The 14th Meeting of

the Housing and Infrastructure Committee

of Kowloon City District Council

Date: 15 March 2018 (Thursday)

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Venue: Conference Room, Kowloon City District Office

Present:

Chairman: Mr HO Hin-ming, BBS, MH

Vice-chairman: Mr NG Fan-kam, Tony

Members: Mr PUN Kwok-wah, JP

Mr KWAN Ho-yeung, Roger

Mr YUE Chee-wing, Admond (Arrived at 2:46 p.m.)

Mr YANG Wing-kit

Mr YEUNG Chun-yu

Mr HE Huahan

Mr NG Po-keung (Arrived at 2:46 p.m.)

(Left at 5:22 p.m.)

Mr LUK King-kwong (Arrived at 2:39 p.m.)

(Left at 4:25 p.m.)

Mr LAM Tak-shing

Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming

Mr CHO Wui-hung

Mr SIU Tin-hung, Terence (Arrived at 2:40 p.m.)

Mr LAI Kwong-wai (Left at 5:58 p.m.)

Mr SIU Leong-sing

Mr LO Chiu-kit (Arrived at 3:02 p.m.)

Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH

Mr LAM Pok, Jimmy (Left at 5:20 p.m.)

Secretary: Mr IP Wai-kong, Eddie Executive Officer I (District

Council), Kowloon City District

Office

Absent:

The Hon LEE Wai-king, Starry, SBS, JP

Mr TING Kin-wa

Ms LEUNG Yuen-ting

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In Attendance:

Miss SO Yi-ching, Venus Assistant District Officer (Kowloon

City), Kowloon City District Office

Mr WONG Kam-keung,

Eric

Senior Liaison Officer (Building

Management), Kowloon City District

Office

Ms CHENG Wan-ying,

Johanna

Senior Town Planner/Kowloon 2,

Planning Department

Mr YIP Wing-ping, Ronny Property Service Manager / Property

Service (Kowloon West and Sai

Kung)3, Housing Department

Ms Alisa TSE Senior Building Surveyor / E3,

Buildings Department

Attendance by Invitation:

Item 2 Miss NG Hoi-yan Project Manager (School Building)2,

Education Bureau

Mr WONG Wai-leung,

Dominic

Assistant Project Manager (School

Building) 21, Education Bureau

Mr WONG Kui-hung Supervisor, Munsang College

Ms Kuby CHAN Principal, Munsang College

Mr Louis LUI Deputy Principal, Munsang College

Mr CHAN Bing-hung Member, School Construction

Committee, Munsang College

Mr LAU Tak-cheung,

Vetus

Director, Percy Thomas Partnership

(HK) Limited

Mr LAU Wai-hung Deputy Construction Director, Percy

Thomas Partnership (HK) Limited

Ms YEUNG Yim-yu Senior Architect, Percy Thomas

Partnership (HK) Limited

Item 3 Mr YEUNG

Chung-cheung, Tony

Senior Engineer / Consultants

Management 5, Drainage Services

Department

Mr LEI Kuok-kun Engineer / Consultants Management

2, Drainage Services Department

Environmental Protection Officer

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Mr LEE Sing-tim, Wallace (Sewerage Infrastructure) 43,

Environmental Protection

Department

Mr FOK Chun-sing,

Dennis

Associate Project Manager, Atkins

China Limited

Mr LEE Wing-kin Project Engineer, Atkins China

Limited

Ms KWAN Yuen-ting Senior Transport Engineer, Atkins

China Limited

Item 4 Ms YAN Sin-wah Senior Manager, Community

Development, Urban Renewal

Authority

Mr Daniel LEE Senior Manager, Building

Rehabilitation, Urban Renewal

Authority

Item 5 Ms YAN Sin-wah Senior Manager, Community

Development, Urban Renewal

Authority

Items 6-7 Ms KONG Pui-heung, Ada Housing Manager / Kowloon West

and Sai Kung 1, Housing Department

Mr LAM Yam-fung Assistant Housing Manager /Tenancy

(Kowloon West and Sai Kung 1) 1,

Housing Department

Item 8 Ms KONG Pui-heung, Ada Housing Manager / Kowloon West

and Sai Kung 1, Housing Department

Mr LAM Yam-fung Assistant Housing Manager /Tenancy

(Kowloon West and Sai Kung 1) 1,

Housing Department

Ms YUNG Suk-ching Chief Health Inspector 1, Food and

Environmental Hygiene Department

Mr YEUNG Chi-yuen,

Ivan

Health Inspector (Pest Control), Food

and Environmental Hygiene

Department

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Mr Myron NG Assistant General Manager (Public

