would've been a once in a lifetime opportunity.


----------



## Munwon

Are there going to be any highrises in this development?


----------



## hkskyline

^ Yes, there will be a lot of residential highrises.


----------



## Bricken Ridge

Stunning absolutely to die for cruise terminal. Nice roof mimicking a cruiseship's topdeck. Any idea about this building's square footage?


----------



## Munwon

Thanks HKskyline!!!


----------



## timo9

^^


----------



## hkskyline

*LDAC supports "Energizing Kowloon East" initiative*
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Government Press Release

At the meeting today (October 27), the Land and Development Advisory Committee (LDAC) was briefed on the 2011-12 Policy Address and Policy Agenda initiatives concerning the Development Bureau.

The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, and Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands), Mr Thomas Chow, briefed members on three major policy initiatives, including "Energizing Kowloon East", increasing land supply and the mid-term review on measures to facilitate revitalisation of industrial buildings. Members noted and appreciated that the land development related initiatives in the Policy Address were responding to Hong Kong's long-term development needs and community concern.

At the meeting, members were briefed on the "Energizing Kowloon East" initiative to develop the area into a new central business district. It covers enhancing the intra-district and external connectivity of the district, e.g. improving pedestrian linkage network and considering the construction of the proposed Environmentally Friendly Linkage System; adopting attractive streetscape, green urban design and continuous promenade; and promoting diversity so as to inject vibrancy into the business district.

Members appreciated the Government's long-term strategic development plan. Members agreed that a suitable branding for Kowloon East would contribute to effective transformation of the area. Regarding the proposed Environmentally Friendly Linkage System, some members pointed out that the success of the "Energizing Kowloon East" initiative would depend on the intra-district and external connectivity of the area and expressed support to the proposed system. 

Members generally agreed that the cruise terminal in Kai Tak and planned relocation of government offices to the area would bring catalytic effects and stimulate further development of the area. They also supported the establishment of a Kowloon East Development Office because it would facilitate and strengthen co-ordination of the development in Kowloon East.

In addition, members noted that the Government would adopt innovative measures to expand land resources, including releasing about 60 hectares of industrial land for non-industrial uses; exploring the option of reclamation on an appropriate scale outside Victoria Harbour; actively exploring the use of rock caverns to reprovision existing public facilities and releasing such sites for housing and other uses; looking into the use of green belt areas in the New Territories that are devegetated, deserted or formed to convert them into housing sites; examining "Government, Institution or Community" sites and exploring the possibility of converting into housing land some 150 hectares of agricultural land in North District and Yuen Long currently used mainly for industrial purpose or temporary storage.

Members generally supported the Government's effort to expand land resources. Some members pointed out that the review of "Government, Institution or Community" sites would improve the utilisation of sites without specific development plans, increase housing land supply and respond to community needs.


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*Kowloon East's star is rising*
The Standard
Thursday, December 08, 2011

It has been more than 18 months since the government introduced the industrial buildings revitalization scheme.

But statistics show only seven wholesale conversions have been undertaken.

As there are more than 1,000 eligible industrial buildings under the scheme, the overall pace of wholesale conversions for aged industrial premises is expected to pick up.

More applications are anticipated from a much wider group of small to medium-sized vendors, who usually have relatively limited access to financial resources.

This projection assumes the government will provide more concrete incentives - including financial subsidies - after feedback from the private sector.

In terms of geographical preference, Kowloon East will continue to be the market focus, given a series of infrastructure developments.

A proposed Environmentally Friendly Linkage System, featuring a nine-kilometer elevated monorail system connecting Kai Tak commercial projects and Kowloon East, is scheduled for operation by 2023.

In addition, the overall size of the office cluster in Kowloon East will continue to expand by virtue of the government's town planning initiatives.

The first block of the Kai Tak government offices, including 11 government departments comprising a floor area of 540,000 square feet, is expected to be completed in 2014.

The other two plots of land, with developable floor area of 1.07 million square feet, will be reserved to accommodate other government offices that are currently located in Wan Chai.

These are seen as some key drivers, initiated by the government, to make Kowloon East an enlarged office hub for both the public and private sectors.

According to Colliers' research surveys last month, office rents in Kowloon East have climbed at the fastest rate among all office locations in Hong Kong.

The office rental difference between Kowloon East and Tsim Sha Tsui is expected to narrow from the current level of 30 percent to less than 10 percent over the next decade.

Joanne Lee is an assistant manager of research and advisory at Colliers International. The real estate consultancy has integrated teams of specialists to speed up success for institutional and private clients by developing solutions to give their properties a competitive business advantage.


----------



## pankajs

Too Cool


----------



## hkskyline

11/27


----------



## hkskyline

By *卍卍明仔卍卍 * from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

By *yuk_h_y * from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/dreamer/


----------



## hkskyline

2/19


----------



## LordStyle

hkskyline said:


> 1/1/2008


nice picture thanks.

Biletbayisi ucuz ucak bileti yurtdışı ekonomik


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德建兒科中心最快2017落成*
2012年03月07日(三)









_Brief synopsis : A HKD 9.7 billion children's health care centre is planned in the Kai Tak redevelopment. Tendering will start in April and the centre is expected t o be completed by 2017. _










【本報訊】本港醫療服務需求甚殷，多間公院擴建計劃陸續上馬。其中位於啟德新發展區用地、造價九十七億的兒童專科卓越醫療中心，四月會進行招標，最快二○一七年落成，較原定遲一年，並預期要在落成翌年年中起才可分階段投入服務。有公立醫院兒科部門主管憂慮人手未追上服務需求。

聯合醫院兒童及青少年科部門主管陳衍標憂慮，專科醫生培訓需時六年，換言之，今年起需要培訓專科醫生銜接新服務，「兒科目前有四十個空缺，即使今年七月有醫科學生填補，預計只能填補五至六成」。當局未來要做好人口及醫護人手規劃，避免出現大量「雙非港童」充斥醫療中心。

至於聯合醫院重建，興建兩幢新大樓，主要用作癌症中心、擴展專科門診、日間及復康服務，及增強急症服務，預期擴展後病床數目將增加三百張。食衞局本月為首階段準備工作的顧問服務進行招標，預期下半年向立法會財委會申請撥款。


----------



## hkskyline

*New grouping wins rights to Kai Tak cruise terminal *
The Standard
Friday, March 09, 2012

Worldwide Cruise Terminals Consortium has been awarded the right to operate and manage the long-awaited cruise terminal at Kai Tak.

The consortium is required to pay the government a fixed rent as well as a variable rent. The fixed rent for the 10-year operation is around HK$13 million. In addition, the government will receive a percentage of the operator's gross receipts as variable rent, with the percentage increasing from 7.3percent to 34percent as gross receipts rise.

The grouping is made up of Worldwide Flight Services, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Neo Crown.

The government said Neo Crown is owned by Shun Tak Holdings, which has core businesses in property development, leasing and management, and transportation.

A spokeswoman for the Tourism Commission said it is necessary to charge a variable rent as this will guarantee the government a higher rental income if usage and operation of the cruise terminal is satisfactory.

The consortium will pay the government 7.3 percent of revenue if it is less than HK$30 million a year. Between HK$30 million and HK$60 million, the percentage will be 18 percent. The figure will rise to 23 percent of revenue between HK$60 million and HK$90 million, and then to 34 percent for sums higher than that.

Worldwide Flight Services has a 60 percent interest in the consortium, while Royal Caribbean Cruises and Neo Crown each have a 20 percent stake.

The consortium will be responsible for the berthing of vessels and managing traffic, transport, security and shops.

The government said the terminal building and first berth are likely to begin operations in the middle of next year.

Barry Nassberg, chief operating officer of Worldwide Flight Services, said yesterday the company will co-operate with the Tourism Board to encourage more cruise liners to berth in Hong Kong. It will also develop new shore excursion programs to lure overseas visitors.

Li Kui-wai, associate professor of economics and finance at City University, said the terms set by the government are quite attractive and likely to encourage the consortium to invest more in promoting Hong Kong as a cruise hub.

The Kai Tak cruise terminal, which will cost about HK$8.15 billion, is expected to bring in between HK$1.5 billion and HK$2.6 billion a year by 2023 and create 5,300 to 8,900 jobs.


----------



## hkskyline

*New grouping wins rights to Kai Tak cruise terminal *
The Standard
Friday, March 09, 2012

Worldwide Cruise Terminals Consortium has been awarded the right to operate and manage the long-awaited cruise terminal at Kai Tak.

The consortium is required to pay the government a fixed rent as well as a variable rent. The fixed rent for the 10-year operation is around HK$13 million. In addition, the government will receive a percentage of the operator's gross receipts as variable rent, with the percentage increasing from 7.3percent to 34percent as gross receipts rise.

The grouping is made up of Worldwide Flight Services, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Neo Crown.

The government said Neo Crown is owned by Shun Tak Holdings, which has core businesses in property development, leasing and management, and transportation.

A spokeswoman for the Tourism Commission said it is necessary to charge a variable rent as this will guarantee the government a higher rental income if usage and operation of the cruise terminal is satisfactory.

The consortium will pay the government 7.3 percent of revenue if it is less than HK$30 million a year. Between HK$30 million and HK$60 million, the percentage will be 18 percent. The figure will rise to 23 percent of revenue between HK$60 million and HK$90 million, and then to 34 percent for sums higher than that.

Worldwide Flight Services has a 60 percent interest in the consortium, while Royal Caribbean Cruises and Neo Crown each have a 20 percent stake.

The consortium will be responsible for the berthing of vessels and managing traffic, transport, security and shops.

The government said the terminal building and first berth are likely to begin operations in the middle of next year.

Barry Nassberg, chief operating officer of Worldwide Flight Services, said yesterday the company will co-operate with the Tourism Board to encourage more cruise liners to berth in Hong Kong. It will also develop new shore excursion programs to lure overseas visitors.

Li Kui-wai, associate professor of economics and finance at City University, said the terms set by the government are quite attractive and likely to encourage the consortium to invest more in promoting Hong Kong as a cruise hub.

The Kai Tak cruise terminal, which will cost about HK$8.15 billion, is expected to bring in between HK$1.5 billion and HK$2.6 billion a year by 2023 and create 5,300 to 8,900 jobs.


----------



## hkskyline

Author : http://johnblog.phychembio.com/


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/poon_jeffrey/tai_lo_shan


----------



## hkskyline

*Anchors aweigh on cash tide*
The Standard
Thursday, April 05, 2012

Lotus Tours has established a new cruise holiday brand ahead of the opening of the Kai Tak cruise terminal.

One of Hong Kong's oldest travel agencies, the company is particularly renowned for its airline ticket booking services.

Last year, founding chairman Kong Ho- pak invited publications veteran Lee Cho-jat to join the firm as vice chairman.

I bumped into Lee earlier, and he told me Lotus is also strong in organizing special tours catering to the niche interests of customers. These include MICE - meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions - tours, as well as art appreciation, pilgrimages and photographic holidays.

Lotus Tours has also been voted "best travel agency of the year" by its peers in the Asia Pacific region.

Lee told me the company earlier organized a HK$1 million customized luxury tour for a mainland couple.

The cost may seem huge, but if you fly first class, stay at five-star hotels and visit various destinations in comfort, the expenses can easily add up, he said.

One fast-growing business of Lotus Tours is private jet holidays, which are common in the West and starting to gain popularity in Asia. The travel agency will book the private jet and arrange to pick up the customers at various locations.

The cost of such a tour is a few hundred thousand dollars, which - if shared among a few people - is only a little higher than flying first class with a commercial airline.

But this mode of traveling is convenient and comfortable, hence
it is gaining favor with the well-heeled, Lee said.

Asia's burgeoning economy is creating a new affluent class and the government expects the Kai Tak cruise terminal to generate annual economic benefits of HK$2 billion.

It is small wonder that leading members of the travel industry are all gearing up to be among the early birds to capitalize on the imminent arrival of new opportunities.

Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily


----------



## hkskyline

*Extension out for monorail*
The Standard
Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The proposed HK$12 billion monorail system that will link Kowloon East to the future Kai Tak development area won't be extended to To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City and San Po Kong.

This emerged from a study commissioned by the Civil Engineering and Development Department to investigate the feasibility of the system and its possible extension to the three old districts.

A paper to be discussed at the Legislative Council development panel next Tuesday said the study rejected an extension because of "noise and visual implications on the residential areas, concerns about intrusion of privacy of the premises, financial burden and technical difficulties."

The extensions would incur an additional HK$4.2 billion in costs but only a 10 percent increase in ridership.

The government is seeking views from lawmakers on the monorail for the first time amid a two-stage public consultation that began in February.

The elevated monorail system will be a nine-kilometer, 12-station line linking the MTR Kowloon Bay station to the Kai Tak Development Station Square, terminating at Kwun Tong MTR station.

A two-car system was chosen as it is "aesthetically more appealing, and has comparatively slimmer viaducts/supporting structures than other rail systems." It is touted as "a unique landmark" that will enhance Hong Kong's tourism appeal. Services could operate at two-minute intervals during peak hours, with daily patronage in 2031 forecast at about 200,000 riders.

The monorail "will incur substantial costs and the financial and economic returns are not satisfactory if treated as an infrastructure," the Development Bureau said. But it will play a strategic role in developing Kowloon East as a core business district, bringing about "much non-quantifiable economic benefits."

These include facilitating inter- district activities, and generating "synergy for adjacent developments, and should have a catalytic effect on the successful transformation of Kowloon East into another attractive" business area.

If there is a public consensus, the monorail can be commissioned by 2023.

A bureau spokesman said an extension to old districts in the future, if there is commercial development potential.


----------



## Car L

__________________
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


----------



## galaxy710

very cool. very nice! Thank You Very Very Much


----------



## Lion007

Great project. Congratulate on.:cheers::cheers:


----------



## hkskyline

By *chopa * from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.nep-hk.com


----------



## hkskyline

By *大力金剛腿* from a Hong Kong photography forum :


----------



## hkskyline

*LCQ8: EFLS in Energizing Kowloon East*
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Alan Leong and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (June 27):

Question:

Regarding the environmentally friendly linkage system (EFLS) in the Energizing Kowloon East initiative, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) given that apart from the proposed monorail, the authorities have included other environmentally friendly modes of transport in their scope of studies, of the details of these modes of transport in terms of costs, transport efficiency, operating and maintenance expenses, economic internal rate of return, future development flexibility and accessibility to the various districts within Kowloon East;

(b) given that the relevant feasibility study does not recommend the extension of EFLS to some old developed districts in Kowloon East, including To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City and San Po Kong, and one of the reasons is that while the anticipated patronage for the said branch extensions is relatively low, the additional construction costs incurred will be very high, whether the authorities, having regard to this problem, have studied other environmentally friendly modes of transport which may be available for use by the residents of these old districts and are also economically efficient; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(c) whether it knows which other places have monorail systems, and how these monorail systems compare with one another in terms of costs, efficiency, operating and maintenance expenses, economic internal rate of return and development flexibility; and

(d) of the estimated annual operating and maintenance expenses of the proposed monorail system?

Reply:

President,

In his 2011-12 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced that we would adopt a visionary, co-ordinated and integrated approach to transform Kowloon East, comprising the Kai Tak Development (KTD) Area, the former industrial areas of Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay, into an attractive central business district (CBD) to sustain Hong Kong's long-term economic development. To achieve this goal, the infrastructure works within the district should be well-planned for enhancing connectivity. Befitting Kowloon East CBD's green vision and development strategies, the proposed EFLS as a transport mode with low carbon emission will enhance inter-district and intra-district connectivity of Kowloon East.

