Summary Translation
of
Minutes of the 17th Meeting of the North District Council (NDC)
The 17th Meeting of NDC was held on 7 February 2002. The major issues discussed are
summarized below:
Review of the Pedestrian Scheme in Shek Wu Hui
1.
Representative from the Transport Department (TD) presented the paper.
2.
Members suggested that a “no entry” sign should be put up to prohibit bicycles from
entering the area. In order to promote the pedestrian zone, some Members suggested
organizing street performances in the area, while some suggested decorating the street and
beautifying the environment. A Member requested TD to consider extending the pedestrian
scheme to San Hong Street.
3.
Representative from TD replied that a “no entry” sign would be put up at the road
entrance to prohibit bicycles as well as other vehicles from entering the area, and TD would
discuss how to organize activities to promote the pedestrian zone with the North District
Office (NDO) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
Besides, TD had
been consulting other departments on the proposed streetscape improvement works and would
seek Members’ views in due course. It would also study the feasibility of extending the
pedestrian scheme to other period of time or to the nearby areas.
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Relocation Arrangements for Luen Wo Market, Luen Wo Hui Temporary Hawker
Bazaar and Luen Wo Hui Hawker Bazaar
4.
Representative from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) briefed
Members on the relocation arrangements for Luen Wo Market, Luen Wo Hui Temporary
Hawker Bazaar and Luen Wo Hui Hawker Bazaar and sought Members’ views on the
temporary use of the existing market site.
5.
Representative from the Lands Department (LandsD) reported that the Antiquities and
Monuments Office of LCSD was interested in preserving the memorial gateway to the
existing market, and he would keep contact with the Office. Meanwhile, members of the
public were welcome to give their views on how to make better use of the existing market site.
6.
Members generally took the view that all hawkers should be treated equally and fairly in
the allocation of new market stalls, and that hawker representatives should be invited to attend
the liaison meeting to work out details of the relocation arrangements jointly with the
departments concerned.
7.
As regards the temporary use of the existing market site, some Members suggested
setting up a flea market, while some suggested turning it into a park or a building with
distinctive features, such as a commercial city or a pet city. A Member suggested preserving
the original features of the existing market and developing it into a scenic spot.
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8.
Regarding the use of the existing market site, the Chairman called on the departments
concerned to zone the land as soon as possible.
He also requested the District Management
Committee to help collect the views of Members and locals and then submit a concrete
proposal to DC for discussion.
Proposal to Construct a Civic Centre/Town Hall at Area 11, Fanling/ Sheung Shui
Instead of Constructing a Regional Indoor Stadium
9.
In view of the lack of a large cultural and recreational venue for holding major district
activities, Members strongly urged the Government to construct a multi-purpose civic
centre/town hall at Area 11, Fanling/ Sheung Shui.
They requested that the proposed civic
centre/town hall should seat 1500–2000 and be equipped with various facilities for holding
assemblies, ceremonies, sports activities and any other district events.
10. In response, Representative from LCSD said that the proposal had been discussed at the
R & C Committee meeting, and views of Committee Members had been conveyed to the
Planning Section of her department.
LCSD had been reviewing the cultural and recreational
facilities in the territory and would report the results to Members at the next DC meeting.
Requesting the Kowloon-Canton Railway, the Kowloon Motor Bus and the Mass Transit
Railway to Lower their Fares by 10%
11. Due to an economic downturn and a reduction in household income, Members called on
the Kowloon-Canton Railway, the Kowloon Motor Bus and the Mass Transit Railway to
lower their fares by 10%. The Chairman suggested writing to the three public transport
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operators to reflect the will of the residents.
Appointment of Members of the North District Summer Youth Programme
Coordinating Committee for the Year 2002
12. The meeting endorsed the list of members.
Proposed Mosque Development in Area 6B, Sheung Shui, N.T.
13. Representative from the LandsD reported that the issue had been processed by the
Planning and Lands Bureau, and no progress had been made for the time being.