Affairs), Link Asset Management

Limited

Mr YIU Hon-sang Community Relations Manager, Link

Asset Management Limited

✽ ✽ ✽

Opening Remarks

The Chairman of the Housing and Infrastructure Committee welcomed

all Members, representatives of government departments and the persons in

attendance to the meeting. The Secretariat was informed before the meeting that

The Hon Starry LEE and Mr TING Kin-wa were unable to attend the meeting. Also,

Mr YIP Wing-ping, Ronny, Property Services Manager/S (KWS)3 of the Housing

Department (HD), would attend the meeting on behalf of Mr LAU Ching-kwong,

Wallace Senior Property Services Manager (KWS) of HD who had another official

commitment.

Prior to discussion of the agenda items, the Chairman reminded Members

of their obligation to declare interests. The system of declaring interests was

stipulated in the “Kowloon City District Council Standing Orders” (Standing Orders).

If Members’ personal interests in respect of property ownership, occupation or

investment etc. involved conflict of interest with the items under discussion later, they

should make declaration before the discussion for consideration to be made whether

the members concerned should withdraw from the discussion or voting. In addition,

according to the Standing Orders, the quorum of committee meetings was half the

number of members. As there were 22 members in the Housing and Infrastructure

Committee (HIC), once there were less than 11 members present at the meeting, he

would terminate the discussion immediately.

Confirmation of the Minutes of Last Meeting

2. The Chairman declared that the minutes of the 13th meeting were

confirmed unanimously without amendments by the Committee.

The Proposal of Constructing an Assembly Hall in Munsang College at No. 8

Dumbarton Road in Kowloon City

(Paper No. 12/18)

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3. Miss NG Hoi-yan, Project Manager (SB)2 of the Education Bureau

(EB), Mr. LUI Hang-sum, Deputy Principal of Munsang College and Mr LAU

Wai-hung, Deputy Construction Director of Percy Thomas Partnership (HK) Ltd.

introduced the paper.

4. Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming stated that full support was given to the plan of

constructing an assembly hall in Munseng College (Assembly Hall Plan) and he

pointed out that Munsang College had been making contribution to education for over

a century and had nurtured many outstanding students. It was hoped that a funding

application to the Legislative Council (the Legco) would be made by the Education

Bureau (EB) as soon as possible for the provision of modern facilities for the students

to further enhance the teaching quality of the college.

5. Mr CHO Wui-hung stated that an assembly hall was a basic facility for a

secondary school and, in addition to that, the school had promised to share the school

facility with the community. Thus he supported the “Assembly Hall Plan”.

6. Mr LUK King-kwong extended support to the “Assembly Hall Plan” but he

was worried that its works might affect traffic as there was considerable traffic flow in

the vicinity of the school before and after school hours.

7. Mr YANG Wing-kit said he supported the “Assembly Hall Plan”. In

addition, he pointed out that Kowloon Tong School (Secondary Section) also faced

the same problem of lacking an assembly hall. It was hoped that the relevant

departments would treat all schools equally and accelerate improvements to other

schools in the district.

8. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH said Munsang College had nurtured many

outstanding alumni and he gave full support to the “Assembly Hall Plan”.

According to the papers submitted by EB, a funding application would be made to the

Finance Committee (FC) of the Legco in the third quarter of 2018 and it was expected

that construction works would commence at the end of 2018 if approval was given by

FC. He hoped that EB would provide the relevant building plans. However, in

view of the frequent filibustering in the Legco in recent years, he enquired whether

EB could accord priority to the funding application of the plan to the Legco.

9. Mr Admond YUE expressed strong support for the “Assembly Hall Plan”

and he hoped that a funding application would be made to the Legco by EB as soon as

possible. In addition, he hoped that the school would open the facilities of the

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assembly hall for use by the community and invite local district councillors to discuss

about the public use of the hall so as to benefit the community.

10. Mr Jimmy LAM said that he supported the “Assembly Hall Plan” and

opined that every school should have a complete set of supporting facilities. He also

hoped that the hall facilities of schools would be open for public use to benefit the

community. Besides, he was also concerned about the impact of the works on the

surrounding environment and he hoped that the school or the relevant departments

would provide the detailed works plan and progress to the owners’ corporations of the

nearby buildings and local district councillors. In addition, as many schools in the

district also needed hall facilities, it was thus hoped that the relevant departments

would assist those schools to improve their facilities step by step and provide the

relevant timetable.