In December 2011, we briefed the Panel on Development of the Legislative Council on the Government's new initiative on transforming Kowloon East into a CBD, including a two-stage public consultation exercise to be commenced for soliciting public views on the EFLS proposal. The Stage 1 public consultation commenced in February 2012 and the Panel on Development was consulted in April 2012. Views collected at the Stage 1 public consultation will be analysed and reported to relevant stakeholders at the Stage 2 public consultation, which will be conducted in end 2012, with a view to arriving at a consensus reflecting the majority of public views on the way forward for the EFLS.

My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:

(a) The Kai Tak Outline Zoning Plan approved in November 2007 has contained a reserve for an elevated rail-based environmentally friendly transport system as a long term transport mode subject to detailed investigation. In December 2009, we commissioned the consultants to study the feasibility of providing the EFLS in the form of elevated rail line. Apart from the proposed monorail, the EFLS feasibility study has also examined rubber-tyred Automatic People Mover (APM). The passenger capacity, construction cost, operating and maintenance expenses of both monorail and APM are of similar order, though the APM would cause more visual impact and blockage to daylight/ventilation. To tie in with the completion of the cruise terminal and public housing development in 2013, the study has also preliminarily examined the applicability of other road-based green public transport modes for KTD Area, including the supercapacitor bus, battery-electric bus and hybrid bus. On the other hand, the bus companies are now arranging to conduct pilot schemes on these different types of green buses in order to ascertain their suitability for use in Hong Kong. Road-based green buses will offer an advantage of lower procurement cost and running cost as well as higher flexibility for route planning and modification, but will occupy or share road space thus having lower transport efficiency and adding pressure to the already busy road network in districts adjoining KTD. In response to the public suggestions solicited during the Stage 1 public consultation, we will further look into other technical aspects of the road-based green public transport modes such as traffic impact, land use and cost implications. Relevant information will be made available for public consideration during the Stage 2 public consultation. 

(b) The study suggests not extending the EFLS to To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City and San Po Kong. The major factors in consideration of penetrating the elevated monorail into the old residential areas are the complicated technical difficulties and constraints of topographical environment, including the noise and visual impacts on the residential areas, concerns about intrusion of privacy of the premises, etc. To enhance the connectivity between KTD and To Kwa Wan, Kowloon City and San Po Kong, the study suggests extending some of the existing bus routes via Prince Edward Road East to KTD as well as fourteen items of proposed/enhanced footbridges, subways and at-grade pedestrian crossings.

(c) There are quite a number of monorails in use in the overseas cities, for example, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia (opened in 2003), Las Vegas in the United States (opened in 2004), Moscow in Russia (opened in 2004), Sentosa in Singapore (opened in 2007) and Palm Jumeirah in Dubai (opened in 2009). We do not have information about the capital investment, operating and maintenance expenses and financial performance for the above overseas monorails. Given the differences in topographical environment, social factor and implementation timeframe, it would be unable to compare the construction cost, operating and maintenance expenses and financial performance of the proposed EFLS with the above overseas monorails on a like-with-like basis.

(d) According to the preliminary estimation in the EFLS feasibility study, assuming that the fare structure for the EFLS is similar to that for the Mass Transit Railway and excluding the replacement costs for electrical/mechanical facilities and rolling stock, the revenue could cover the operating and maintenance expenses of the EFLS. As the detailed feasibility study has yet to proceed and there is no local operating data for the monorail, the annual operating and maintenance expenses of the EFLS could only be broadly estimated to be in the range from $18 to $23 million per kilometre of rail length at 2010 price level. The actual figure will be subject to the final design and the operating situation.


----------



## hkskyline

*President Hu visits Kai Tak Development *
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Government Press Release




























President Hu Jintao, accompanied by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, visited the new Cruise Terminal Building to get a better understanding of the Kai Tak Development this morning (June 30).

The Kai Tak Development is a mega-scale development project spanning a total planning area of over 320 hectares and with a mix of community, housing, business, tourism and infrastructural uses.

At the new Cruise Terminal Building, President Hu was invited to view the exhibition panels giving detailed information on the Kai Tak Development. On-site briefings were given by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, on the development plans for the Kai Tak Development and Energizing Kowloon East, and by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, on the cruise terminal.

President Hu chatted with the working staff there and reminded them of the importance of construction safety while maintaining the progress and quality of the work.

Before leaving the Cruise Terminal Building, President Hu said the project was meaningful as it had taken into account the economic development needs of Hong Kong and the need to improve people's livelihood and had incorporated environmental protection principles.

President Hu also said that he liked to visit various places to better understand Hong Kong's progress and development.

President Hu's next stop was a public housing construction site for Kai Ching Estate at Kai Tak. The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, briefed President Hu on Hong Kong's housing policies and public housing development in Kai Tak. President Hu visited two public housing flats which are yet to be occupied and talked to construction workers and technical staff there.


----------



## hkskyline

Note the construction lights on the runway to the right :


----------



## mmouse534

Stainless steel cleaners and polish are divided into three categories. These three categories are stainless steel cleaners, stainless steel polishes and stainless steel polish cleaners. Each type of stainless steel maintenance product is used for a specific stainless steel maintenance task. There are also different types of commercial and residential stainless steel types. The main two types of stainless steel are satin stainless steel and polished stainless steel. Satin stainless steel has a duller finish than polished stainless steel but resists oil markings such as fingerprints much better. Polished stainless steel has a mirror like metal gloss look.


----------



## hkskyline

By *joshua214* from dchome :


----------



## hkskyline

30 June 


20120630_0006 by E.HOBA, on Flickr


----------



## balthazar

^^nice view


----------



## hkskyline

7/6

By *fongkhd* from a Hong Kong discussion forum :


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.fotop.net/moodforlove


----------



## snumouse

We are specialized in design, fabrication and installation of curtain wall,door &window,website is www.hwarrior.com,you can e-mail me by [email protected]


----------



## hkskyline

*Tenders invited for Kai Tak development - reconstruction and upgrading of Kai Tak Nullah project*
Friday, September 7, 2012
Government Press Release

To improve the drainage capacity of Kai Tak Nullah and mitigate the flooding risk to its surrounding areas, the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (September 7) invited tenders for the contract for the Kai Tak development - reconstruction and upgrading of Kai Tak Nullah project.

The works mainly comprise:
* reconstruction and upgrading of the approximately 1.3-kilometre-long Kai Tak Nullah;
* construction of two desilting compounds; and
* ancillary works, including landscaping works and environmental mitigation measures.

The works are scheduled to commence in January 2013 for completion in April in 2018.

The CEDD has commissioned AECOM Asia Company Limited to design and supervise the works. Interested contractors may obtain the tender forms and other particulars from AECOM Asia Company Limited at 10/F, Tower 2, Grand Central Plaza, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin.

The invitation to tender was gazetted today. The closing time for the tender is noon on October 19, 2012. Tender submissions should be placed in the Government Secretariat Tender Box at G/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar.

For enquiries, please call AECOM Asia Company Limited at 3922 9238.


----------



## hkskyline

*Commissioner for Tourism attends Seatrade All Asia Cruise Convention in Shanghai *
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Government Press Release

The Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Philip Yung, attended the 3rd Seatrade All Asia Cruise Convention, being held in Shanghai from September 26 to 28.

Speaking at the Convention today (September 27), Mr Yung updated cruise trade representatives on the development of the new cruise terminal in Hong Kong. He highlighted Hong Kong's advantages as a cruise hub in the Asia-Pacific region and the opportunities arising from the opening of the new cruise terminal in Hong Kong for developing new itineraries in the region.

"The rising demand for cruise travel from the Mainland is something that no cruise operator should overlook. In 2011, Hong Kong received more than 500,000 Mainland visitors taking cruises from our port. Meanwhile, the number of cruise ships received by the ports on the Mainland has increased by 17.5 per cent in 2011, reaching over 260 calls. We are keen to see more cruise operators catch this trend and deploy more ships to the region. Being a regional cruise hub, Hong Kong definitely stands to benefit from the growing demand for cruise travel on the Mainland," said Mr Yung.

Mr Yung introduced to the participants of the Convention the policy announced by the Central Government in late June this year that Mainland tour groups taking cruises from Hong Kong to Taiwan could visit Japan or Korea in the same cruise journey before returning to the Mainland. He pointed out that the policy would encourage cruise operators to offer more diverse itineraries and attract more Mainland tourists to take cruises from Hong Kong.

Mr Yung also informed the delegates that the construction works at the new cruise terminal are making good progress, and the cruise terminal building and the first berth are planned to be commissioned in mid-2013. In addition, the well-established Ocean Terminal has had its lease renewed. Its cruise facilities will be enhanced, providing more efficient service to passengers.

The Seatrade All Asia Cruise Convention is the most established cruise event in Asia. The Convention this year has been attended by industry representatives from over 30 countries and regions in the world. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has set up an exhibition booth at the Convention to showcase the design of the new cruise terminal as well as Hong Kong's position as a must-visit destination.

In the margins of the Convention, Mr Yung met with the senior management of a number of major cruise companies to discuss the potential of the cruise market in the region and ship deployment to Hong Kong.

Accompanying Mr Yung to attend the Convention were the Executive Director of the HKTB, Mr Anthony Lau, and a representative from the Worldwide Cruise Terminals Consortium, which is the operator of the new cruise terminal at Kai Tak.

Mr Yung will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.


----------



## hkskyline

*Sports supremo fears stadium U-turn*
The Standard
Friday, October 19, 2012

The territory's top sports official fears the government may think again over plans to build a stadium of an international standard at Kai Tak.

Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, said if the new stadium is not built, the territory will be unable to compete in the hosting of international sporting events.

It is believed that opinion within the government is leaning towards scrapping the stadium in favor of residential development.

However, a Home Affairs Bureau spokeswoman said she is unaware of any plan to replace the stadium, and the targeted completion date has been set for 2019 or 2020.

However, the Development Bureau said there is room to rethink building density and other arrangements in the Kai Tak plan.

"Hong Kong athletes achieved good results in the London Olympics and the government should support them by building more sports facilities," Fok said.

Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication sector lawmaker Ma Fung-kwok said he met with Home Affairs Bureau officials a few weeks ago and the project was still on the table then.

But more recently there have been suggestions the government is focusing on housing policy and may replace the stadium with flats and move it to northern Lantau Island.

"If we fail to fight for the stadium this time, we will have to rely on young people to fight for it in the future," Fok said.

Sarah Li Wai-sze, Olympic bronze medalist in kerin, said Hong Kong should follow South Korea and Singapore and build large-scale facilities in a city of skyscrapers to promote sports to the public.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak backtrack as stadium options grow*
The Standard
Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A member of the Long-Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee has softened his stance on the construction of a sports stadium at the Kai Tak airport site.

Michael Choi Ngai-min also apologized for comments he made during the City Forum on Sunday, when he said about 70,000 flats could be built on the site if the stadium is delayed for two to three years. His comments drew outrage from sports leaders.

But Choi clarified yesterday that he does not want to malign the sports sector.

Among his new suggestions are building the stadium elsewhere, cutting its size in half and raising the plot ratio to 7.5 times for the housing plan to fit.

"Another proposal is to build housing on 20 of the 100 hectares of green zone in Kai Tak so the stadium can be retained," Choi said.

Victor Hui Chun-fui, vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, said many of those in the sports sector were infuriated about the rumored relocation of the stadium to Sunny Bay.

"Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying reiterated his support for the sports complex following the London Olympics" after stressing during the elections he will back sports, Hui said.

"How could he gain the trust of people in the sports sector if he is not serious about sports development policies?"

Hui warned of protests if the sector could not reach a consensus with the government.

Sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector lawmaker Ma Fung- kwok said he will not accept doing away with the complex unless the government can put forward an alternative site that is acceptable.

"No government official has responded to rumors about the relocation of the complex," Ma said. "I will consult the sector officially and will support its actions if it decides to take to the streets against a relocation."

The Home Affairs Bureau said on Thursday that the project is progressing as planned and that it expects the stadium to be completed before 2020.

But on the same day the Development Bureau said there is room to rethink the density and arrangement in Kai Tak's development area though no decision has been made.

The Home Affairs Bureau changed its tone on Monday, with its spokesman saying the integrated sports facility requires detailed planning. It will consult the sports community and stakeholders to ensure the sports complex will suit the needs of the public, he added.


----------



## hkskyline

*LCQ1: Ancillary transport facilities for new cruise terminal*
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Government Press Release

Following is a reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, to a question by the Hon Paul Tse in the Legislative Council today (October 24):

Question:

Some residents in the vicinity of Kowloon East, the Kai Tak Development area and the new cruise terminal have expressed to me their concern whether there will be adequate ancillary transport facilities carrying tourists disembarking at the cruise terminal, which will be commissioned next year, to and from tourist and shopping areas. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the ancillary transport facilities under the latest plan for carrying tourists disembarking at the cruise terminal to various tourist and shopping areas; whether it has assessed if a large number of tourists disembarking and heading towards the various tourist and shopping areas at the same time will lead to traffic congestions in Kowloon East; if it has, of the assessment results;

(b) whether it has studied the provision of transport services which are more efficient than the existing ones to connect the cruise terminal and Lei Yue Mun, so as to make it convenient for tourists, boost the local economy and create more employment opportunities; whether the various improvement and beautification works in Lei Yue Mun can be completed in time before the commissioning of the cruise terminal for the enjoyment of the tourists; and

(c) whether it has studied the provision of water taxi services to enhance the accessibility of the Victoria Harbour by connecting the cruise terminal with the tourist spots as well as tourist and shopping areas on the two sides of the Victoria Harbour?

Reply:

President,

The Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into a leading cruise hub in the Asia-Pacific region, and the new cruise terminal at Kai Tak Development (KTD) area is an important part of this strategy. The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, to be commissioned shortly in mid-2013, can accommodate the world's largest cruise vessel. It is an iconic landmark at the Victoria Harbour and features a highly functional design. Its Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Police facilities will be able to clear a maximum of 3 000 passengers per hour. There will also be adequate provision of vehicle pick-up and drop-off areas as well as parking spaces. To tie in with the commissioning of the terminal, the Government will provide an access road to connect the cruise terminal with Cheung Yip Street at Kowloon Bay. In addition to the existing major trunk roads (including Kai Tak Tunnel and Kwun Tong Bypass), the Route 6 that is being planned (including the Central Kowloon Route and road connections at the KTD area) will also link the KTD area with East and West Kowloon. Furthermore, the Shatin-to-Central Link under construction will provide railway service for the KTD area. 

My reply to the three parts of Honourable Tse's question is as follows:

(a) When a cruise vessel berths at a terminal, the cruise operator will typically make arrangements for its passengers to disembark in groups. The shipping agent or the shore excursion operator will then arrange coaches to carry the visitors between the cruise terminal and tourist spots. When the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal commences operation, the terminal operator will, together with the cruise operator and shore excursion operator concerned, work out in advance the necessary arrangements according to the passenger volume and berthing duration. This is to ensure that cruise passengers will disembark in an orderly manner and to avoid adding to the traffic load during peak hours.

The Government has conducted a traffic impact assessment of the cruise terminal on the nearby road network. The results indicated that upon the completion of the new road between the cruise terminal and Kowloon Bay as well as the modification works of some of the road junctions in Kowloon Bay, the road network would be able to cope with the traffic flow brought by the cruise terminal. The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) is carrying out the above road and junction improvement works for completion before the commissioning of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. The Government is also planning the next stage of road network development, with a view to enabling the vehicles leaving the cruise terminal to bypass Kowloon Bay and go directly to Kowloon West. 

