Kowloon East is transforming into the second core business district of Hong Kong, with a mixture of old and new buildings and including our works projects that seek to improve the local environment. Among them, Kwun Tong Industrial Culture Park and the Energizing Hoi Bun Road – Green Operation projects are intended to provide more green and open space for the enjoyment of the public and the people working in the area.

Kwun Tong Industrial Culture Park will be converted from Tsun Yip Street Playground. Its future design will showcase distinctive features of Kwun Tong. The existing playground, located at the centre of the former Kwun Tong industrial area, mainly served workers in the manufacturing sector in the area in the past. As time passes and the district transforms, the existing hard-paved ball courts can no longer meet the needs of people working nearby. The community also has stronger aspirations for more green and leisure space. The Energizing Kowloon East Office (EKEO) has proposed converting the playground into a new facility with an industrial culture design theme, so as to preserve the unique industrial features of the past on the one hand and promote a spirit of creation on the other.

With the recent completion of the study on the industrial culture of Kowloon East, we have proposed adopting “The Spirit of Creation” theme for the design of various projects in Kowloon East. In the completed sitting-out area near Tsun Yip Street, the outdoor exhibition space is converted from containers. Public art installations with unique industrial character tell the stories of Kwun Tong. This, together with the future Kwun Tong Industrial Culture Park, will showcase the unique spirit of creation of Kowloon East. When the project is completed, there will be more green space in the district and the public can have a better understanding of the industrial culture of Kowloon East.

Our young generation will have the opportunity to help create industrial culture-themed public art installations for the park. We will also study the feasibility of providing facilities with flexible design in the park for those interested in culture, arts and design to display their creative works or to organise creative activities there. The multi-purpose venue in the park will provide space for young people to perform, dance and exercise. This valuable green public space will be an ideal location for active and passive activities. With a vast lawn and trees, it will become one of the major urban lungs in the district.

On the urban planning and design front, Kwun Tong Industrial Culture Park will link up major MTR stations and the harbourfront and extend the central part of the Kwun Tong business area towards the harbour, achieving a walkable Kowloon East together with the project of Energizing Hoi Bun Road – Green Operation.

Although Hoi Bun Road is at a good location along the Kwun Tong harbourfront, the area close to the harbour used to be works sites, sewerage facilities or cargo working areas in the past.  Access was difficult as no footpaths were provided. EKEO proposed the Energizing Hoi Bun Road – Green Operation project to release the precious but enclosed waterfront areas for public enjoyment through consolidation and beautification works. These works are not large in scale, but they bring significant improvements to the overall environment of the area and facilitate the transformation of Hoi Bun Road, adding vibrancy to the road with low pedestrian flow in the past.

The consolidation and beautification works consist of two parts. To release ground space, the first part involves removing the boundary walls that are more than 2 metres high surrounding the three dry weather flow interceptors of the Drainage Services Department at the junctions of Hoi Bun Road with How Ming Street, Tsun Yip Street and Lai Yip Street. The three released sites, now form part of Fly the Flyover 01, integrated with the Kwun Tong Promenade or falls within the works limit of Fly the Flyover 02, are for public enjoyment and will provide space for creative, cultural and arts activities. The second part involves setting back the walls of the Kwun Tong Intermediate Sewerage Pumping Station at the southern end of Hoi Bun Road near Kei Yip Street by 3 metres, and incorporating vertical greening. These works have widened the footpaths outside the pumping station, improved the landscape by matching with the green environment of the nearby promenade, and allow the public to enjoy the beautiful view of Victoria Harbour in close distance.

These two improvement projects not only enhance the local environment, but also bring amazing changes to the community. We see new labour force working in old industrial buildings, the old playground transforming into a new industrial culture park, new facilities revitalising the old harbourfront, and new generations enjoying themselves under the old flyover. I believe these changes will go on, transforming Kwun Tong into a new vibrant community bustling with business as well as cultural and leisure activities.