11. Mr Tony NG voiced his support for the “Assembly Hall Plan” and he hoped

that the hall would be open for use very soon. He also suggested that the assembly

hall be open to community organisations for activities on Saturdays, Sundays and

public holidays.

12. The Chairman enquired whether the facilities of Munsang College

(Kowloon) could be lent to Munsang College (Hong Kong Island) for use in case the

latter had insufficient facilities and whether there would be similar expansion plan in

Munsang College (Hong Kong Island). In addition, it was asked whether the present

building height restriction of the District would be fully utilised in the construction of

the proposed assembly hall for future expansion of the school premises.

13. Miss NG Hoi-yan of EB made a response, the main points of which were as

follow:

－ EB planned to submit its funding application to FC of the Legco for

the works in the third quarter of 2018 in accordance with normal

procedures and if approved, it was expected that the construction

works would commence at the end of 2018 and be completed in the

first quarter of 2021. However, filibustering was beyond the control

of the Bureau;

－ as for the problem of “sub-standard school premises”, EB had been

trying all means to upgrade the facilities of the schools including

improvement works to the schools from 1994 to 2006 as well as the

yearly major revamp works/urgent repairs for schools etc. to ensure

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the safety of the school premises and to upgrade the school facilities

to improve the school environment; and

－ as for in-situ redevelopment of schools, the Bureau would consider

the applications of all eligible public secondary and primary schools

in the territory and assist the schools to upgrade their facilities

according to a series of factors for consideration.

14. Mr LAU Wai-hung of Percy Thomas Partnership (HK) Ltd. made a

response and the main points of her response were as follow:

－ during the works period, arrangements on the separation of pedestrian

and vehicular flow would be made. As the entrance for students of

Munsang College was at Dumbarton Road, all construction vehicles

would use the entrance at Junction Road for entry to and exit from the

site and strict supervision on the vehicles entering and leaving the site

would be carried out by the works contractors and sufficient safety

measures would be adopted. Also, the vehicle entrance and exit at

Block E of the school premises where works were being conducted

would be used by the works vehicles involved in the above plan. As

the scale of the proposed works was relatively small, negative impact

on the traffic in the surrounding areas would not be posed during the

construction period;

－ mitigating measures would be provided in accordance with the

provisions of the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap 400) and the Air

Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 311) to control noise and dust

nuisance for ensuring compliance with the established standards and

criteria. In addition, it was estimated that piling works would take

about 8 months and H-type steel piles would be used after boring.

As there would be no percussion on the H-type steel piles, there

would be relatively little noise pollution;

－ provisions would be set out in the contract requiring the contractors to

take environmental mitigating measures, strictly control noise

pollution and dust and water drainage during the works so as to

comply with the standards and criteria set by the Environmental

Protection Department (EPD). There would be no negative impact

on the surrounding environment during the works. In addition, the

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contractors would regularly spray water at the site, control the speed

of vehicles and wash the tyres of construction vehicles to minimise

the amount of dust;

－ the design of the assembly hall included: (i) adopting the set-back

design to leave space between it and the nearby buildings to avoid

blocking the day light exposure of adjacent buildings and the

assembly hall so that natural day light would illuminate the hall and

ventilation effect be enhanced; (ii) the adjacent multi-function room

would be connected with the assembly hall to encourage students to

take part in diversified activities; (iii) the wide corridor design would

enhance the flow of people and provide space for teachers and

students to get together; (iv) to tie in with the environmental concept,

the assembly hall building would provide a green rooftop garden and

small green corners for enhancing students’ knowledge on

environment. They would also be used by students as activity

platforms; and (v) on the whole, the school would adopt a barrier-free

design to enhance the quality and uses of the facilities, which could

help achieve harmony between the abled and disabled; and

－ the height of the proposed assembly hall was about 30 metres which

was comparable with the height of its surrounding buildings.

15. Mr LAU Wai-hung of Percy Thomas Partnership (HK) Ltd.

supplemented that all the plans of the assembly hall were submitted to the Buildings

Department and the general plan was approved. The plans for the foundation and

structural works were expected to be approved progressively in the near future. The

progress was satisfactory and preparations for calling tender were being made.

16. Ms Kuby CHAN, Principal of Munsang College, in response, said the

school believed that EB understood the needs of all schools in the territory.