Moreover, the Government is also planning for the provision of public transport services to facilitate public access to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal based on the projected passenger flow by a consultancy study. According to the current projection, the Government is of the view that green minibus (GMB) service should suffice for the demand at this stage and is making plans for GMB service connecting the cruise terminal and Kowloon Bay MTR Station. After the commissioning of the remaining cruise berth and if there is demand, the Government will consider the need to increase public transport service at an appropriate juncture. Upon the commissioning of the cruise terminal, the Tourism Commission will continue to liaise actively with the cruise industry and work with relevant departments to provide quality ancillary facilities and services to incoming cruise vessels and their passengers. 

(b) As mentioned in part (a) above, cruise operators usually engage shipping agents or shore excursion operators to arrange coaches for transporting visitors to and from the terminal and for joining shore excursion programmes, including those involving Lei Yue Mun. Visitors who do not join any shore excursion programme may take taxis or other public transport at the terminal to go to Lei Yue Mun.

Regarding the Lei Yue Mun enhancement works, the Government is planning to take forth the Lei Yue Mun Waterfront Enhancement Project (LYM Project). The scope of the Project includes the construction of a public landing facility, a breakwater and a waterfront promenade; the provision of several lookout points and streetscape improvement works along the footpath linking up the lookout points; as well as the construction of a new viewing platform, etc.

Gazettal for the marine works of the LYM Project was made in October 2009 under the Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance by the CEDD. The relevant statutory procedures are still in progress. During the gazettal of the project works, we received views concerning the public hygiene situation in Lei Yue Mun. To meet the concern on sewerage problem, the Environmental Protection Department commissioned a consultant in late 2010 to explore possible interim and long-term measures for improving the sewerage handling facilities in the area. The consultant consulted the local community on its sewerage review report in March 2012. The local stakeholders generally agreed to the preferred options for the sewerage improvement schemes proposed by the consultant.

To ascertain the works details of the long-term sewerage scheme, the Drainage Services Department engaged a consultant to conduct a technical study in end September 2012. Subject to the consultant's confirmation on the works details of the sewerage scheme, we will expedite actions to complete the statutory procedures under the Foreshore and Sea-bed (Reclamations) Ordinance and to implement the project as soon as possible.

The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is one of the major infrastructures under the KTD project. The LYM Project, which is a government measure to improve the district tourism facilities, is not part of the KTD project. While we will make the best endeavours to take forward the LYM Project, there is no direct link between the LYM Project and the timing of commissioning of the cruise terminal.

(c) The current KTD project has not made any provision for a ferry pier near the cruise terminal or water taxi services. Using railway as the backbone, the public transport system in Hong Kong has comprehensive arrangements by rail, land and sea for transportation across the Victoria Harbour. Indeed, the nature, operational mode, berthing facilities and regulatory framework of the existing water taxi services around the world are all different. Based on the local actual needs and unique environment, the Government needs to consider whether water taxis can be effectively operated in Hong Kong with regard to technology, operation, safety and legislation, etc., so that additional waterborne transport services could be provided to link up both sides of the Victoria Harbour and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. Nevertheless, we understand that the cruise terminal operator intends to look into the feasibility of providing a pier near to the terminal to complement the cruise operation. We will actively consider the detailed proposal with the bureaux and departments concerned upon receipt of the same from the operator.


----------



## hkskyline

*HK cruise terminal named Kai Tak after former airport*

HONG KONG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The new cruise terminal being built at the end of the runway of the former Kai Tak Airport will officially be named Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced Tuesday.

A paper detailing the cruise terminal's progress was submitted to the Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development, noting the site would again serve as a transport hub for Hong Kong. The name was chosen to provide continuity to the area's identity, and to commemorate the former airport.

The government plans to commission the terminal building and the first berth in mid-2013. The first berth's concrete platform will be completed by the end of this year. Preparation work for the installation of passenger gangways at the first berth began at the end of this September, while the seawall and second berth are under construction.

The main terminal building structure has been substantially completed and the facade and interior are under construction.

To encourage cruise companies to include the terminal as a stop on their itineraries, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has launched a marketing and advertising fund which cruise operators will contribute to on a 50:50 basis, to encourage visits to Hong Kong. The tourism board will also organize a cruise forum for January 2013, focusing on itinerary development and regional cooperation.


----------



## racso380

pictures??


----------



## hkskyline

racso380 said:


> pictures??


Most of the old site is still empty but prior pages have updates on the cruise terminal U/C and some housing going up on the former apron.


----------



## hkskyline

*Stadium hopefuls in for sweeteners*
The Standard
Friday, November 09, 2012

A larger part of the HK$20 billion construction cost of the planned Kai Tak multipurpose sports complex will be shouldered by the government.

Therefore those who make the winning bid will not have to worry about recovering costs in the first few years, a source told Sing Tao Daily, sister newspaper of The Standard.

The source said a developer would need to earn HK$100 million to HK$200 million a year to recoup their investment.

"If the government helps with the cost, developers won't have to face such a burden," he said.

The complex will include a 50,000-seat stadium with retractable roof, five sports centers, a sports ground and a redeveloped tennis center that are set to be completed by 2023. 

Developers will also be shareholders in the project, having a 10-15 percent stake, so there will still be the incentive to run the stadium efficiently.

Furthermore they will be motivated to push for international sports events to be held there, the source said.

They will be encouraged to come up with a better design, finish the project earlier and operate the complex more effectively.

The bidding contract will make it compulsory for the developer to commit 90percent of the time.

The stadium will be used for public purposes and admission fees should be similar to those charged by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The source said the administration will not exclude the possibility of building the stadium on its own using taxpayers' money if developers find the criteria too harsh or if it is unable to find suitable partners.

The stadium will then be given to a private company to operate.

But the source is confident a design- build-operate scheme is attractive to developers.

The approach would ensure the most effective delivery of the project from the design stage throughout its long-term operation.

Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing told legislators last week that the Kai Tak sports complex will have a mix of high-quality public sports facilities, open space, park features and retail and dining outlets.


----------



## hkskyline

DSC_063400000 by wanso119, on Flickr


----------



## PKPHUKET

^^ nice pic.


----------



## hkskyline

Note the runway on the right :


----------



## Anjouri Desouza

What a fabulous building. And a great photo. Taken by a professional?

Modern. Art Deco. Extremely successful both inside and out. 

Really i am impressed from this post, ........

Thanks for sharing. :banana:


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak for people sought by alliance*
The Standard
Monday, November 19, 2012

A professional alliance has proposed replacing a low-density residential section of the Kai Tak development with public and Home Ownership Scheme flats to accommodate 32,000 more people.

Local Research Community, Harmonic HK and The Professional Commons said their proposed plan, "Kai Tak for the People," will allow urban land to be utilized to meet housing demand.

On Saturday, Development Bureau chief Paul Chan Mo-po said the bureau is considering increasing the housing density of the Kai Tak project.

Under the current plan, 6.56 hectares will be set aside to provide 1,312 units of low-density luxury flats that will accommodate about 3,360 residents.

To meet the great demand for housing, the alliance proposes instead that the area, plus an additional 1.5 hectares, be used for about 11,000 public units in the northwestern corner of the current Sports City site to accommodate an additional 32,000 people. The ratio of the public- to-private housing mix would increase from 38:62 to 56:44.

Albert Lai Kwong-tak, convener of the research committee of The Professional Commons, said by providing more public housing the government may help increase supply and meet the need for decanting flats during the redevelopment phase of old areas in Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City.

Lai said the provisions for Sports City and Metro Park remain intact under the new proposal.

"To scrap the luxury flat plan is a minimal change while the functions of Sports City and Metro Park remain unchanged," he said.

The alliance plans to shift the Secondary Stadium to the south, to build the public flats in the north.

The views near the middle of the runway area, on which the government plans to build the low-density residential area, would then not be affected.

The alliance also suggests extending the Metro Park further to the south in order to free around 150,000 square feet for retail commercial activities and art performances.

Stanley Ng Wing-fai, strategic committee member for The Professional Commons, described the alliance amendments as "moderate."

The alliance may also apply to the Town Planning Board to amend the proposed project.


----------



## Yako1

Good to see all this discussion... but can we have more details please? like more site photos? for example, photos of those new residential buildings coming up on the north eastern side of the old apron.. where HAECO used to be located? And maybe a list of developments/contractors?

Greatly appreciated


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> Good to see all this discussion... but can we have more details please? like more site photos? for example, photos of those new residential buildings coming up on the north eastern side of the old apron.. where HAECO used to be located? And maybe a list of developments/contractors?
> 
> Greatly appreciated


There are a number of renderings and site plans on the first few pages of this thread.

Most of the developments on the site are not yet planned to the stage where renderings are available. The cruise terminal and some public housing blocks on the apron are the only visible structure-building right now.


----------



## Yako1

hkskyline said:


> There are a number of renderings and site plans on the first few pages of this thread.
> 
> Most of the developments on the site are not yet planned to the stage where renderings are available. The cruise terminal and some public housing blocks on the apron are the only visible structure-building right now.


Not a problem... are there any people working on the site who can take pictures with their phones or cameras? And also, have they demolished the firestation?

And what is remaining of the archaeological site, which was found, after the terminal demolition? Thanks again for everything..


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> Not a problem... are there any people working on the site who can take pictures with their phones or cameras? And also, have they demolished the firestation?
> 
> And what is remaining of the archaeological site, which was found, after the terminal demolition? Thanks again for everything..


I do post photos of the site every now and then. Will keep an eye to see what's new but there isn't much going on except the cruise terminal at the end of the runway and the few public housing blocks on the apron.

There isn't anything archaeologically-interesting at all, since much of that airport was reclaimed from the sea in the past 100 years anyway. They have to spend a lot of time decontaminating the soil though.

Where's the fire station? Do you have a photo of it?


----------



## Yako1

hkskyline said:


> I do post photos of the site every now and then. Will keep an eye to see what's new but there isn't much going on except the cruise terminal at the end of the runway and the few public housing blocks on the apron.
> 
> There isn't anything archaeologically-interesting at all, since much of that airport was reclaimed from the sea in the past 100 years anyway. They have to spend a lot of time decontaminating the soil though.
> 
> Where's the fire station? Do you have a photo of it?


Thanks.. The arhaeological site I was talking about is the lung tsun stone bridge : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_Tsun_Stone_Bridge They discovered this while they were digging up the terminal for, the decontaminating process

This is the fire station which i was talking about... i found an old picture of it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photoperplexed/4500952671/in/set-72157623800970788

Hmmm, i've got another question, why didn't they keep running kai tak as a cargo airport, or military airport... or even as an airport for private avaition?


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> Thanks.. The arhaeological site I was talking about is the lung tsun stone bridge : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_Tsun_Stone_Bridge They discovered this while they were digging up the terminal for, the decontaminating process
> 
> Hmmm, i've got another question, why didn't they keep running kai tak as a cargo airport, or military airport... or even as an airport for private avaition?


Here's an article in Chinese from 2011 about the bridge and what's going to happen to it : http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20110514/00176_059.html

- the bridge will be preserved
- a 30m wide, 200m long preservation corridor will be built
- the historic site will not be blocked off by glass or railings
- construction of this corridor and re-opening of the historic site can only be done after the Shatin-Central railway line is complete in 2020 

There actually is a military airport in Shek Kong in the New Territories with a single runway. I have seen civilian aircraft use it, but they also use the current facility in Chek Lap Kok. There was no plan to run 2 international airports in the city. CLK was supposed to be big enough to handle it all, and there is still plenty of space on the airport island to grow (except the 3rd runway).


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak in marine mud first*
The Standard
Thursday, December 27, 2012

The first public housing flats on Kai Tak will be built with marine mud excavated from the site of the former airport.

In a landmark green effort, the Housing Department has treated a massive amount of marine mud from the site to allow it to be transformed into construction material.

The department said the green treatment means the mud will not be disposed of as waste in landfills and marine dumping sites, and also avoids the likely dispersion of large amounts of pollutants if trucks had carried the mud to landfills.

Deputy director Lam Sze-chuen said the Kai Tak public housing project involves the removal of 15,400 cubic meters of marine mud from the site's seabed - enough to fill up six Olympic-sized swimming pools.

"Marine mud is soft and we can't proceed with piling work on it," Lam said. "Therefore, we need to remove the marine mud for the construction process to start. But if we dump it all in landfills as waste, it will sharply increase burden on the the landfill sites."

Lam said that after several tests with construction experts at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the department found a way to mix the mud with cement and recycled rock debris and turn it into bricks for use in the Kai Tak housing project.

Lam said about 300 cubic meters of the mud has been used to make bricks that will be used as paving blocks, planter kerbs and walls for carparks at the project.

Instead of usual earth-fillers such as sand and cement, the green-treated mud was also backfilled and compacted around the foundation of pile caps underground.

A giant mixer has been set up at Kai Tak for workers to mix the mud with cement and other recycled aggregates.

"The designed mixture balances maximum use of marine mud with minimum use of cement and meets technical requirements for various uses of pavers and blocks," Lam said.

"The blocks made of marine mud are like conventional blocks in terms of compressive strength, skid resistance and water absorption.

"They have also proved to be practical and environmentally friendly."

On whether total construction cost of the public housing project will balloon, Lam said the department spent only HK$2 million on the consultancy study for transforming the mud into building materials.

He also pointed out the huge savings on transport costs as the mud did not have to be taken to landfill sites.

The Kai Tak public housing site currently occupies 9.2 hectares and will provide more than 13,300 flats for about 33,000 residents.


----------



## hkskyline

12/26


Kowloon and Kai Tak Airport by fto179, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak Fantasy will become reality*
The Standard
Thursday, January 17, 2013

A place of fantasy will be created near what was the end of the Kai Tak airport runway jutting into the harbor.

"The former runway tip in the Kai Tak development area has excellent potential to be developed into a tourism and entertainment hub," CY Leung said. "We propose setting up on this site a recreational landmark - Kai Tak Fantasy.

"On top of recreation facilities, it can be turned into an `edutainment' destination, which will reflect Kai Tak's unique aviation, maritime and transportation history."

Leung also said he has high hopes of the Kai Tak area offering a good example of "where we can enhance the quality of living."

Asked what will make fantasy a reality, Leung said the secretary for development is to provide details.

In fact, Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po holds a post-policy briefing on his portfolio this morning.

But adding to the Kai Tak Fantasy picture in a paper posted yesterday, the Development Bureau said the feature will "serve as a tourism and entertainment hub, with global significance for both local people and tourists."

New People's Party legislator Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said Hong Kong needs to increase its investment in tourism.

"The cruise terminal will be located at Kai Tak," she noted, "so it makes sense to have a theme park and other entertainment facilities to keep up with the competition."

Ng Kam-mee, a professor in the Chinese University of Hong Kong's geography and resource management department, also looked at the Kai Tak Fantasy as complementary to the terminal.

"I believe overseas tourists will be lured to visit the recreation hub to learn the history of Kai Tak," he said.

But he added: "We don't want that the site will be developed into another theme park like Ocean Park."

Also at the site, the multi-purpose, 50,000-seat Kai Tak Sports Complex should be ready in 2019 after a projected outlay of about HK$19 billion.

Hong Kong Stadium will be adapted as a district-based facility with 10,000 seats once the Kai Tak complex is ready.


----------



## hkskyline

*Cruise berths to ride on mainland wave*
The Standard
Thursday, January 24, 2013

The number of mainland tourists will increase by 10 percent when the Kai Tak cruise terminal opens in June, industry experts believe.

