New Urban Development Areas
(8) West Kowloon Cultural District: The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) represents a major investment in our cultural and arts infrastructure. It is also a strategic plan to promote long-term development of arts and culture, supporting Hong Kong as a creative economy and Asia's world city. The integrated arts and cultural district will offer a mix of world-class arts and cultural facilities, talented artists, quality programmes and distinctive architecture to attract people in Hong Kong as well as from the Mainland and the rest of the world.
A public engagement exercise has been launched on the recommendations of the Consultative Committee on the Core Arts and Cultural Facilities of the WKCD. Our initial assessment shows general and positive public support for the early development of WKCD. The Government will introduce the bill on establishing the WKCD Authority in early 2008. We aim to have the legislation enacted in mid-2008 so that the Authority can be set up as soon as possible. The Chief Secretary for Administration will lead the work.
To fully realise the vision and mission of WKCD, the Government will co-operate with the cultural and arts sector in taking timely measures to foster the development of software and talent. We will invest more resources to implement the following key measures: reinforcing support to arts bodies of all sizes; comprehensively assessing the demand and supply of cultural and arts talent with a view to launching appropriate training programmes; promoting arts education and audience building; enhancing cultural exchange and co-operation; improving the management of performing arts venues; and, expanding "alternative art space" in the community for local artists to unleash their creativity while increasing the public's exposure to culture and the arts in their daily lives.
(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.
(10) New Development Areas (NDAs): To ease pressure on developed areas and to meet the demand for land arising from population growth, we need to plan for NDAs without delay. The scope of NDAs will be smaller, less than one fourth of that of the existing new towns such as Tuen Mun and Sha Tin. The NDAs will provide land for various uses such as housing, employment, high value-added and non-polluting industries. Through comprehensive planning, the NDAs will provide quality living space and convenience to both residents and users. In this connection, we will revive planning and engineering studies on NDAs at Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, Ping Che and Ta Kwu Ling and Hung Shui Kiu, and work out implementation strategies.
