We have been as constructive as possible in accommodating feedback from the public whilst meeting practical needs for the community, the Legislative Council and the Government through the Tamar redevelopment project.

Half of the Tamar site is designated as open space for public use. Suggestions that the site is "monopolised" are thus misplaced. To ensure easy public access to the harbour, the open space will be connected to the waterfront promenade via an open pedestrian deck 50 to 60 metres wide. Together with the adjoining waterfront promenade of 8.8 hectares, there will be an open space larger than Hong Kong Park for public enjoyment right at the harbourfront.      

The other half of the Tamar development, encompassing the Central Government Complex and the Legislative Council Complex, is also developed to serve the public. The Government Secretariat and the Legislative Council have long faced acute shortage of office space, resulting in split operations and impaired operational efficiency.

For example, due to limited space in the Legislative Council Building, the LegCo Secretariat and Members' Offices are scattered around Prince's Building, Citibank Tower and the West Wing of the Central Government Offices (CGO). Organisational changes and growth in service demand over the past four decades have also rendered the current offices in the CGO and Murray Building grossly inadequate, resulting in most policy bureaux each having to operate at two or more split locations. Additional rental costs aside, the arrangements are not user-friendly for the public.

Genuine pressing need

The ageing of the CGO and Murray Building as well as the LegCo Building (built in 1911 to house the Supreme Court and declared as a statutory monument) have also posed serious constraints for cost-effective expansion or refurbishment into offices equipped with modern facilities. There is a genuine and pressing need to pursue the proposed development.

The office components of the Tamar development are of modest scale only and will not have significant implications for air quality, the environment or traffic congestion. A preliminary environmental review conducted specifically for the Tamar development concluded that, at the construction and operation stages, it would not cause long-term environmental impact. Traffic experts have estimated that the extra passenger car traffic generated would be minimal, and would be less than 1% of the total traffic flow in the Central Business District at peak hours.

We are fully alive to public concerns about the harbour. In response, we have amended the project scope to reduce the net operating floor area of the Central Government Complex by 10% compared with the requirement estimated in 2003. The site density and plot ratio have been lowered in the present proposal. We have also restricted the heights of the future buildings to ensure a clear view of the ridgeline of the Victoria Peak from across the harbour.

In order to protect the harbour, we will require tenderers for the Tamar development to take into due account:

* the Urban Design Guidelines under the Hong Kong Planning Standards & Guidelines;

* the Vision & Goals set out by the Town Planning Board for Victoria Harbour to make the harbour "attractive, vibrant, accessible and symbolic of Hong Kong"; and,

* the Harbour Planning Principles set out by the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee. This emphasises creating "a harbour for the people and a harbour of life" and "maximising opportunities for public enjoyment".

Public aspirations respected

The Government has taken the initiative to make these amendments because we respect the public aspirations for preserving our harbour. We have responded in a constructive manner and trust that the refined proposal has been well received by the public.

Since the Government announced the re-launch of the Tamar project in October 2005, we have met the LegCo Panel on Planning, Lands & Works and its subcommittee eight times. At these meetings, we have responded positively to members' questions and concerns. We have also met with concern groups a number of times to exchange views. The LegCo's Public Works Subcommittee supported by a large majority the Government's funding application on May 29.

The present proposal has optimised the development potential of the site to meet the practical needs of the community. We have been as constructive as possible in accommodating the valuable advice from all sectors. Together with the plan to connect the Tamar site to the waterfront promenade, the Tamar project will provide a vast piece of open space for the public, hence "maximising opportunities for public enjoyment".

The Government's vision is to develop the Central waterfront which will measure up to Hong Kong's image as an international, cosmopolitan city. 

This was Director of Administration Elizabeth Tse's response to Simon Li's letters published on May 27 and June 5 jointly with Winston Chu on the Tamar development.