The terminal in East Kowloon is designed by one of the world's most famous architects, Norman Foster, and is three times the size of Ocean Cruise Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The terminal is part of a larger development that may see 17 hotels built on the old airport site.

Yuen Lai-fung, a member of Advisory Committee on Cruise Industry, said yesterday more ocean liners are likely to stop over for one or two nights when the terminal comes into operation.

"When cruise companies plan the routes of their fleets, they generally include more destinations," Yuen said.

He expects the number of mainland arrivals to surge by 10percent in the next few years.

From January to November last year, more than 40 million tourists arrived in the city, 70percent of them from the mainland.

Meanwhile, international cruise companies said they are eyeing new business opportunities given the boom in mainland tourists.

Kelvin Tan, regional director for Asia Pacific at Royal Caribbean Cruises, said he believes the city will become a popular port of call when the new state-of-the-art cruise terminal opens.

Tan said the city has shopping and cultural attractions popular with tourists.

The terminal will open for bookings in a few months time when the first berth will be in operation. The second berth should be ready by the middle of next year.

Once completed, the terminal will have the capacity to disembark a total of 8,400 passengers and 1,200 crew.

It will accommodate the latest generation of large cruise vessels.

The spacious interior, which spans 70 meters, may be converted into a venue for special events and exhibitions.

According to the Tourism Commission, more than 700,000 cruise-ship passengers came through Hong Kong last year.

Worldwide cruise passenger numbers are forecast to top 30 million by 2020.


----------



## emyrr3096

When the construction begin?? And is that's any newer render??


----------



## hkskyline

emyrr3096 said:


> When the construction begin?? And is that's any newer render??


Construction has been piecemeal. A few public housing blocks at the old apron are almost done, while the cruise terminal at the end of the runway will open this year. Other than that, the rest of the site is still bare. Following calls to increase housing stock, expect development plans to change.


----------



## emyrr3096

hkskyline said:


> Construction has been piecemeal. A few public housing blocks at the old apron are almost done, while the cruise terminal at the end of the runway will open this year. Other than that, the rest of the site is still bare. Following calls to increase housing stock, expect development plans to change.


 due H.K really need housing blocks, So the plan will be change?
H.K really need more housing blocks yahkay:


----------



## hkskyline

emyrr3096 said:


> due H.K really need housing blocks, So the plan will be change?
> H.K really need more housing blocks yahkay:


The plan is changing to more housing since there already is plenty of new commercial space in nearby Kowloon Bay.


----------



## emyrr3096

hkskyline said:


> The plan is changing to more housing since there already is plenty of new commercial space in nearby Kowloon Bay.


Ohh I see. The first render is ex-kaitak airport will be the vessel terminal or something like Convention Centre? correct me if i'm wrong about the first renderkay:


----------



## hkskyline

emyrr3096 said:


> Ohh I see. The first render is ex-kaitak airport will be the vessel terminal or something like Convention Centre? correct me if i'm wrong about the first renderkay:


Sorry, can you post what rendering you are talking about? Been so many changes so I want to make sure what you are referring to.


----------



## emyrr3096

hkskyline said:


> Sorry, can you post what rendering you are talking about? Been so many changes so I want to make sure what you are referring to.


Sorry no photos. I'm read the old book of contractor from where i'm forget. So many changes for H.K citykay:


----------



## hkskyline

Taken 1/1


Benefit of this cool weather is blue skies and little smog! That's the old Kai Tak runway over there - you almost can't see it any more under the construction! by antwerpenR, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

12/28


Sunset @ Hong Kong by Anthony Lau @ HK, on Flickr


----------



## emyrr3096

hkskyline said:


> 12/28
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthony-lau/8325495125/
> Sunset @ Hong Kong by Anthony Lau @ HK, on Flickr


Thanks for sharing here:cheers:


----------



## Car L

__________________
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


----------



## hkskyline

Thanks for the update. Looks like a mini-BKK here!


----------



## Car L

__________________
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


----------



## Yako1

Car L said:


> __________________
> Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
> Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


When will the interior photos be posted up? Looks good.. Finally 12-13 yrs after the closure some activity can be seen..

When the airport closed they said that they were going to preserve a section of the runway and make a small airplane museum?


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> When will the interior photos be posted up? Looks good.. Finally 12-13 yrs after the closure some activity can be seen..
> 
> When the airport closed they said that they were going to preserve a section of the runway and make a small airplane museum?


I don't think there are plans for a museum at all. There is a shortage of residential land nowadays and property prices have doubled since the financial crisis started in 2008. The densities at Kai Tak have been increased instead.


----------



## Highcliff

very nice building....reminds me a big straight snake...


----------



## gakei

http://www.gakei.com/ktc/ktc.htm


----------



## hkskyline

*啟德郵輪碼頭第一泊*
2013年03月17日(日)













































_Synopsis : The new cruise terminal will officially open in June. Yesterday, the facility hosted a trial run for a cruise ship from Singapore. _

六月才正式啟用的啟德郵輪碼頭昨日「試泊」，來自新加坡的「菁英千禧號」昨第三度訪港，搶閘成為首艘停泊郵輪。船長Costas Patsoulas指碼頭海港廣闊，加上昨日風高浪急，增添停泊難度，但新碼頭較尖沙咀海運大廈碼頭空間大，有利郵輪操作。負責統籌「試泊」的船務代理公司表示，現時僅欠缺購物商場及需完善交通配套。碼頭營辦商稱正與當局商討，期望可增建公共渡輪碼頭供市民使用。

「菁英千禧號」昨日清晨約六時順利停泊啟德郵輪碼頭，成為首艘停泊的船隻。船長Costas Patsoulas表示，碼頭海港廣闊，加上風勁水流急，致停泊時稍有困難。他認為新碼頭較海運大廈碼頭空間大，操作亦較易，有信心啟德郵輪碼頭將會成為全球最佳碼頭之一。

望增建公共渡輪碼頭

華林船務（香港）有限公司總經理陳錦富稱，試業是為了測試泊位安排及防撞膠性能，觀察碼頭對大型郵輪的承受能力。結果大致暢順，而且碼頭面積大，方便補給物資，惟欠缺大型商場供旅客購物。他續指碼頭大樓尚未竣工，因此入境事務處派員登船協助乘客辦理入境手續，而海關職員亦在岸上設置帳篷助旅客清關，船公司有穿梭巴接載旅客往返港鐵九龍站和碼頭。碼頭營辦商乘客服務總監班智榮表示，現正與當局商討完善碼頭的交通配套。他稱，現時只有小巴及巴士等陸上交通工具能到達碼頭，盼望日後能增建公共渡輪碼頭，讓市民多一個選擇。

來自德克薩斯州的旅客Jeraldine形容啟德郵輪碼頭外觀優美，媲美其他國際級碼頭。旅客之一的香港居民梁先生稱，船務公司有穿梭巴士通宵接載往返市中心，安排可以接受。載有逾二千名來自美國及加拿大等地旅客的「菁英千禧號」經越南抵港，該船停泊三天後，會接載新一批旅客啟航往新加坡。

多個環保團體批評擁有「菁英千禧號」的皇家加勒比海郵輪公司，一直迴避泊岸時會否棄用高污染燃油，漠視該區居民健康。團體遂聯同觀塘區及啟德區議員出海，拉起橫額抗議，要求該公司承諾棄用高污染燃油。

黃士心：將勝新加坡

多次帶領郵輪團的康泰旅行社董事長黃士心指，現時地中海航線無論設施及發展度最為成熟，但亞洲郵輪航線仍在發展，啟德郵輪碼頭落成後，估計其他沿岸城市亦會陸續興建大型或郵輪碼頭，相信亞洲航線日後可媲美地中海航線。他又指新加坡的碼頭較完善，料啟德郵輪碼頭日後規模及配套將更勝新加坡。


----------



## el palmesano

wow!!! seems great! more pictures please!


----------



## gakei

A few hours before departure for Singapore yesterday


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak pilot ready for takeoff*
The Standard
Wednesday, March 20, 2013










The first-ever residential sites designated exclusively for local permanent residents open for tender next Thursday.

Bids for the two Kai Tak plots will be accepted until the end of May, the Lands Department said.

At 83,639 square feet and 92,400 sq ft, and titled 1H1 and 1H2, respectively, the plots are part of the "Hong Kong Property for Hong Kong People" pilot program launched in September by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Expected prices are around HK$2 billion for 1H1 and HK$2.2 billion for 1H2.

A total of at least 1,145 flats can be built on the sites, which will yield a maximum gross floor area of 418,196 sq ft and 462,002 sq ft, respectively.

All buyers must be Hong Kong permanent residents, with sales to non-locals or corporations not allowed.

Joint purchases where one buyer is a non-permanent resident will only be allowed if the pair are closely related, such as parents, spouse, children or siblings.

Developers of the plots have to put all new units on the market for sale.

And future owners can lease their flats out to anyone, even non-locals, but with a maximum five-year term set for each tenancy. This is to avoid abusive transfers of residential flats to overseas residents through long leases.

The conditions will likely make developers more conservative in their bids, it is believed.

Midland Surveyors director Alvin Lam Tsz-pun said developers will factor in the risks arising from the restrictions.

He estimates the plots to each fetch around HK$4,800 per buildable square foot.

But Lau Ping-cheung, a member of the government's Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee, expects little impact from the restrictions as most homebuyers in the SAR are locals anyway.

He added that transportation facilities such as the future Kai Tak MTR station on the Sha Tin to Central Link will likely whet developer interest in submitting bids.


----------



## hkskyline

Kowloon Bay 九龍灣 by 0759, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

2/20


Untitled by David Davidoff, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

3/14


P3146210 by ryansly, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak prize to state firm*
The Standard
Thursday, June 06, 2013

In a cynical turn of events, the first two sites allotted for building homes solely for locals was awarded to a mainland state-owned enterprise for HK$4.54 billion.

China Overseas Land & Investment (0688) outbid at least 16 other developers - including a bevy of local titans such as Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016), Cheung Kong Holdings (0001), Henderson Land (0012) and Sino Land (0083) - to clinch through two separate bids the 1H1 and 1H2 plots at Kai Tak for HK$2.27 billion each. 

The two sites measure 83,639 square feet and 92,400 sq ft and cost HK$5,428 and HK$4,913 per buildable square foot respectively - the upper range of market estimates. 

COLI managing director Tony Yau Wai-kwong said the developer had eyed plots in the Kai Tak development area for a long time.

He said the two plots are nearest to the proposed MTR Kai Tak Station. 

"Total investment cost including the land price will amount to HK$9 billion," Yau said. He stressed the firm made a bid after taking all government restrictions into account. 

At least 1,145 flats have to be built on the two sites and all must be put up for sale. Yau said COLI - one of the first mainland developers to list in Hong Kong in 1992 - plans to construct four residential blocks on each site. 

The plots sold were chosen as pilot sites for the "Hong Kong Property for Hong Kong People" scheme proposed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. 

All buyers must be permanent residents.

Michael Choi Ngai-min, a member of the government's Long Term Housing Strategy Steering Committee, said future homes at the sites would be sold at a relatively high price.

Surveyors said they could be sold above HK$10,000 psf or for as much as HK$30,000 psf. 

Meanwhile, agents revealed that the secondary home sellers at The Latitude, situated near Kai Tak, are now opting to rent out their homes instead. 

Brian Chan Chi-yan at Midland Realty said homeowners at The Latitude had reduced their price cuts to an average of 3 percent from the earlier 8 percent right after learning that 29 bids were submitted for the two sites on Friday. 

Separately, the Chinachem Group outbid five tenders to win the 90,396 sq ft site near the MTR at Long Ping South for a lower than expected HK$1.3 billion.


----------



## randolphan

Hmm any photos of the newly completed terminal?


----------



## hkskyline

randolphan said:


> Hmm any photos of the newly completed terminal?


News photos from today and the first docking :


----------



## hkskyline

*Easy sailing for new cruise terminal*
The Standard
Friday, June 14, 2013



















The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal's first visitor concluded its 20-hour stop amid a minor taxi hiccup.

Mariner of the Seas, a 3,000-passenger ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, left for Japan at 4pm yesterday. 

It will then proceed to South Korea and Shanghai.

Tourism commissioner Philip Yung Wai-hung said the taxi shortage on Wednesday was quickly resolved and there was no such problem yesterday. 

Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals - the consortium that operates Kai Tak - said one of the three security companies mistakenly thought that no taxis should be allowed to enter the terminal.

That led to the absence of cabs between 8:30pm and 8:45pm on Wednesday.

A male Malaysian tourist described it as "chaotic" after passengers spent "a long time to get on coaches to visit nearby shopping malls." 

But others said they are bound to come back. "We hope that cruises can stop in Hong Kong for a longer period of time, say one or two days, so that we can have more time to shop," said a woman tourist. 

Travel Industry Council chairman Michael Wu Siu-ying said shuttle bus services should be provided by the terminal's operator to connect Kai Tak to more areas. 

And these should include Kowloon City, shop managers there said.

Daisy Fong, of Yuen Hing Foods, said she did not see a single passenger. "This is not unexpected. There is no support in place to bring them to the old district," she said.

Kai Tak's next visitor is the Voyager of the Seas, also from Royal Caribbean International, on October 15.


----------



## hkskyline

*Fantasy project aiming to take off at Kai Tak*
The Standard
Friday, June 21, 2013

The old airport site looks set to land some fun and fantasy over the next few years.

An 80-hectare recreational landmark, dubbed Kai Tak Fantasy, will reflect the aviation and maritime history of the historic area - site of a newly opened cruise terminal.

The project is expected to take in the tip of the runway, Kwun Tong ferry pier and typhoon shelter.

Now, over the next two months, the head of the Energizing Kowloon East Office wants the public to give its views on a planned design competition for the development.

"We believe Kai Tak Fantasy has a huge potential to be developed into a world-class tourism hub and an `edutainment' destination," Raymond Lee Kai-wing said.

Lee yesterday described how the tip of the runway is already zoned as a tourism center, park and helicopter ramp.

The pier area will be set aside for cultural events and the typhoon shelter will host water activities such as dragon boat races.

Lee said the government is planning to connect the project to the MTR network.

A "Green Map" will also promote environmentally friendly features.

Planners, architects and engineers will by the end of the year be asked to submit creative proposals for the KTF International Ideas Competition on Urban Planning and Design.

Short-listed proposals should be published around June next year in order to consider the reaction of those living nearby.

Results of the competition will be released by the end of next year.


----------



## Highcliff

hkskyline said:


> Kowloon Bay 九龍灣 by 0759, on Flickr


what are they going to do with these empty lands?


----------



## hkskyline

By *sky4082* from dcfever :










By *wwh11* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

Highcliff said:


> what are they going to do with these empty lands?


You can check out the previous posts in this thread for the development plans.


----------



## hkskyline

7/14


New Kai Tak..... by Hoi Kit Chung, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

By *Wombat2012* from dcfever :


----------



## TohrAlkimista

Is there any link where I can get a "full picture" of the entire project? 
Besides the cruise terminal (which is very nice btw), what is going to be for the rest of the area?


----------



## skanny

What an awfull walls built in an area with a giant visual and economical potential in the near future !! 
Why they don't innovate and stop building similar giant blocks close to each others ? It's desperating really !!


----------



## Yako1

Highcliff said:


> what are they going to do with these empty lands?


Some time back, there was a huge mound of sand at the northern end of the kai tak runway.. it has been moved?


----------



## Yako1

hkskyline said:


> 7/14
> 
> 
> New Kai Tak..... by Hoi Kit Chung, on Flickr


What is going on here? this is where the grand old terminal once stood... miss those days.


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> What is going on here? this is where the grand old terminal once stood... miss those days.


