October 04, 2013

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Financial Secretary John Tsang

Victoria Harbour represents the best of Hong Kong, past, present and future. It is an intrinsic part of our instantly recognisable cityscape.
 
History books provide us with a full account of how our city has grown up along the banks of Victoria Harbour, which has been a magnet for seafarers and their cargoes for hundreds of years.
 
The harbour continues to be a valuable resource and a commercial lifeline today. More recently, it has also become a popular attraction for tourists and source of pleasure for local residents. People like to relax and enjoy the view along the harbour or take to the water in junks and sailing boats.
 
This Sunday, some 2,000 people will swim from one side of the harbour to the other in the annual Cross Harbour Race. This race was first held in 1906, but was suspended in the 1970s as the water quality deteriorated. After spending much time, effort and resources on cleaning up the water, the race was revived in 2011.
 
This is just one illustration of the community's passion and the Government's commitment to preserving the harbour and making our waterfront a place of pride for the whole community.
 
Reclamation rewarded
The Victoria Harbour we see today is the result of more than a century of successive cycles of reclamation, which have provided valuable land needed for economic activities.
 
The deliverables of reclamation are all around us: modern skyscrapers, multinational corporate headquarters, major shopping malls, sports facilities and government buildings. We also have typhoon shelters, pump houses, public cargo working areas and utility facilities along the waterfront.
 
Towards the end of the 20th century, the community started to advocate the need to preserve the harbour. In 1997, the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance was enacted to impose a presumption against reclamation in the inner core of the Victoria Harbour. The application of the Ordinance was extended to the whole of the harbour in 1999.
 
In 2004, the Government undertook that after the completion of essential reclamation to facilitate the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, there would be no more reclamation in Victoria Harbour. Today, this last phase of reclamation is almost complete, and the scene is now set for us to unleash the new potential of our waterfront.
 
Easy access
One way to achieve this is to plan for a joined up and easily accessible waterfront. The Tamar Development Project here in Central is a good example. An important part of the project's design is to make the waterfront accessible to the public. The green lawns provide great views of the harbour. Tamar Park is also designed to link up with the Central Piers and Star Ferry Pier via the Central and Western District Promenade.
 
The waterfront provides incredible settings for major events including the recent National Day celebrations, our annual Wine & Dine Festival, which is coming up, and the world's largest light and sound show, "A Symphony of Lights".
 
It is also a backdrop for the West Kowloon Cultural District which is under construction as well as the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
 
Victoria Harbour contributes not only to Hong Kong's economic well-being but also to our city's heritage, vibrancy as well as our way of life. The Government is firmly committed to delivering an attractive and sustainable waterfront for our community.
 
Dedicated harbourfront body mooted
Earlier I mentioned other waterfront cities in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Although they each have different characteristics, they also share a common factor. Each city has a dedicated body to oversee the planning, development and management of their waterfronts.
 
The Harbourfront Commission has recommended the establishment of a statutory Harbourfront Authority to develop and manage our waterfront in a holistic manner. I believe that this would be an important part of our strategy to unleash the full potential of our Victoria Harbourfront.
 
The Development Bureau, together with the Harbourfront Commission, will launch a public engagement exercise starting today to gauge public views on the establishment of a Harbourfront Authority.
 
Our Chief Executive has already made clear that, as long as the proposal is supported by the public, the Government will take forward the legislative work and provide the necessary financial support.
 
Consensus sought
Everyone has their own ideas about our waterfront development. The key to success is to bring together the best ideas and achieve a common consensus as far as possible for our waterfront development.
 
This symposium provides an excellent opportunity to learn from the experiences of other great waterfront cities. Auckland and Vancouver have successful stories of using international mega events as catalysts to press for waterfront revitalisation and long-term harbourfront planning. Marina Bay in Singapore and Sydney's Darling Harbour and the Rocks have established brands that are known worldwide.
 
Victoria Harbour already has a well-earned place in the hearts and minds of our residents and visitors. But development of our waterfront is a work in progress. Land formed under the last phase of reclamation in the harbour will soon be ready for public enjoyment after the commissioning of the much needed Central-Wan Chai Bypass.
 
This symposium is a timely opportunity for us to forge a clear path forward on the development of our waterfront that meets the aspirations of our community. We look forward to hearing your views on how to unleash this huge potential of Victoria Harbour.
 
Financial Secretary John Tsang gave this address at the Symposium on Harbourfront Development 2013 "Unleashing the Potential of the Waterfront" at Central Government Offices.