Noise Impact of Existing Roads
14. The Chairman reported that a letter had been written to the Chief Secretary for
Administration (CS) by the Secretariat after the previous meeting, and the reply from CS had
been distributed to Members at the meeting.
The issue had also been discussed at the
meeting with the LegCo Members on 31 January 2002, and it had been supported by the
LegCo Members.
The Chairman said that he would write to CS again to reflect the situation.
Pollution Caused by the Pig Farm in Ta Kwu Ling
15. The Vice Chairman reported that no agreement had been reached between the
local government of Liantang and the pig farm on removal compensation so far.
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16. The Chairman suggested that the Vice Chairman should contact the
Environmental Protection Department (EPD) through NDO in order to work out a
solution to the problem.
Cycling Tracks and Cycle Park
17. Representative from NDO reported that the proposal to erect directional signs
along the cycling tracks had been submitted to the “City of Life: Hong Kong is it!”
Working Group for further consideration.
As regards the linking up of the existing
cycling tracks with those in Tai Po, the most possible route was from Sha Tau Kok
Road to Tai Po via Luk Keng Road and Bride’s Pool Road.
18. Concerning the construction of cycle park, Representative from the Territory
Development Department (TDD) reported that the Planning Department (PlanD) had
initially identified two sites for the proposed cycle park in the new developments in
Kwu Tung North and Fanling North. Details of the plans had been submitted to
LCSD for consideration.
19. Representative from LCSD added that the said information had been submitted to
the Planning Section of her department for more detailed study and would be
discussed at meetings of the working group in future.
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20. A Member suggested turning the existing Luen Wo Hui market into a temporary
bicycle zone.
Tree Planting along the River Banks in North District
21. Representative from TDD reported that the Department had decided to plant 160-200
queen crape myrtles along River Indus.
The tree planting programme would commence
upon completion of the embankment works.
Construction of Community Facilities and Covers to the Pedestrian Walkways in
Fanling South
22. Representative from TD said that the Highways Department (HyD) had already reported
the progress of works to Members at the T&T Committee meeting held on 14 January 2002.
Nanny Van Problem in Lo Wu Station Road
23. Representative from the Hong Kong Police Force pointed out that Lo Wu Station
Road was a narrow and sub-standard village road.
With the growing number of
cross-border students, the traffic flow of the road had been increasingly heavy and
imposed great danger to students. To relieve the situation, the Police had decided not
to issue any closed area permits to those nanny vans serving schools outside the closed
area starting from September of the current year.
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24. Members generally took the view that students’ safety should be of paramount
importance, but they did not support the proposal as taking other means of transport
like KCR trains was less convenient and was considered as dangerous to students,
especially those younger ones.
To tackle the problem, some Members suggested
widening the road, while some suggested freezing the existing number of nanny vans
serving the area.
25. Meanwhile, KCRC had been studying the feasibility of lowering the student fares
from Sheung Shui to Lo Wu and reserving special compartments for students.
North District Management Committee (NDMC) Report
26. The meeting noted the report.
27. A Member pointed out that many parallel goods traffickers had placed their goods
in the vicinity of Sheung Shui KCR Station, which caused great inconvenience to the
passers-by.
He suggested setting up a loading/unloading area in Fanling or Sheung
Shui in order to improve the situation.
Revised Allocation of Funds of the North District Council
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28. The meeting endorsed the revised allocation of funds.
Applications for NDC Funds
29. The meeting endorsed all the five applications, but the Association for North District
People’s Livelihood was required to reduce the tutor fee to $380 per session.
Seminar on DCs Accountability and Efficiency
30. The Chairman reported that six Members had attended the Seminar on DCs
Accountability and Efficiency held by the Home Affairs Department on 2 February
2002.
Spring Reception
31. The Chairman invited all Members and departmental representatives to the Spring
Reception jointly held by NDC, NDMC and local organizations at Cheung Wah
Community Hall at 3:00 pm on 26 February 2002.
Date of Next Meeting
32. The next meeting would be held at 9:30 am on 11 April 2002 in the NDC
Conference Room.
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North District Council Secretariat
February 2002
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