Munsang College sought financial assistance for building hall facilities for its

secondary section in 2009 and approval for carrying out the preliminary feasibility

study was given by EB in 2012 while approval for detailed works design was granted

in 2014. The school had followed the established procedures to lodge an application

for building the assembly hall facilities, carrying out all the work related to the works

plan and listening to the views of different stakeholders and local people.

Considerable procedures and time were involved in the plan and the whole process of

application was no faster than that of other schools.

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17. Mr WONG Kui-hung, Supervisor of Munsang College stated that

Munsang College was located at Kowloon City District and since the plan of building

an assembly hall was hatched, the school had considered sharing the facilities with the

community and the hall would be open to the District Council, educational

organisations, community groups and social welfare organisations so long as the

school operation would not be affected. Munsang College (Hong Kong Island) was

a standard school and it had no expansion plan for the time being. However,

because of geographical factors, except for student exchange activities, there was

little chance that it would use the facilities of Munsang College (Kowloon). Also,

Munsang College (Hong Kong Island) and Munsang College (Kowloon) were two

independent administration units and the Munsang College (SSB) Limited, as a

school sponsoring body, would only be responsible for policy and financial resources

coordination.

18. Mr LUI Hang-sum, Deputy Principal of Munsang College supplemented

that the design plan and progress of the proposed assembly hall were uploaded onto

the website of the school and visits to the school by Members were welcome so that

the design of the assembly hall could be explained more detailedly to them by the

school.

19. Mr YANG Wing-kit stressed that he was expecting the soonest completion

of the assembly hall of Munsang College but it was hoped that EB would not neglect

the needs of the other schools in the district and relevant facilities should be provided

to the schools in the district as soon as possible.

20. Mr LO Chiu-kit declared that his two children were studying at the

Munsang Primary School and stressed that he supported the above plan in the

capacity of a parent.

21. The Chairman concluded that all Members who had spoken on the

“assembly hall plan” well supported the plan. He hoped that EB would submit the

funding application to the Legco before October this year.

Public Works Programme Item No. 4344DS: Upgrading of Central and East

Kowloon Sewerage – Phase 3

(Paper No. 13/18)

22. Mr YEUNG Chung-Cheung, Tony, Senior Engineer/Consultants

Management 5 of the Drainage Services Department (DSD) and Mr LEE

Wing-kin, Project Engineer of Atkins China Ltd. introduced the paper.

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23. Mr YANG Wing-kit stated that he supported the above works and raised the

following views/enquiries: (i) the drainage works in one section of Maidstone Lane

was near parking spaces and he asked whether the excavation works would affect the

number of parking spaces; (ii) it was worried that the drainage works would affect the

operation of the car companies in that section and he hoped the Department would

handle it with care and maintain adequate communication with the shop operators

there; (iii) there were some food establishments, shops, parking spaces and residential

dwellings in the Chi Kiang Street area and it was worried that the works might have

impact on pedestrian walkway and shop operators; (iv) the section at Tin Kwong

Road and the rear lane of Maidstone Lane was the entrance/exit of another building

and the works should avoid impact on its residents; and (v) the works were mainly

carried out at the side lanes and the shop operators there would definitely be impacted.

Thus he enquired whether there was any compensation mechanism for the affected

shop operators and suggested that the claim procedures should be simplified.

24. Mr Roger KWAN stated that there was always bursting of pipelines in the

district in recent years and it was hoped that the Department would replace the

pipelines as soon as possible. Also, Ha Heung Road and Lok Shan Road were the

main access of the old district and were frequently used by large vehicles. Thus an

enquiry on the ways the works were carried out and then impact on the residents and

pedestrians was made.

25. Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming opined that the above works were carried out on a

piece-meal and scattered basis and he was worried that the stability and structure of

the whole sewerage system would be affected. An enquiry was made on the reasons

for just replacing part of the pipeline at isolated locations but not the whole pipeline.

26. Mr Jimmy LAM stated that strong support was given to the above works

and he raised the following views/enquiries: (i) whether the rear lane from Chatham

Road North to the Ko Shan Road area would be closed for the works and the

measures to be taken to reduce its impact on rear lane users; (ii) Chatham Road North

was a trunk road and in what way the works would be carried out by the Department

in order to avoid impact on traffic; (iii) because of the overflowing of sewage, he had

made an inspection on the pedestrian lane off Sin Hua Mansion at No. 89-93 Ma Tau

Wai Road with the representatives of DSD and EPD and enquired about the reasons

for not including the problematic pipelines at that location into the improvement

works; (iv) the District was infested with mosquitoes in recent years and as the works

area was close to the residential dwellings, what measures the Department would take

to prevent mosquito nuisance arising from the works, (v) there were dump trucks

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frequenting the area and debris dropping off onto the roads from some of the trucks

going up the slanting roads. He asked if the relevant department and the contractor

would help clear the debris on the roads; (vi) he enquired about the actual time works

would be undertaken during off peak hours at Chatham Road North and the road

closure arrangements and whether all the traffic lanes could remain in use during peak

hours; and (vii) there were several major redevelopment projects in the To Kwa Wan

area and it was suggested that the Department should replace the pipelines in the Ma

Tau Wai area to make preparations for the double increase in the population projected

in the area.