That section is the Shatin-Central subway line under construction.


----------



## Yako1

hkskyline said:


> That section is the Shatin-Central subway line under construction.


Woah. do they really need another subway line? there are subway lines nearby, which pass by here..

If they would have built one when kai tak was running, that would be better, people could have had the extra option, besides bus or taxi..


----------



## hkskyline

Yako1 said:


> Woah. do they really need another subway line? there are subway lines nearby, which pass by here..
> 
> If they would have built one when kai tak was running, that would be better, people could have had the extra option, besides bus or taxi..


No subway lines pass by Kowloon City. This line will be extended across the harbour, offering relief to existing lines.

Building a line from scratch in a densely-built city is a logistical nightmare. Better they do it while it is empty - much cheaper.


----------



## Yako1

hkskyline said:


> No subway lines pass by Kowloon City. This line will be extended across the harbour, offering relief to existing lines.
> 
> Building a line from scratch in a densely-built city is a logistical nightmare. Better they do it while it is empty - much cheaper.


Thanks for the explanation. But from the map below, there is the KwunTong line, which has stations by the name of Lok Fu, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon Tong, Diamond hill, etc. All of them pass by the area. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Hong_Kong#MTR_route_map

Are they going to build another underwater tunnel across the harbour, or will it use the existing lines?


----------



## hkskyline

By *perth808* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *chiuchunlaw* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *花樣年華* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *Ray1839* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

By *stevenip* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

6/4

2015-06-04_16.22.38 by Billy [email protected], on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority cuts eligibility limits for single applicants for housing project*
2 December 2015
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










In yet another policy shift, the Urban Renewal Authority tightened eligibility criteria for single applicants for its first subsidised housing project.

The decision came after a special board meeting yesterday. Chairman Victor So Hing-wo said all board members agreed on tightening the criteria for unmarried applicants. 

"Having considered the potential legal risks and balanced the demands from society, we still decided to accept applications from single people," said So.

"But their monthly household income and asset limits are capped at HK$33,500 and HK$1.5 million respectively."

The move was made after a public outcry erupted last Tuesday over a decision to allow single people, instead of only families of two people or more, to buy subsidised units at its De Novo development at Kai Tak.

There was intense criticism when it was decided that all applicants, whether they were single or not, should meet the same eligibility criteria - HK$60,000 for monthly household income and HK$3 million for total asset value. This was considered too generous for unmarried applicants.

The authority said after receiving advice from the Equal Opportunities Commission that the original plan could be discriminatory, it had sought advice from a senior counsel on possible legal risks from the new proposal.

The authority said it believed the revised thresholds were reasonable and rational and could help head off potential legal challenges.

However, priority in choosing flats would not be given to family applicants due to equal opportunities concerns.


----------



## hkskyline

*URA taking applications for Kai Tak flats today* 
The Standard _Excerpt_
Tuesday, January 05, 2016

The Urban Renewal Authority will start accepting applications for its subsidized housing project, De Novo in Kai Tak, from today.

From now until the application period ends on January 21, 32 show flats of various sizes are open to the public. Prices of the 338 flats range from HK$3.41 million to HK$6.63 million or HK$9,734 to HK$12,414 per square foot after a 20 percent discount to private homes in the area.

There are eight studio, 213 one-bedroom and 117 two-bedroom units at De Novo in three blocks and a lower block of six floors. Singles may apply for the studio and single-bedroom flats while the two-bedroom flats are reserved for families.

Some of the one- and two-bedroom flats enjoy harbor views but may face being blocked by the development of more private home projects at the Kai Tak site.

As a two-bedroom flat costs more than HK$6 million, URA executive director Pius Cheng Kai- wah believes those who meet the income cap will be able to afford a flat.

"The prices will appeal to those who have actual housing needs" Cheng said. "It will also help middle-income families buy a home. The income cap for singles and family applicants are set at HK$33,500 and HK$60,000 respectively and they should have assets worth no more than HK$1.5 million and HK$3 million.


----------



## hkskyline

1405-017-cp200-mmc by YKevin1979, on Flickr


1405-014-cp200-mmc by YKevin1979, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Space by Bailey Cheng, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Odds against single applicants landing a subsidised flat *
28 January 2016 
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










221 apartments at De Novo project are available to unmarried people, but thousands will lose out

Two-thirds of the 12,680 people trying their luck for a flat at a new subsidised housing development in Kai Tak are single, according to the Urban Renewal Authority. 

But the odds are stacked against them landing one of the 221 out of 338 subsidised flats allocated to unmarried people at the De Novo project.

Of the designs on offer, eight are studios and 213 are one-bedroom flats sized between 300 and 400 sq ft. The 117 two-bed homes are reserved for family applicants. Singles can only apply for the smaller units. So at best a single applicant has about a 2 per cent chance of success, given that some married couples may also opt for a smaller flat.

Late last year, the authority revised the eligibility criteria for its first subsidised housing project as it allowed single people, who were originally excluded from the scheme, to buy the homes but with their income eligibility requirements almost halved from HK$60,000 to HK$33,500.

The Housing Authority says it will kick off its computer balloting process for the project in March to determine the flat selection sequence before starting the screening process, flat selection and sales. The first residents could move in as early as July.

"It is expected that the relevant sale process will be completed by the end of May and the successful applicants can move in during the third quarter of 2016," the authority said in a statement. The scheme provides a total of 484 flats in four tower blocks.READ MORE: 'Anything but a bargain': prospective buyers criticise Hong Kong's latest subsidised housing project

The most expensive flats are priced at HK$6.627 million, but the URA, which developed the project, said middle-income families could afford them.

The URA changed its mind about single applicants after concerns that excluding them would lead to discrimination claims.


----------



## hkskyline

A bit hazy today - but nice weather above Kowloon by Roger Price, on Flickr


----------



## Demos-cratos

The new residential tower of Hong Kong is too similar, in the center we are diversity of architecture. 

I prefer the center with a lot of different skyscrapers.


----------



## Demos-cratos

The new residential tower of Hong Kong is too similar, in the center we are diversity of architecture. :bash:

I prefer the center with a lot of different skyscrapers.


----------



## hkskyline

1/8


----------



## hkskyline

*Buyers stay away as subsidised flats go on sale *
6 April 2016
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_










Just 19 out of 68 homes in first batch at Kai Tak development snapped up amid cooling market

Barely more than a quarter of eligible buyers for a subsidised flat in a Kai Tak housing project made a purchase yesterday amid a cooling housing market in Hong Kong.

Just 19 homes were sold on the first day of a four-day sale for the 338 flats of De Novo, a development by the Urban Renewal *Authority.

The authority, which brought forward the selection periodfrom May, originally scheduled 68 of the 264 eligible applicants toselect flats yesterday.

Lawmaker Alice Mak Mei-kuen, a non-executive director of the authority, said she understood the authority originally set the selection date in May because it expected a large number ofapplicants and needed to set aside time to examine documentssubmitted by them.

"In the end, the number ofapplicants was less than expected and the screening by the Housing Society was smooth. So there is no need to wait till May to select flats," she said.

The authority received 12,685 applications for subsidised flats in the De Novo project.


----------



## transporter2010

cool


----------



## hkskyline

7 April 2016 
The Standard _Excerpt_
*URA sells more DeNovo flats* 










The Urban Renewal Authority yesterday sold an additional 16 flats at DeNovo, its housing project at Kai Tak, on the second day of offer after a lackluster response from potential buyers.

Altogether, the URA has so far sold 35 DeNovo flats, representing only one tenth of the total 338 saleable units. It said it will extend the period for selling units from four to nine days until April 15.


----------



## hkskyline

The Standard _Excerpt_
*De Novo's doors are staying open longer*
13 April 2016

Following a lackluster response from applicants offered opportunities to buy homes, the Urban Renewal Authority has extended the selling period for De Novo the URA project at Kai Tak for five working days to April 22.

The authority extended the selling period for a second time as just 10 of 60 people invited to select flats showed up yesterday.

That turnout led to eight flats being sold five with one bedroom and three with two.

De Novo flats were first put on sale on April 5, and the first five days have seen sales of 19, 16, 14, 12 and eight units. The overall project has 338 flats.


----------



## hkskyline

By *roy_choi_2007* from dcfever :


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*Aviation industry presses Hong Kong government to open heliport at former Kai Tak airport site*
Administration to study demand for cross-border and domestic services to assess viability of helicopter flights to and from major Pearl River Delta cities
March 6, 2017

Aviation may return to Kai Tak – Hong Kong’s former international airport before it was moved to Chek Lap Kok off Lantau in 1998.

The government will study the issue as the aviation industry draws up a case to operate a heliport at the tip of the old runway next to the Cruise Terminal, the Post has learned.

Following the government’s budget boost for helicopter flights, the Transport and Housing Bureau will start a “comprehensive review” as soon as April on demand for cross-border and domestic services to assess the viability of helicopter flights to and from major Pearl River Delta cities.

The industry, which includes helicopters and business jets, has proposed to the government that the general aviation sector could manage Kai Tak heliport as a non-profit venture at no cost to the taxpayer.

Heliport flights could act as connecting flights to and from business jets waiting at airports across the Pearl River Delta.

“If we operate it, we could effectively subsidise the cost of it. We will facilitate everybody else at a commercially operated heliport. That is what happens at Battersea heliport in London,” explained HeliGroup director Gavin Neale, who added that re-opening Kai Tak for commercial flights would be a symbolic move.

The site for Kai Tak heliport is currently an 80,000 sq ft fenced-off barren area. The land has been zoned as a heliport for years. It has already passed an environmental impact assessment.

The proximity of the Cruise Terminal’s customs, immigration and quarantine facilities make it ready to handle cross-boundary flights.


----------



## hkskyline

Hong Kong - Kowloon by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
*HNA Group pays HK$7.44b for fourth plot of land at former site of Hong Kong airport*
HNA will combine the four plots into a single development project totalling nearly 400,000 square feet
March 15, 2017










HNA Group, the highly acquisitive property conglomerate that also owns Hainan Airlines, has paid HK$7.44 billion (US$960 million) for its fourth plot of development land at Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak airport.

The site sold at a price slightly exceeding the market expectation of between HK$6.1 billion to HK$7.4 billion, raising concern it could add fuel to the already hot residential market.

Milway Development, a unit ultimately owned by HNA Group, beat 14 other bidders to secure a 50-year right to develop Kai Tak Area 1L Site 2 in Kowloon, according to a Wednesday announcement by Hong Kong’s Lands Department.

“Home prices will continue to rise taking into account the present land sale and home buying sentiment. But whether or not (HNA) can attract buyers to its planned luxury development when it is offered on the market, we will need to wait and see,” said Shih Wing-ching, founder of property agency Centaline.

The successful tender brings HNA’s total shopping bill at Kai Tak to HK$27.2 billion over four months, giving the company a total of 398,268 square feet of land.


----------



## hkskyline

Source : http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip...ting-trip-hong-kong-singapore-thailand-5.html


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

Kowloon - Kai Tak by Howard Pulling, on Flickr


----------



## abby2529

nice view


----------



## hkskyline

*Loophole in flats for locals scheme as liaison official 'buys' two homes*
The Standard _Excerpt_
Mar 30, 2017

An official from the liaison office is said to have splashed HK$14.52 million to buy two flats in phase two of One Kai Tak - a project under the "Hong Kong property for Hong Kong people" initiative and developed by China Overseas.

The acquisition was made by an official known as Kwai Laam, who is reportedly a Hong Kong permanent resident, according to a Chinese-language newspaper.

The report said that among the latest batch of 310 units sold in One Kai Tak, there were 30 sales and purchase agreements involving single buyers acquiring two apartments.

Cases of a single buyer acquiring two homes involved a total of 60 flats and all purchasers were first-time buyers.

Housing Society chairman Marco Wu Moon-hoi said the original intention behind "Hong Kong property for Hong Kong people" is to allow more locals better chances of owning property.

And it would stray from that intention if a sales and purchase agreement can be good for more than one flat, added Wu.

It would be up to the government to consider how to fix the loophole, he said.

One Kai Tak, which first launched sales in August last year, is so far the only project under "Hong Kong property for Hong Kong people."

Meanwhile, a report by Jones Lang LaSalle pointed out that the HNA Group or related companies have reset prices in Kai Tak after snatching four residential plots for an average land cost of HK$13,415 per square feet.

The report said home prices in Kai Tak grew by as much as 50 percent in less than a year.

Riding on the recent land price rally, prices of the second phase of One Kai Tak increased by about 13 percent to HK$18,100 psf from the first phase, said the report.

The recently launched first batch of units at Poly Property's Vibe Centro was priced at close to HK$20,000 psf.


----------



## hkskyline

*Unsold flats at Hong Kong’s De Novo project being sold at market prices*
*Many buyers backed out amid declining property prices when Urban Renewal* 
April 19, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The Urban Renewal Authority put 16 unsold flats at its first subsidised housing development up for sale at market prices on Wednesday.
The flats in De Novo in Kai Tak, ranging from 442 sq ft to 562 sq ft, will be sold for about HK$7 *million to HK$9 million, or HK$15,043 to HK$16,450 per sq ft.

The sale came after the authority’s board decided last year that the unsold units in the development targeting families too well-off to apply for public housing, should be sold at market prices.

The development has 484 flats, with 338 under the authority’s subsidised housing scheme and 146 for owners affected by the *authority’s redevelopment projects.

A total of 322 subsidised flats were sold last year, with prices set 20 per cent lower than market value at a range of HK$3.4 million to HK$6.6 million.
The project initially drew more than 12,000 applications, but against the backdrop of a drop in property prices last year, many applicants backed out.


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak running out of steam*
April 27, 2017 
The Standard _Excerpt_

The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is not living up to expectations despite the government pumping HK$6.6 billion into it so far, the Report of the Director of Audit said.

"To develop Hong Kong into a leading regional cruise hub, one of the strategies adopted by the Tourism Commission is to drive more ship calls to Hong Kong," said Director of Audit David Sun Tak-kei.

But his report said both berths were only used for five days during the peak season of 2015, and 14 days in 2016 - for utilization rates of 22.5 percent and 38.3 percent, respectively.

While it had been estimated that 278 ships would call at Kai Tak last year, the auditor said only 191 did so - below even the original estimate for a "low growth" scenario of 201 ships.

The number of passengers was 677,031, or 33 percent less than projected. Expenditure per passenger was HK$4,699 in 2013 and HK$2,950 in 2015, compared to the government's projection of at least HK$6,985.

The audit also found that half of the terminal's commercial area of 5,601 square meters was vacant as of last month.


----------



## hkskyline

*Don’t give up on the Kai Tak cruise terminal yet*
The optimistic outlook for the Asian cruise industry means that with time, it has every chance of reaching its potential
May 7, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A sure-fire way to sell a project to lawmakers for funding is to offer a rosy outlook. Hong Kong authorities did that with the cruise terminal at the old Kai Tak airport runway and almost four years after it opened at a cost of HK$6.6 billion, the numbers do not seem good. An Audit Commission report shows port calls by cruise liners were lower than even the worst projections, spending by passengers when ashore was dramatically below estimates and commercial areas were only half occupied. We have grown used to optimistic forecasts for major infrastructure works, but in this case, we should not be overly worried: strong growth in the cruise industry in Asia may yet save the day.

Worst and best scenarios put the number of ships docking at the two berths last year at between 201 and 278, but the actual figure was 191. A total of 677,031 passengers arrived, 33 per cent fewer than the high-growth projection, although 25 per cent above that for the low. As of March, nearly half the commercial area of 5,601 square metres was vacant. The director of audit had other concerns, including underuse of facilities for non-cruise activities and poor maintenance.

