This morning Victoria Harbour was bustling with activity, with over 1,000 swimmers participating in the cross-harbour swimming race, which resumed three years ago. Large crowds of spectators watched the race on both sides of the harbour. To us, Victoria Harbour is a harbour for the people and also Hong Kong’s world-class public heritage. In an earlier blog post, I outlined our progress in harbourfront enhancement in recent years. Last Friday, the Harbourfront Commission held a symposium with the theme of “Unleashing the Potential of the Waterfront”. During the symposium, overseas speakers shared their successful experiences in harbourfront enhancement and we all looked forward to our future harbourfront development
Experts on waterfront development from Auckland, Sydney, Singapore and Vancouver were invited to the symposium to share with us how they grasped the opportunity of organising mega events to revitalise the waterfront and promote its development and long-term planning. We also looked at the development experience of Marina Bay in Singapore as well as Darling Harbour and the Rocks in Sydney from the perspectives of planning, implementation, management and marketing. The symposium attracted hundreds of participants. Also present was the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, who stated in his speech that Victoria Harbour not only contributes to Hong Kong’s economic well-being, but is also a valuable asset that epitomises our vibrant city life. In addition, I reiterated at the event that the Government is fully committed to building a vibrant and beautiful harbourfront for all to enjoy.
In the symposium, I announced that the Development Bureau would work with the Harbourfront Commission to launch the three-month Phase 1 Public Engagement Exercise for the proposed establishment of a dedicated statutory Harbourfront Authority. The Commission further elaborated the idea of Harbourfront Authority in a press conference after the symposium. As the Chief Executive said in his Policy Address, the Government welcomes the proposal to set up the Harbourfront Authority, and if the proposal is supported by the public, it would take forward the legislative work and provide the financial support. Through the Public Engagement Exercise, we would like to seek your views on whether the Harbourfront Authority should be set up and, if so, your initial views on its functions and framework.
In fact, our experience in public engagement over the past decade shows that, in addition to government commitment and policy support, it is crucial to engage members of the public, various stakeholders and professional bodies in pursuing harbourfront enhancement. In 2004, the Government pledged that there would be no more reclamation in Victoria Harbour after the completion of reclamation required for the Central – Wan Chai Bypass. In the same year, the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee (HEC) was established, which was a milestone in public engagement in harbourfront development.
Thanks to the continuous efforts of the Government, the former HEC and its successor the Harbourfront Commission, an effective mechanism was established for the planning and development of the harbourfront. The Harbour Planning Principles and the Harbour Planning Guidelines formulated by the former HEC have been instrumental in guiding harbourfront planning and development, while the Harbourfront Commission continues to play an advocacy, oversight and advisory role in the envisioning, planning, urban design, development, management and operation of our harbourfront and its facilities. It also promotes and encourages the public and private sectors to co-operate in harbourfront development, and monitors the progress of various harbourfront enhancement projects. Since its establishment in 2010, the Harbourfront Commission has offered advice on over 80 public and private harbourfront projects.
We, however, understand that the conventional government build-and-operate model may not be the best way to create a more vibrant and diversified harbourfront. Drawing on the experience of some world-renowned waterfront cities, we realise that it may be easier to achieve our vision if there is a dedicated agency to plan, design and manage specific harbourfront sites under a “place-making” approach.
In the past few years, the former HEC and the Harbourfront Commission have studied some overseas waterfront management models as well as the operational experience of local public bodies. Both the former HEC and the Harbourfront Commission have considered it desirable to establish a dedicated statutory authority, which should be visionary, mission-driven and able to combine advocacy and execution, to develop and manage the harbourfront in a holistic manner with a creative and innovative mindset. If the public agree with the broad direction of establishing an authority, we will, in collaboration with the Harbourfront Commission, consolidate public views on the authority’s mode of operation for more focused discussion regarding its detailed framework and other related issues in the Phase 2 Public Engagement Exercise.
We do not have a pre-determined position on the functions and framework of the Harbourfront Authority. We very much hope that you will participate in the Public Engagement Exercise and give us your views in the next three months, so that we could build consensus and write a new chapter for the future development of our harbourfront together.
6 October, 2013
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