27. Mr Terence SIU stated that he supported the above works in principle and

raised the following views/enquiries: (i) works would be carried out in the rear lane of

Tam Kung Road, Shing Tak Street and Ma Tau Chung Road and it was hoped that

certain space would be reserved for use by pedestrians during the works period; (ii)

stocks were placed in the rear lanes by food establishments and shops, and the

Department should have adequate communication with the relevant shops beforehand;

(iii) works were carried out on the traffic lanes of Sung Wong Toi Road and Argyle

Street where traffic flow was heavy and it was hoped that the works would be

completed in a short time; and (iv) if there were residents opposing to the trench

method, it was hoped that the more expensive trenchless method would be adopted by

the Department.

28. Mr Jimmy LAM raised the following views/enquiries: (i) he was concerned

about the exact location of the works in the Hung Hom area and he hoped that

detailed relevant information would be provided by DSD; (ii) he would like to know

if the above-mentioned works in the district would be conducted at the same time and

the details about the relevant manpower arrangements; (iii) traffic was very busy in

the Hung Hom area and traffic would be seriously impacted if the works were carried

out on the traffic lanes and what measures the Department would take to minimise the

impact on traffic; (iv) he requested the Department to post up notices on the works

and the timetable to notify the residents in the surrounding areas about this in advance;

and (v) he was concerned about the time of the works and the noise nuisance to be

caused.

29. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH stated that he was concerned about the

improvement works in Tak Man Street and Dockyard Street in Whampoa District and

opined that the works would definitely lead to traffic diversion as traffic was busy

there from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and thus he raised the following views/enquiries: (i) he

enquired about the time the night-shift works would be conducted in Tak Man Street

and it was hoped that the consultancy company, based on common understanding,

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would avoid conducting the works after 10 p.m. when scheduling the works to avoid

impact on the residents ; (ii) no night-shift works were carried out by the MTR

Corporation Ltd. (MTRCL) when building the Whampoa Station as efficiency was

low at night and he suggested that reference be made to the practice of MTRCL to

conduct the pipeline works during day time to avoid causing nuisance to the residents;

(iii) he asked if arrangements could be made by the Department to maintain two-lane

traffic on both sides during the works period; (iv) he hoped that the Department

would be concerned about the noise nuisance caused by the iron plates temporarily

covering the trenches when traffic was resumed; (v) the residents of the Whampoa

area were greatly disturbed by the construction of the MTR Whampoa Station and

were worried about any new projects in the area. It was hoped that the Department

would maintain good communication with the residents to minimise impact on them.

A community relation officer should be assigned to answer the phone calls and handle

the complaints by residents.

30. Mr Ronald YEUNG showed support for the above works. He pointed out

that the works had entered its third phase and he believed that DSD and the

consultancy company had accumulated sufficient experience. He reminded the

relevant departments to maintain sufficient communication with the stakeholders and

provide contact information to them. He paid special concern to the exact location

of the works at Sung Wong Toi Road and Mok Cheong Street. As illegal parking

was serious on Mok Cheong Street, there would be certain impact on traffic no matter

the works were carried out on the walkway or the carriageway. There was quite

heavy traffic on Sung Wong Toi Road and in case of any traffic problem there, it was

worried that the drivers might not be able to get the relevant information. In

addition, he enquired about the role played by the community liaison officers and

their working hours.

31. Mr Admond YUE expressed strong support for the above works. He

pointed out that recently there were on average two incidents of pipeline bursting

yearly at the junction of Hok Yuen Street and Ma Tau Wai Road and that of Man Lok

Street and Ma Tau Wai Road. During repairs, the engineer involved explained that

these happened due to ageing pipelines and major replacement works would be

conducted in the district. As such, he asked why the replacement works of pipelines

at Ma Tau Wai Road were not included into the above works.