These figures and observations would be alarming had the terminal been in operation for a long time and the cruise industry in the region was mature. The opposite is true, though; the facility opened only in June 2013 and Asia is a promising growth market. Research by the Cruise Lines International Association showed that between 2013 and last year, the number of cruises in Asia grew at an annual compound rate of 22 per cent with passenger capacity increasing by 29 per cent. Mainland travellers are largely fuelling the surge and Hong Kong has been a particular beneficiary, with a 69 per cent compound rise in passenger numbers over the three years.

Such a positive outlook does not mean the terminal operator, tourism officials and others in the government should rest easily. Competition, particularly from the mainland, ensures a need for heavy promotion of Hong Kong as a cruise ship destination. A constant watch has to be kept for new opportunities. Making the facility more vibrant would help; a rooftop garden and nearby park are attractions in themselves for foreign passengers and Hongkongers, but poor transport links and the relative remoteness of the site make drawing visitors and businesses a challenge. Better bus links and the gradual development of the Kai Tak area will help.

Officials have at times in the past been overzealous in pushing projects. But their estimates for the terminal could well be accurate. The optimistic outlook for the Asian cruise industry means that with time, it has every chance of reaching its potential.

More : http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2093334/dont-give-kai-tak-cruise-terminal-yet


----------



## hkskyline

*Politicians slam plans to give HK$60m ‘cashback’ to unsuccessful bidders for Kai Tak Sports Park*
Home Affairs Bureau argues that complex project requires a bid incentive scheme to attract the requisite number of high-quality tenders
May 10, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

A proposal to give up to HK$60 million ‘cashback’ to rejected tenders for the Kai Tak Sports Park has been criticised by Hong Kong lawmakers, with one likening the HK$32 billion project to a “fat piece of meat” surrounded by “wolves and hyenas”.

The Home Affairs Bureau is seeking approval for HK$31.9 billion in funding from the government for the long-delayed project on the site of the former airport.

The government will pay for construction, but a tender winner from the private sector will be responsible to design, build and operate (DBO) it under a 25-year contract.

Unsuccessful bidders will receive 50 per cent of the cost of their bid back, up to HK$60 million, with the government taking the intellectual property of their designs in return.

At an ongoing meeting of the Public Works Subcommittee on Wednesday, KPMG, the government’s chief consultants on the project, made a 25-minute presentation to Legislative Council members arguing that the project’s complexity and wide-ranging goals meant the bid incentive was necessary to ensure a sufficient number of bidders.

The 28-hectare project incorporates a 50,000-seat stadium, 10,000-seat indoor arena, 5,000-seat public sports ground, retail outlets occupying around 57,000 square metres, a bowling centre with 40 lanes, a health and wellness centre of around 2,500 square metres, a ‘dining cove’ of about 3,000 square metres and eight hectares of public space including a cycle track, park features and playgrounds.

More : http://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong...-give-hk60m-cashback-unsuccessful-bidders-kai


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak’s commercial land sale shows Chinese developers are taking a break from shopping*
May 26, 2017
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_









_on.cc_

Mainland China’s developers appear to be taking a break from their shopping spree for Hong Kong assets, when a government sale of commercial land attracted only two bids from Chinese companies.

The tender for Area 1F Site 2 at the former Kai Tak airport site attracted 12 bids from developers, 10 of which are Hong Kong companies including Cheung Kong Property (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings, Wheelock Properties,Henderson Land Development and Nan Fung Development.

Two mainland Chinese developers -- Shimao Property Holding and Chinese Overseas Land & Investment -- submitted separate bids.

The site, which could yield 1.91 million square feet (177,444 square meters) of total gross floor area designated for offices, retail shops and hotels, has been valued at between HK$7,500 per sq ft to HK$12,000 per sq ft, placing the top end of the estimated price at HK$22.9 billion (US$2.9 billion), a record for the area.

This is the third sale of government land this month that had broken the domination by Chinese companies, reversing the previous trend where they had overwhelmed property sales and broken one price record after another.


----------



## hkskyline

*Payoff for sports park losers cut to $120m*
The Standard _Excerpt_
June 8, 2017 

The number of qualified tenderers for the Kai Tak Sports Park project will be reduced to three from four to cut the bid initiative sum by a third to HK$120 million, according to a pro-establishment party legislator.

The HK$31.9 billion budget for the Kai Tak project was on the agenda of the Legislative Council Finance Committee yesterday.

And with it came the controversy about the bid initiative for three tenderers which are qualified but destined to fail. That would amount to HK$180 million as it means HK$60 million each.

Edward Lau Kwok-fan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said the party had a meeting with administration representatives on Friday, and he received a reply earlier this week.

And the key consideration in the administration's intention to cut back to three qualified tenderers means two failed tenderers and the payout sum reduced by HK$60 million to HK$120 million.

Lau also said the pro-establishment camp had originally opposed the bid initiative, but members were happier now and will support the project proposal in the Finance Committee.

"We have to balance competitiveness and public fund uses," Lau said of the revised thinking on tenderers.

He also said the administration had accepted a request from the establishment camp to raise the deposit for the successful tenderer from HK$200 million to HK$1 billion, with the warranty date lengthened to 10 years from a range of six to nine months.

"This will avoid the contractor leaving before the contract ends, resulting in bad management of the park," Lau said.


----------



## 2mchris

*"Don’t give up on the Kai Tak cruise terminal yet"*

Don’t give up on the Kai Tak cruise terminal yet...

I think there is a chance to bring new energy into the development of the cruise terminal. It is a MUST for have a good connectivity to the public transport system. It is not enough to have a few busses or Mini-busses. I remember plans of a mono-rail-system between the cruise terminal and Kwun Tong. What about these plans? The other way is more expensive and long running, but would in the end the most successful: the extension from hung home to Kwun Tong with a stop at the cruise terminal. 
Two effects: the cruise guest can reach the city quite fast - that's very attractive for them. And the other tourists can go to the cruise terminal easy as well. I planned to get there last time, but the way was to complicated. It is a magnificent building! And last but not least: such a station of MTR would push the development of the old runway without any doubt. 

Background: I live in Frankfurt (Germany). They build two new bigger quaters in the city. In both cases they implemented the public transport by metro at the end. In one case it is still not finished. There is a shopping mall - not very successful. The development of the other part really starts when the connection to the metrosystem was finished. 
It is a MUST to have a good public transport from the beginning on if you want to develop successfully.


----------



## hkskyline

^ They can't even decide whether to run monorail or traditional rail yet. By the time the studies are completed and funding is approved, it might be another decade.

In the meantime, the cruise terminal remains remote and inconvenient to reach.


----------



## hkskyline

_1230513-Pano by YKevin1979, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Kowloon Bay by Antony Dickson, on Flickr


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

August 6, 2017

EM101454 by Jam Wong, on Flickr


----------



## kunming tiger

any news on the proposed sports stadium for the area? I heard that the project has been approved?


----------



## hkskyline

kunming tiger said:


> any news on the proposed sports stadium for the area? I heard that the project has been approved?


Tendering : http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201706/23/P2017062300891.htm


----------



## Oasis-Bangkok

Above the Hong Kong by BRDNK.com, on Flickr


----------



## jchk

According to this photo by Gaoloumi user PAFC, the firm responsible for the building design, interiors, and landscaping of Nan Fung's plot (Area 1F Site 2) is the Norwegian firm Snøhetta. I believe this will be their first project in Hong Kong (and indeed China), and, as a fan of the Oslo Opera House, I cannot be more excited to see what they have planned for the site!










Plans from the planning application for the site :



















Edit: found these renders from here:


----------



## (the)

Exciting! So we're looking at 207m to top? (213m - 6m FFL)


----------



## hkskyline

Yuck! Another boring box that maximizes floor area.


----------



## jchk

(the) said:


> Exciting! So we're looking at 207m to top? (213m - 6m FFL)


I believe so! 



hkskyline said:


> Yuck! Another boring box that maximizes floor area.


Maximising floor area is hardly a sin, and they certainly paid enough for the plot to want to do so, but I wouldn't call it boring! If the facade ends up anything like the renders suggest (and that's a big if), I think it'll be quite the stunner. 










It's certainly miles ahead of any of any other commercial building in East Kowloon, and frankly I don't think any skyscraper currently u/c or recently completed in HK is better designed.

I'm also rather fond of the roof gardens:


----------



## jchk

*Architect for Twin Towers site revealed*

*Rem Koolhaas’ OMA reveals first Hong Kong architecture project – Sogo ‘twin towers’ at former Kai Tak airport site*

OMA, famed in Asia for designing CCTV headquarters in Beijing, gives details of its design for Kai Tak development – and reveals Hong Kong’s innovation-shy Buildings Department knocked back its ambitious plan for ceramic facades

Source: http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/artic...irst-hong-kong-architecture-project-sogo-twin



> The two towers will occupy an awkward site that will be surrounded on all sides by other developments. They will have a total gross floor area of more than 100,000 square metres and will feature a Sogo department store as well as other retail, entertainment and food and beverage outlets.
> 
> Van Duijn says: “We have to think about how to make the 60- to 80-metre-wide opaque facades interesting. We wanted to use ceramic, but it is very difficult to get the Hong Kong Buildings Department to approve new materials, so we are using granite and glass instead,” he says.
> 
> The angular towers will have cut corners at the bottom like the Tencent headquarters in Beijing that OMA is also building, and they will have publicly accessible balconies and sky gardens when completed in 2022.
> 
> “The overall feeling will be transparent and open,” he promises.


Shame that renders have not yet been released, but OMA has produced excellent work in the past, so there is reason to be (cautiously) optimistic. Am now very curious to see which practices will design the remaining commercial/mixed use plots!


----------



## hkskyline

Kai Tak Development_6 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr

Kai Tak Development_5 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr

Kai Tak Development_4 by RAYMOND TAM PHOTO - ONEPLUS STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY, on Flickr


----------



## kunming tiger

any news on the proposed stadium for the area?


----------



## hkskyline

kunming tiger said:


> any news on the proposed stadium for the area?


Reported on the last page of this thread already : https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=143870928&postcount=706


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong golfers want four-storey waterfront driving range at Kai Tak in Kowloon, to match New York, Chicago and Tokyo*
Alliance of Golfers says the sport deserves more government support as an Olympic event, and rejects growing clamour for closure of Fanling course to make way for housing
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
August 28, 2018

Golf lovers in Hong Kong have called for construction of a four-storey downtown driving range on a waterfront site in Kowloon, amid fierce debate in the city over whether to close a course in the rural New Territories to make way for housing.

The Hong Kong Alliance of Golfers, formed of players, coaches and industry workers, said the city lagged behind New York, Chicago and Tokyo by not having such a facility.

The alliance said an “integrated golf centre” should be built near a sports park under construction at Kai Tak, the site of the city’s old airport. It could cover about 1,800 square metres and host 60 driving bays, the group said.

The proposal was a core part of a study released by the alliance on Monday that found 78 per cent of 4,516 golf fans and players opposed any closure of Fanling golf course, situated in the northern part of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China.

Some 78.8 per cent of respondents wanted more driving ranges in urban areas. There are already a number of indoor facilities downtown, many being simulators.


----------



## hkskyline

*Reclaim 2.6km-long strip in Victoria Harbour to ease Hong Kong’s housing woes, architect group proposes*
But critics say plan has low chance of success given existing law against development in the area
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
September 20, 2018

Apart from building a mega artificial island offshore, why not think about reclamation in the heart of Hong Kong?

That was the question raised by a group of surveying and architectural sector professionals on Wednesday, as they suggested developing a 2.6km-long strip of harbour next to the city’s iconic former airport runway in Kai Tak.

The Hong Kong City Development Concern Group said that “Project City-E” would provide an additional 85 hectares of land – enough to build 70,000 flats by 2027 – and would help ease Hong Kong’s housing shortage in a relatively short time frame compared to other reclamation projects.

Critics however said that the proposal was not realistic as such large-scale work would violate the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, which prohibits any reclamation in Victoria Harbour.

Vincent Ho Kui-yip, the group’s convenor, said the strip was conveniently located in an urban area that already had a well-established transport network, including the future Sha Tin-Central rail link and the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel that would go through the area.

“How many existing sites are there in Hong Kong’s urban centre that can provide a large supply of housing? None. All of the other short to medium land supply options are in the New Territories,” he said.

“The reclaimed area would be government land, meaning it does not involve time-consuming processes of dealing with existing land rights and land resumption either.”

Ho added that the project would be cheaper and faster than other reclamation options as the harbour was only five to six metres deep, while land reclamation offshore outside Victoria Harbour would cost more and take longer as the water was 20 to 30 metres deep.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...trip-victoria-harbour-ease-hong-kongs-housing


----------



## hkskyline

*Construction firm behind shoddy work on Hong Kong’s Sha Tin-Central rail link ‘should be barred’ from sports park contract at Kai Tak airport*
Despite year-long tendering ban, it appears Leighton Contractors (Asia)’s bid for HK$32 billion sports park contract at Kai Tak airport remains unaffected
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
October 9, 2018

A construction firm mired in scandal over Hong Kong’s costliest rail link should be disqualified from a multibillion-dollar project at the city’s old airport, critics have said.

It appeared on Tuesday that Leighton Contractors (Asia)’s bid for the HK$32 billion sports park contract at Kai Tak airport would remain unaffected, despite the company being slapped with a year-long ban from tendering for government projects after shoddy work was exposed on the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.39 billion) Sha Tin-Central rail link.

Jason Poon Chuk-hung, director of China Technology Corporation and whistle-blower of the rail link scandal, said the government should clarify how it would handle Leighton’s role in the bidding process for the Kai Tak contract.

“Now it’s in the final stage of the tendering process, it’s not easy to disqualify a bidder and find a replacement,” he said on a radio programme on Tuesday. “The ideal way is for Leighton to withdraw voluntarily. The government needs to address this and give the public an explanation.”

“Since Leighton is already banned from bidding for government contracts, its joint bid should be disqualified,” Poon added.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said Leighton should be stripped permanently of its status as an approved contractor for public works, or be suspended for five years.

“For a multinational enterprise like Leighton, only a disqualification or suspension of five years can serve as a deterrent,” Tien said.

Leighton, the main contractor of the expanded Hung Hom station on the new rail link, is an investor in a consortium headed by Guangzhou R&F Properties, one of the two shortlisted bidders for the showpiece project.


----------



## hkskyline

*First land plot for sale on the former runway at Kai Tak receives ‘lacklustre’ response from developers*
A total of eight bids were received for the first site up for sale on the former runway at Kai Tak, according to the Lands Department
November 2, 2018
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

The first residential plot for sale on the runway of the city’s former Kai Tak airport received eight bids from property developers at the tender close on Friday, reflecting a weakening appetite for land acquisitions as the city’s property market comes under pressure amid a worsening US-China trade war and rising interest rates.

Ahead of the tender, property analysts had cut estimates on the value of the site, with a gross floor area of up to 574,615 square feet, by as much as 15 per cent.

“It is worse than we expected. Last year, similar sized plots in Kai Tak usually can attract around 15 to 20 bids,” said Alvin Lam, director at Midland Surveyors. “Developers do not want to take much risk as they are seeing a souring market.”

The site in Kowloon East, overseeing Victoria Harbour, is the 15th plot of Kai Tak land sold by government tender since 2013. Analysts said the tender was closely watched because it was expected to set a benchmark for the remaining sites on the runway.

“The developers are much more cautious, particularly after The Peak site was scrapped,” said Hannah Jeong, senior director, valuation and advisory services, Colliers International Hong Kong.

