Cooperation key for proposed Hong Kong waterfront project, officials say

The proposed transformation of an old Hong Kong neighbourhood into a world-class waterfront in the style of Australia’s Darling Harbour will require major cooperation among at least 11 government departments and agreement from private owners, officials have said.

The 798-hectare (1,972-acre) project was announced by Urban Renewal Authority (URA) managing director Wai Chi-sing on Sunday, with a study to explore developing To Kwa Wan in Kowloon and its surrounding waters into a top-notch destination.

“The real challenge is the implementation, because the proposal actually involves [cooperation among] quite different departments and policy bureaus,” Harbourfront Commission chairman Ivan Ho Man-yiu said on Monday.

“It is important to reach a consensus inside the government,” he added, citing Kai Tak Sports Park, the Marine Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Transport Department and the Environmental Protection Department.

Ho said that Kai Tak Sports Park should also be considered one of the project’s stakeholders, as any events at the To Kwa Wan typhoon shelter could affect the facility’s operations.

All proposed activities related to the body of the water in the typhoon shelter, such as converting barges into floating restaurants, would have to be approved by the Marine Department, he said.