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Enhancing Our Harbour Front

It is easy to understand why Victoria Harbour evokes so much emotion. Local people and tourists alike have a deep affection for this symbol of Hong Kong.  And this very much includes members of the business sector.

Perhaps the business community's appreciation of Victoria Harbour's value is nowhere better illustrated than by the ubiquitous harbour backdrop that appears in countless corporate brochures.  As one notable former business person said of the harbour: "Victoria Harbour is an integral part of Hong Kong that we all treasure. It deserves all our efforts to protect it and make it more beautiful ... so that our citizens and visitors can stay away from the hubbub of the city, stroll along the promenades and enjoy the beautiful scenery and refreshing sea breeze."  These were the words of Tung Chee-hwa, HKSAR's Chief Executive, in his 1999 Policy Address.

It is a pity that the harbour has been the subject of acrimonious debate over the past year, when the government and the community seemed divided over the extent of reclamation that should be allowed.  With the courts having delivered a definitive judgement on the interpretation of the Harbour Protection Ordinance, the Hong Kong community should now work together not only to protect, but to enhance the value of this prized asset of the Hong Kong people.

As early as three years ago, the Chamber issued a "Position Paper on the Harbour" in which we stated clearly our belief that the harbour and waterfront play a central role in Hong Kong's aspirations to become a world city. We outlined a few suggestions on enhancing our waterfront, and many of these are as relevant today as they were then.

Among other things, the Chamber championed the idea of a "Harbour Walk," a promenade on either side of the harbour.  I believe the community is united on the need for such a promenade.  The question is no longer whether one is needed, but how to achieve it.

A harbour promenade for a world class city should be much more than just a walkway.  It should be interesting and attractive, with such amenities as bicycle lanes, alfresco dining and street entertainment. Tourists and locals alike will enjoy the ambience with a mixture of restaurants, bars and retail outlets as well as cultural activities unique to Hong Kong. I am sure many business people will be happy to be involved in the beautifying of our harbour front, whether in the design of public spaces or the building and maintenance of facilities.  There should also be more activities to engage the public, such as design competitions. Needless to say, public access to the waterfront must be improved.

Before we get our ideal waterfront, an immediate task ahead is to get rid of the unsightly and incompatible constructions one finds scattered alongside the harbour.  For some inexplicable reason, utility installations or pump stations always occupy the prime sites; they should be repositioned where possible. Those that cannot be removed should be beautified using natural attractive colours and distinctive designs to make sure that they are no longer visually intrusive.

One particular problem in the harbour is that of the public cargo working areas, a clearly incompatible land use.  To house them in the inner harbour is a misappropriation of scarce public resources; it is also at odds with Hong Kong's knowledge-based world class ambitions. It would be far preferable either to re-locate these areas to outside the Central Harbour or to have their functions taken over by other port operators such as the River Trade Terminal, the mid-stream operators and the container terminals.  The existing sites should be re-zoned for tourism, entertainment and other service industries that are more in keeping with a world-class harbour.

Speaking of unsightliness, it goes without saying that cleanliness in the harbour is imperative. We must do our best to collect floating rubbish, or better still, prevent rubbish entering the harbour. This applies not just to solid waste but also to waste water, and in this regard the government's current consultation on the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme should be studied seriously to ensure that Hong Kong uses the best and most effective sewage treatment solution for the harbour.

I have highlighted a few tasks in enhancing our harbour front. None of them is easy; to do all will be a large undertaking.  A major challenge that could stand in the way is the disparate interests of the various government departments that have oversight of the harbour. Recently there were calls for a harbour authority to be established to centralise decision-making and implementation of harbour-related projects.  This is similar to the idea proposed by the Chamber three years ago of a Waterfront Authority.  While the Chamber is no big fan of larger government bureaucracy, Victoria Harbour is certainly important enough to warrant the creation of a new centralised agency.

The government recently established the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee, and I see that as a positive step.  It can act as a think-tank to benchmark the development of Hong Kong's waterfront against other cities such as Sydney, San Francisco and Vancouver. More significantly, it could serve as a transitional arrangement towards the creation of a harbour authority in the fullness of time.

Anthony Nightingale
Chairman
HKGCC