The Mansfield Road site at The Peak was withdrawn from sale on October 16, becoming the first site to fail at auction since 2016.

The Kai Tak development aims to house up to 90,000 people, offer 62.43 million sq ft of office space and create more than 83,000 jobs by making it the city’s next Central.

In May, Sun Hung Kai Properties paid a record HK$25.16 billion (US$3.3 billion), or HK$17,776 per sq ft, at a nearby site at Kai Tak.

The result prompted surveyors to upwardly revise their projections for the remaining sites in the Kai Tak area.

However, market sentiment reversed lower in the intervening period.

“Within a couple of months, the perspective that we hold towards the market has changed, from bullish to bearish,” Jeong said.

The site is expected to feature 900 to 1,200 luxury flats fetching roughly HK$33,000 per sq ft, according to Knight Frank.


----------



## hkskyline

*HK$13 billion Hong Kong Children’s Hospital starts operating limited service with inpatient wards to start opening in 2019*
First patients at the hospital in Kai Tak attend for follow-up care at specialist outpatient clinics
December 18, 2018
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Hong Kong’s first children’s hospital, which will focus on rare and complex cases, opened its doors on Tuesday, but inpatient services will not commence until next year.

The first patients at the HK$13 billion (US$1.7 billion) Hong Kong Children’s Hospital in Kai Tak were attending for follow-up appointments at specialist outpatient clinics. Specialties for nephrology, oncology and metabolic medicine start first.

On Tuesday, nine patients previously receiving follow-up care from the paediatric nephrology team at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung attended the new facility.

Julian Yue Yat-hei, a 13-year-old boy who was born with one kidney and suffered from narrowing of a major blood vessel, was among them. The Tseung Kwan O resident arrived at the hospital with his mother shortly after 10am.

“It feels like I’m in a private hospital, everything is brand new,” he said.

His mother Fiona Cheuk said the hospital’s location and operational arrangements were more convenient.

“We don’t have to walk up and down here. In Princess Margaret Hospital, we needed to go to different floors and different blocks for registering, picking up medicine, seeing the doctor and having blood tests or ultrasound scans,” Cheuk said.

“Here everything is more organised and new, so the workflow is so much faster and smoother.”

So far, 260 patients had registered for follow-up appointments at the children’s hospital. They included those from the children’s cancer centres of Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam and Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin.

The new hospital does not have an accident and emergency service or general outpatient clinic.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...3-billion-hong-kong-childrens-hospital-starts


----------



## hkskyline

*More ships and more passengers, but Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is still finding it hard to shake off ‘ghost town’ image*
Almost six years after opening, HK$6.6 billion cruise terminal in East Kowloon is still criticised for lack of buzz, transport links
Visitors disappointed by lack of shops, food choices and public transport, but operator says terminal is mainly for cruise passengers
January 17, 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Clerk Heidi Lee, 59, was at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in December, waiting to board her ship for a six-day trip to the Philippines, when she felt thirsty and tried to buy herself a drink.

There was no convenience store to be found. “It was like a ghost town,” she recalls.

Almost six years after opening, the East Kowloon terminal remains largely deserted at times, drawing criticism for its poor public transport connections and dismal retail and restaurant scene.

Built on the runway of Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak Airport, the HK$6.6 billion three-storey cruise terminal has a total floor area of almost 190,000 square metres, almost six times the size of the seven-storey K11 Art Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Its two berths can hold two mega cruise ships of up to 220,000 tonnes while its rooftop garden, the city’s largest, allows passengers to take in views of high-rises on both Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon peninsula.

A 5,600-square-metre commercial area inside the building has five places to eat, including a kids’ cafe and dim sum restaurant, but most close by 9pm. A banquet restaurant stays open until 11pm. The shopping area is vacant.

The terminal is part of the sprawling Kai Tak Development, comprising government and community facilities as well as homes and shopping areas. A Sports Park and a Tourism Node, which is expected to have hotels, “edutainment” facilities, shops and offices, are still being planned.

Since opening in June 2013, the terminal area has been regarded more as a tranquil park for picnics and running than a place to visit, sparking criticism that it is a costly white elephant.

But its operators reject that description, with official figures showing passenger throughput of 748,293 in the first 11 months of last year. If the same passenger enters and leaves the terminal, it counts as a throughput of two.

That was higher than the government’s projection of 564,102 for all cruise berthing facilities in 2023 in its low-growth scenario, one of two scenarios to track the terminal’s performance. The high-growth scenario estimates a throughput of 1.04 million.

The number of ships calling at Kai Tak has risen six times from 28 in 2014, its first full year of operation, to 171 last year. Commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah has said he was satisfied with the overall utilisation of 50 per cent after 5.5 years.

Many who criticise the lack of buzz compare it with the established Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, a lively, crowded area that is easy to get to by road, MTR or ferry.

More : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong...more-ships-and-more-passengers-kai-tak-cruise


----------



## hkskyline

*Kai Tak Sports Park operator to be hit with huge fines for failing to fill facilities; HK$4.3m per day for construction delay *
Operator can be hit with HK$500,000 fine for not meeting usage requirements
Park expected to be opened in June 2023
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Apr 23, 2019









_Source : https://kaitaksportspark.hk/en/facilities _

The government has imposed stringent performance indicators for the Kai Tak Sports Park – to be opened in 2023 – with a fine of HK$500,000 for every day the operator fails to meet usage requirements in the main stadium.

In a Legco paper to the Home Affairs Panel on the same day that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor hosted the groundbreaking ceremony for the HK$30 billion project, the government laid down strict requirements on the future usage of the 28-hectare venue.

The park boasts a 50,000-seat main stadium, a 10,000-seat indoor sports centre, a 5,000-seat public sports ground and other facilities such as a dining cove and retail areas.

The venue operator, Kai Tak Sports Park Limited (KTSPL), which won the contract last December, will be required to host sports events in the main stadium for a minimum 40 days a year in the first five years of operation, 76 days in the indoor centre and 69 days in the public ground.

Failure to meet the targets will result in a fine of HK$500,000 for every day below the minimum level for the main stadium, HK$100,000 for the indoor centre and HK$50,000 for the public ground.

The total attendance of all these venues will also be counted, with a target of 600,000 attendees per annum in the first five years. Failure to reach that target will incur a payment of HK$25 per attendee.

More : https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kon...-park-operator-be-hit-huge-fines-failing-fill


----------



## hkskyline

*First seafront commercial plot of land on Kai Tak runway sells for record HK$11.1 billion*
16 May 2019
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_









_on.cc_

The first seafront commercial land plot on the former runway of Kai Tak has sold for HK$11.1 *billion, the Lands Department said *yesterday.

Local property developer Goldin Financial Holdings shrugged off the turmoil of an *escalating trade war to win the tender for Kai Tak 4C Site 4, the second commercial plot on the former runway of the old airport to be offered for sale.

At HK$12,888 per square foot, the sale was broadly in line with a forecast of HK$13,000 per square foot by market observers.

Goldin, which has bought a residential site on the runway next to the plot it won *yesterday, said it would build a *high-end hotel and offices. The total investment could amount to HK$18 billion.

"They were quite aware of the negative news as they submitted their bid after the escalation of the trade war. The high price shows their confidence," said Vincent Cheung, managing director of property consultancy Vincorn Consulting and Appraisal.

The last commercial plot that was successfully sold at Kai Tak, the second at the site, fetched HK$12,863 per square foot in May 2017.

A tender for the first commercial plot on the runway was scrapped after the nine bids received failed to meet the government's minimum price in January during a correction in the city's property market.

More : https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-...ont-commercial-plot-land-kai-tak-runway-sells


----------



## hkskyline

Kai Tak 2019 progress Hong Kong by kenneth chan, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal 

View from the shore by Keith Mulcahy, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong developer walks away from HK$11.1 billion Kai Tak project, citing ‘social contradiction and economic instability’*
Goldin Financial’s strategic U-turn reflects the biggest change of heart by a major Hong Kong company since escalation of trade war
Property analysts say they will monitor for further signs the property market has softened
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
June 11, 2019

The Hong Kong developer that beat out several of the city's biggest and wealthiest property groups for a commercial plot at the former runway of the Kai Tak airport in May has had a change of mind after less than a month, saying it will abandon the offer, citing “social contradiction and economic instability”.

Goldin Financial Holdings told a telephone conference on Tuesday that it was rescinding its HK$11.1 billion (US$1.42 billion) winning bid for 4C Site 4 at Kai Tak, forfeiting its HK$25 million deposit on the site.

The company organised a board meeting discussing the cancellation on Monday at the request of independent non-executive director and pro-establishment lawmaker Abraham Razack.

“The decision came after accessing the short to mid-term impact of the trade war and how the social contradiction would affect the hotel and office market outlook,” Razack said on the telephone conference. “We doubt if the company should invest HK$11 billion in Kai Tak where infrastructure has not yet fully developed.”

The withdrawal represents the largest strategic U-turn by a major Hong Kong company since US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese products and threatened to impose 25 per cent duties on another US$300 billion worth of imports from China this summer.

More : https://www.scmp.com/business/artic...y-kai-tak-project-citing-social-contradiction


----------



## jchk

Found some alleged renders (source) of the Sogo twin towers. If these are indeed the "iconic towers" we'll be getting, it's a massive letdown...


----------



## 2mchris

Really? It looks like a mistake in the rendering. As if they cut out a third of the height. The proportions vertical and horizontal are .... well...

The upper part looks good and creative. But the lower part is too massive. Obviously iconic does not mean: beautiful


----------



## hkskyline

* How a Chinese Billionaire Family Is Quietly Expanding Its Empire in Hong Kong *
Apr 9, 2021
Bloomberg _Excerpt_ 

A mainland Chinese property family is quietly building a presence in Hong Kong by snapping up land plots and even a prominent local newspaper.

Shenzhen-based Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd.’s Kwok Ying Shing has become one of the most active Chinese tycoons in Hong Kong with a flurry of new purchases. His moves underscore Chinese elites’ growing influence in the former British colony as its status as a global financial hub shows signs of waning.

Kaisa purchased four sites across the city for 7.1 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) in 2020, according to an exchange filing. One of its most recent investments was a 50% stake worth 3.2 billion yuan in a residential land plot in the up-and-coming Kai Tak neighborhood previously owned by beleaguered businessman Pan Sutong.

The family’s ambitions go beyond property. Kwok Hiu Ting, the patriarch’s daughter who is in her late 20s, agreed to buy a majority stake in one of Hong Kong’s most-circulated newspapers Sing Tao News Corp Ltd. earlier this year. The deal came as a surprise to many since both Kaisa and its young heiress were little known in Hong Kong. 

To be sure, their presence remains small compared with the city’s homegrown property clans, who control industries from telecommunications to supermarket chains. But mainland companies are set to become more dominant as China’s recent assertive policies over Hong Kong give room for them to grow there.

More : How a Chinese Billionaire Family Is Quietly Expanding Its Empire in Hong Kong


----------



## hkskyline

* Henderson Land’s prices for The Henley property project make it the most expensive in Kai Tak *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
Apr 29, 2021

Developers are taking advantage of a revival in homebuying sentiment in Hong Kong, pricing new projects higher compared to recent launches.

Henderson Land Development revealed the prices of The Henley, its first project in Kai Tak on Thursday, pricing it 11 per cent higher than another project on the site of the city’s former airport in February.

Prices of four new projects have been announced in the last six days, with some 500 flats going on sale on Saturday, the most since September 2020.

More : Henderson’s prices for The Henley make it the most expensive in Kai Tak

5/1


----------



## hkskyline

*Bumper weekend for Hong Kong property sales as buyers flock to snap up flats at Henderson’s The Henley in Kai Tak*
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 
May 9, 2021

Hong Kong buyers showed strong appetite for new flats for a second day in a row, encouraged by a steep economic rebound as investors look to deploy funds amid improving sentiment.

Henderson Land Development sold some 70 per cent or 134 of 196 units on offer at phase one of The Henley, the company’s first project in Kai Tak, at the close of sales on Sunday, raking in sales of HK$15.5 billion (US$2 billion) Henderson said. The upbeat sales come a day after Road King Infrastructure sold all 180 units at its 800-unit South Land project in Wong Chuk Hang, the first residential project atop an MTR station on Hong Kong Island in three decades. In Mong Kok, Sino Ocean sold 27 of the 45 flats at its Uptify project on the same day.

“This is pretty good sales results,” said Sammy Po Siu-ming, chief executive of Midland Realty’s residential division. “Sentiment is supported by expectation that low interest rates will stay low, ample funds looking for investments, the local pandemic being under control, a return of economic growth and lower unemployment.”

More : Bumper weekend as Hong Kong buyers snap up flats at Henderson’s The Henley


----------



## hkskyline

* Mother makes daughters' day with $1.7m Henley gift *
The Standard _Excerpt_ 
May 10, 2021

Henderson Land Development (0012) sold nearly 70 percent of the 196 units on offer at The Henley I in Kai Tak as of 5 pm yesterday.

And as Hong Kong celebrated Mother's Day, a woman forked out HK$1.7 million as down payments for two one-bedroom flats at the project for her two daughters, local media reported.

More : Mother makes daughters' day with $1.7m Henley gift - The Standard


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

5/9


----------



## hkskyline

* New Kai Tak Sky Garden lets Hongkongers revisit the scene of hair-raising landings at former airport *
Jun 1, 2021
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_ 

Hongkongers of a certain age can now revisit the scene of many a sharp bank and tight landing at a newly opened park built on the site of the city’s former Kai Tak airport.

Dubbed the Kai Tak Sky Garden, the narrow 1.4km-long public space runs down the middle of what was once the runway, and was designed to pay tribute to the history of the airport – known for the trickiness of its approach and the proximity of the surrounding buildings.

The aviation-themed garden, which opened on May 21, is part of the massive Kai Tak development plan, which spans over 320 hectares and aims to revitalise surrounding districts such as Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong.

More : New Kai Tak park lets Hongkongers revisit scene of hair-raising landings

_Ming Pao images_


----------



## hkskyline

*HLD Kai Tak 'The Henley III' Receives 850 Checks; Oversubscribed by 7.5x *
Sept 2, 2021
AAstocks

HENDERSON LAND's residential project located in Kai Tak "THE HENLEY III", as at 3 pm today (2nd), has received 850 checks during its first round of sales, oversubscribed by 7.5x, based on the initial offer of 100 units to be released this Saturday (4th), said Thomas Lam, general manager of sales department of the company. Lam expressed that the company is confident that the project would be able to amass 1,000 checks by September 5.

More : HLD Kai Tak 'The Henley III' Receives 850 Checks, Oversubscribed by 7.5x


----------



## hkskyline

Cantonese short documentary on Kai Tak's transformation with English subtitles :


----------



## hkskyline

*Kaisa sells Hong Kong property stake at steep discount and seeks debt exchange to avoid default*
Nov 25, 2021
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Kaisa Group Holdings has agreed to sell its stake in a development at the old Kai Tak airport site at a steep discount and is asking bondholders to exchange another US$400 million of notes set to mature next month, as the heavily indebted Chinese developer tries to stave off default.

The Shenzhen-based developer’s shares jumped nearly 14 per cent to close at HK$1.15 in Hong Kong on Thursday following the announcements, their biggest one-day percentage surge in more than two years. It was the first time its shares had traded in three weeks after having lost almost 70 per cent – or HK$9 billion (US$1.2 billion) – in market value over the past three months as its cash crunch worsened.

Kaisa, which was downgraded by Fitch last week to “C” from “CCC-”, also officially confirmed it had missed about US$88 million in interest payments on its offshore debt due on November 11 and November 12. Both junk-rated bonds have a 30-day grace period, after which the company will face a default on the aggregate US$1.5 billion in notes.

More : Kaisa sells Kai Tak property stake at discount to avoid default


----------



## hkskyline

11/14

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal by Pierre A, on Flickr


----------



## hkskyline

* China Overseas Land sells stake in Kai Tak land plot for HK$1.35bn amid gloomy mainland market outlook *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Nov 27, 2021

Leading Chinese developer China Overseas Land & Investment (COLI) has sold part of its stake in a plot in Kai Tak, site of the city’s old airport, as the mainland real estate market remains under pressure and subject to cooling measures.

COLI said Coli Finance, its wholly controlled subsidiary, sold a 30 per cent stake of residential land in Kai Tak for HK$1.35 billion (US$173 million) to Haijian Fund, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange late on Friday.

Haijian Fund is 50 per cent owned by a subsidiary of China Construction Bank, one of the major four state-owned banks, and 50 per cent owned by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, a state-owned construction company, and China Overseas Holding (COHL).

More : China Overseas Land sells stake in Kai Tak plot


----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong property firms pick up assets on the cheap from stricken mainland Chinese developers *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Nov 30, 2021

Mid-sized Hong Kong property firms are picking up residential plots at heavily discounted prices from cash-strapped mainland Chinese developers who are speeding up asset sales to repay debt.

Far East Consortium International recently snapped up two land parcels, one of which was from the heavily indebted Kaisa Group Holdings.

“We may allocate more resources to increase our land bank in Hong Kong after we cashed in on our overseas property investments,” Chris Hoong Cheong Thard, managing director of Far East Consortium.

More : Hong Kong firms target stricken Chinese developers to acquire cheap assets


----------



## hkskyline

* Kaisa Abandons Hong Kong Developments in Race to Avoid Default *
Bloomberg _Excerpt_
Dec 2, 2021

In less than two years, Chinese property developer Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. has gone from being an up-and-coming player in Hong Kong’s property market to a desperate seller.

As it strives to raise money to alleviate a liquidity crunch during China’s property deleveraging campaign, Kaisa has been reversing its expansion in the city with a series of asset sales in the past month. 

It’s a dramatic volte face after founder Kwok Ying Shing and his family made headlines earlier this year with acquisitions ranging from land sites to luxury apartments and even a popular local newspaper. Now Kaisa, which became the first Chinese developer to default on offshore dollar debt in 2015, is trying to stave off a repeat that could come as soon as next week if bondholders don’t accept its plea for a lifeline. 

More : Bloomberg - Are you a robot?


----------



## hkskyline

11/28


----------



## hkskyline

* Scaffolding collapses at future Kai Tak Sports Park *
RTHK _Excerpt_
Dec 7, 2021

Scaffolding at a construction site for the future Kai Tak Sports Park collapsed on Tuesday morning, but nobody was injured.

Police said they received a report from workers on Muk Tai Street at around 9:30am.

The scaffolding that came down was estimated to be 20 metres high.

More : Scaffolding collapses at future Kai Tak Sports Park - RTHK


----------



## hkskyline

* As Evergrande, Kaisa and other Chinese developers fall on hard times, Hong Kong’s bargain hunters swoop in*
South China Morning Psost _Excerpt_
Dec 11, 2021

Lui Che-woo, one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest men with a casino, hotels and apartments under his belt, met his match in late 2016 when his company K Wah International lost a bidding war to a Chinese airline that was on a land grab in the world’s most expensive real estate market.

The HNA Group, a conglomerate built around Hainan Airlines, paid a record HK$8.84 billion (US$1.13 billion) for a residential land plot at Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak airport, paying substantially over the market’s valuation. It was the opening salvo in a HK$27.22 billion shopping spree over four months that ended with HNA owning four parcels of prime land, each setting a fresh price record.

“Mainland companies have the ability to do it, but we don’t,” Lui said in a November 24, 2016 interview with the Financial Times, adding that the flood of money from Hong Kong’s northern border was “distorting” the city’s land prices.

More : https://www.scmp.com/business/artic...rgains-chinas-once-deep-pocketed-asset-buyers


----------



## hkskyline

1/19


----------



## 2mchris

After quite a long time of... not that much, it is now a really fast and impressively visible progress. So many constructions at the same time.

What will be built north of the Children's Hospital? The foundation to the water front (picture 3) seems to be for a bigger (residential ?) building. The red steel-construction more to the right could be part of the upcoming Central Kowloon Route.


----------



## hkskyline

2mchris said:


> After quite a long time of... not that much, it is now a really fast and impressively visible progress. So many constructions at the same time.
> 
> What will be built north of the Children's Hospital? The foundation to the water front (picture 3) seems to be for a bigger (residential ?) building. The red steel-construction more to the right could be part of the upcoming Central Kowloon Route.


From the government's planning website, it is zoned for government use : Statutory Planning Portal 2 (TKO) 

I believe it's a new acute hospital.


----------



## Car L

Kai Tak Station Square by Genuine007, on Flickr
*__*
Buildings that don't get posted often (HK) Part I or here | Part II or  here | Part III  | Part IV  | Part V
Artistic decorations inside and outside of the buildings


----------



## hkskyline

* Aspiring Hong Kong homeowners rush to sign up for chance to buy shoebox flats the size of 1½ car park spaces *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Feb 25, 2022

Tiny government-subsidised flats as small as 186 sq ft have drawn the interest of aspiring homeowners in Hong Kong after applications launched on Friday, with some saying it was better to buy small than own nothing in the world’s most expensive property market.

The shoebox homes, located at the site of the former airport at Kai Tak, are among the 8,926 flats of various sizes offered as part of this year’s Home Ownership Scheme, targeting lower to middle-income households.

The Housing Authority said it received a total of 17,000 online applications on the first day of the scheme’s launch, in addition to accepting 100 forms and distributing 2,400 others at its sales centre in Lok Fu.

More : Aspiring homeowners rush to sign up for chance to buy Hong Kong shoebox flats


----------



## hkskyline

3/1


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

* Acute hospital and Tsui Ping River work resumes as ground fears are mollified *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 1, 2022

Foundation work for the New Acute Hospital in the Kai Tak development area will resume after government approval has been given, the Hospital Authority announced yesterday.

Foundation work has been put on hold since October 8 after ground settlement exceeding the preset trigger level for work suspension was recorded at four monitoring checkpoints.

Following the suspension, the project's contractor submitted an incident report to the authority and completed the relevant mitigation and rehabilitation measures.

A spokesman for the authority said: "The HA, together with its project team and independent checking consultant, have inspected the site and confirmed that it's structurally and operationally safe."

The ground settlement has been addressed, he said, adding the preset trigger level for work suspension will remain unchanged at 25 millimeters.

More : Acute hospital and Tsui Ping River work resumes as ground fears are mollified


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

* Online viewings erupt for Wheelock's Kai Tak tower *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 11, 2022

Wheelock Properties said it has recorded over 100,000 online viewings for its new project named Monaco Marine in Kai Tak in the past two days before unveiling its first price list.

This came as the number of transactions in the 10 major housing estates fell slightly over the weekend.

The developer's managing director Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu said the price list may be released this week and the sales could take place this month.

Three showrooms, including a 713-square-feet flat with three bedrooms, will open to the public during the four-day Easter holiday and more than 8,000 prospective buyers have made home viewing appointments, Wong said.

Located at 10 Muk Tai Street, the project provides 559 flats ranging from 324 sq ft to 1,708 sq ft - the smallest flats have one bedroom while the biggest ones are equipped with four bedrooms. But around 80 percent of units are in between - they have two to three bedrooms.

More : Online viewings erupt for Wheelock's Kai Tak tower


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

* Wheelock offers 12 per cent discount on new Kai Tak flats to kick life back into Hong Kong’s slumping property sales *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Apr 14, 2022

The first large new residential project to be launched in Hong Kong since a ferocious fifth wave of coronavirus struck has been priced more than 10 per cent lower than a development that went on sale in the same area last summer.

It comes as developers prepare to unleash thousands of flats in the coming months that will test market demand amid a flagging economy and rising unemployment.

Wheelock Properties priced the first batch of 112 units at Monaco Marine in Kai Tak, the site of the city’s former international airport, at an average of HK$24,833 (US$3,167) per square foot after factoring in a discount of up to 12 per cent.

More : Hong Kong developer cuts prices for first sales launch since January


----------



## hkskyline

* Mad rush for Kai Tak homes as pace picks up over Easter *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 19, 2022

Wheelock Properties' Monaco Marine in Kai Tak was 10 times oversubscribed as of 3pm yesterday while momentum in both primary and secondary markets returned over the long Easter weekend as Covid subsides.

Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu, managing director of the developer, said the firm had received around 2,500 checks for the two price lists comprising 224 flats, and over 10,000 prospective buyers had visited the show flats over Easter.

Another batch with potentially a 5 percent price hike will be announced soon and the first round of sales is expected to take place on Saturday at the earliest, Wong said.

More : Mad rush for Kai Tak homes as pace picks up over Easter


----------



## hkskyline

* Monaco Marine sales kick off this weekend *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 20, 2022

Wheelock Properties' Monaco Marine in Kai Tak will launch the first round of sales of 308 flats this Saturday, the first new property sales since the fifth Covid wave hit the city in January.

Among the 308 flats, 306 will be on the price list, while the other two will be sold via tender, the developer said.

Homes in the price lists comprise 66 one-bedroom units, 179 two-bedroom units, and 61 three-bedroom units, and the average price per square foot is HK$25,788 after discounts, around 10 percent lower than other new projects in the same area, said managing director Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu.

More : Monaco Marine sales kick off this weekend


----------



## hkskyline

*Prices for The Henley II at Kai Tak upward of $8.7m *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 22, 2022

The first price list for The Henley II at Kai Tak has been revealed by Henderson Land Development (0012), and they run at an average of HK$24,333 per square foot after discounts.

The Henley II batch comprises 61 units from 380 sq ft to 575 sq ft, meaning prices will range from HK$8.7 million to HK$14.6 million after discounts.

Entry-level one-bedroom flats cost HK$22,995 per sq ft compared to HK$22,000-HK$25,000 for secondary homes in the same area.

More : Prices for The Henley II at Kai Tak upward of $8.7m


----------



## hkskyline

* Flats at Monaco Marine sell like hot cakes *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Apr 25, 2022

At least 238 flats at Monaco Marine in Kai Tak - or around 80 percent of the total flats available in the first round of sales - were snapped up by homebuyers as of Saturday, with Wheelock Properties raking in nearly HK$3 billion from the sales.

The developer is considering launching a new batch shortly in response to market demand and there may be room for price increases, said managing director Ricky Wong Kwong-yiu.

This came as The Grand Mayfair I in Yuen Long released the third price list yesterday, offering 82 flats at an average price of HK$18,582 per square foot after discounts.

The third list includes 28 one-bedroom, 37 two-bedroom, and 17 three-bedroom flats, with the discounted price ranging from HK$6.67 million to HK$14,51 million, or from HK$17,565 per sq ft to HK$19,586 per sq ft. 

The project had attracted 5,500 checks for 306 homes in the first two price lists as of 8pm yesterday.

More : Flats at Monaco Marine sell like hot cakes


----------



## hkskyline

* Sales kick off for Henley II in Kai Tak *
The Standard _Excerpt_
May 4, 2022

At least 12 of the 98 units on offer at The Henley II in Kai Tak were said to be sold after sales kicked off yesterday.

The developer Henderson Land Development (0012) said it has received 440 cheques for the 92 flats on the price lists, making the batch four times oversubscribed, and had sold four out of the six flats via tender.

The four homes sold by tender had areas of 888 square feet each and buyers forked out between HK$30.2 million and HK$34.5 million - or between HK$34,000 per sq ft and HK$38,851 per sq ft - for the flats.

Louis Chan Wing-kit, Asia-Pacific vice-chairman of the residential division at Centaline Property Agency, said that property prices in Kai Tak will benefit from the opening of the East Rail Line cross-harbor extension, though the effect on The Henley II sales may be limited.

More : Sales kick off for Henley II in Kai Tak


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## hkskyline

*Hong Kong Covid-19 isolation centre at prime Kai Tak development area ‘to be used for temporary public housing’ *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
May 7, 2022

A Covid-19 isolation centre in Hong Kong’s prime Kai Tak development area could be turned into transitional housing for low-income residents when the pandemic eases, the Post has learned.

Concern groups for housing welcomed the idea, saying it could provide quick relief given the city’s severe shortage of public housing.

But developers and tourism sector players said they believed the temporary housing should not remain too long, or it could affect tourism and plans to transform the former airport site into a hub for homes, business, sports and leisure.

More : Hong Kong Covid isolation site at Kai Tak ‘to be used for temporary housing’


----------



## hkskyline




----------



## cmrhm

jchk said:


> According to this photo by Gaoloumi user PAFC, the firm responsible for the building design, interiors, and landscaping of Nan Fung's plot (Area 1F Site 2) is the Norwegian firm Snøhetta. I believe this will be their first project in Hong Kong (and indeed China), and, as a fan of the Oslo Opera House, I cannot be more excited to see what they have planned for the site!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Plans from the planning application for the site :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: found these renders from here:


Any new development for this OMA towers？


----------



## hkskyline

cmrhm said:


> Any new development for this OMA towers？


We have a dedicated thread for it : HONG KONG | Airside | 207m | 41 fl | T/O


----------



## hkskyline

*Li Ka-shing’s property unit buys Kai Tak land for bargain price of US$1.12 billion as developers shy away from big bids *
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_
Dec 23, 2022 

Tycoon Li Ka-shing’s flagship property developer has picked up land in Kai Tak at 2014 prices, winning the biggest government land sale this quarter at a price almost 25 per cent below market expectations.

CK Asset will pay HK$8.7 billion (US$1.12 billion) for a plot on top of Sung Wong Toi MTR station, according to a statement from the Lands Department on Wednesday. The price translates to HK$6,138 per square foot – the lowest for a residential parcel in the area in eight years – amid slumping home sales and mounting supply of new homes.

The plot, officially designated Kai Tak Area 2A Site 4, Site 5(B) and Site 10, has a gross floor area of 1.42 million sq ft, and is expected to accommodate about 1,750 homes. CK Asset beat Nan Fung Development, Henderson Land Development, Wheelock Properties, Early Light Land (Holdings) and a consortium of K. Wah International, Sino Land and Great Eagle Holdings.

More : Li Ka-shing’s property unit gets bargain on Kai Tak land at US$1.12 billion


----------



## hkskyline

* Kai Tak site for a bargain *
The Standard _Excerpt_
Dec 22, 2022 

CK Asset has been awarded a residential site in Kai Tak for HK$8.7 billion - HK$6,138 per buildable square foot - the lowest price in the area since May 2014.

Executive director Grace Woo Chia-ching said the developer expects the project to bring "satisfactory returns" on the plot atop the Sung Wong Toi MTR station.

Lot No 6649 at Kai Tak Area 2A Site 4, Site 5(B) and Site 10 was valued at between HK$11.3 billion to HK$14.9 billion - HK$8,000 to HK$10,500 per sq ft - meaning the tender was 23 percent below the lower end of market expectation.

The per sq ft cost is the lowest in the area since Wheelock Properties obtained a site - later developed as Oasis Kai Tak - for HK$6,101 per sq ft in May 2014.

The plot sold yesterday has a site area of around 19,919 sq meters, with a maximum gross floor area of 131,732 sq meters.

More : Kai Tak site for a bargain


----------