32. Mr LAI Kwong-wai stated that he basically supported the above works and

he raised the following views/enquiries: (i) he believed that the above works would be

conducted in different phases and it was hoped that the Department would provide the

time table of the works scheduled at different locations, (ii) in view of the heavy

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traffic flow at Ma Tau Kok Road, he enquired about the traffic diversion measures to

be adopted and the Department was requested to have adequate communication with

the residents on traffic diversion before the commencement of the works; (iii) he

hoped to know whether different measures would be taken in respect of works on the

roads and the rear lanes; (iv) paragraph 5.2 of the Department’s paper mentioned that

an automatic detection system would be used to control the change of traffic signals

to ensure smooth traffic flow on the closed roads. He wished to have a better

understanding of the operation mode of the automatic detection system; (v) in what

ways the Department would consult the affected residents before the works were

conducted and whether relevant works information would be provided and discussion

on the works arrangements with the residents would be held; and (vi) DSD had set up

a works liaison group. He asked whether the public would be allowed to attend its

meetings and participate in the discussions or the group would just reflect the views

of the public or serve as a channel for answering public enquiries about the works.

Furthermore, he reminded that part of the above improvement works overlapped with

the works of the Central Kowloon Route (CKR) and the contractors should try the

best to avoid the occurrence of accidents.

33. Mr LUK King-kwong hoped that the Department would provide the time

table of the works scheduled at different locations so that early preparations could be

made by those affected. Also, he pointed out that a 900-1050 mm sewer was

planned to be built between Prince Edward Road East and Olympic Avenue to cope

with the population increase in the Kai Tak Development Area. However, the sewer

in the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) area was mainly 300 mm in diameter. As there

were many redevelopment projects in that area, he was worried that the sewer might

not be able to cope with the population increase after redevelopment.

34. Mr LO Chiu-kit raised the following enquiries: (i) it was stated in the paper

that the discharge capacity of the current sewers in the district was not adequate and

he hoped that the Department would explain the specific impact caused by the

insufficient discharge capacity and the ways the above works would improve the

effectiveness of the sewers in the district; (ii) the cost footed by the Kowloon City

District in the above works; (iii) the Ka Wai Estate and Hung Hom Estate areas were

prone to serious flooding. However, the Department opted to use the 375-450 mm

sewers and conduct improvement works on piece-meal basis at different locations in

the district. He asked if the decision was made owing to financial restraints and

whether the above project was forward-looking and able to cope with the sewage

discharge volume of the District after 2024; and (iv) there was serious traffic

congestion in the Wuhu Street and Station Lane area. He questioned if DSD would

conduct a traffic impact assessment for the above works.

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35. Mr SIU Leong-sing was concerned about the ways the works liaison group

making close contact with the public and he opined that follow-up actions to the cases

reported via the 1823 hotline system were slow. He suggested that the mobile phone

number of the project officer be provided to the front-line police staff and local

district councillors to ensure immediate settlement of the problems. In addition, he

was worried that the above improvement works might have impact on the existing

metered parking spaces and asked for the reprovision of the affected metered parking

spaces.

36. Mr LEE Wing-kin of the Atkins China Ltd. made a response, the main

points of which were as follows:

－ enquiries made by the public to the hotline set up during the works

period were answered by dedicated staff round the clock;

－ at present, the works at Maidstone Lane would be conducted at the

side of the carriageway by phases; trench method would be used for

the works in Ha Heung Road while trenchless method be used in Lok

Shan Road. Also, such works would not occupy more than one

traffic lane in order to reduce impact on traffic; and

－ the drainage services works at the rear lanes and on the roads would

be conducted by phases. For works on roads, traffic would be

segregated by water-filled barriers and for works at the rear lane,

pedestrian flow would be segregated by plastic barriers. Also, there

would be appropriate diversion signs at the works sites.

37. Ms KWAN Yuen-ting, Senior Traffic Engineer of Atkins China Ltd.

made a response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ the consultancy company had conducted a preliminary assessment on

traffic at Chatham Road North and Ha Heung Road and it was

suggested that works be carried out during non-peak hours and road

closure be done by stages and it was scheduled temporarily that the

works hours would be from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. on Monday to Saturday

and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The number of traffic lanes

for use would be maintained during peak hours. The consultancy

and the contractors would remain in close contact with the Transport

Department (TD) to fine-tune the arrangements and time for the

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works. In addition, the contractors would again conduct a traffic

impact assessment before the commencement of the works to reduce

impact on traffic;

－ the traffic liaison group, comprising of representatives of DSD, TD

and the Hong Kong Police (the Police), traffic consultants hired by

the contractors and the site engineers, aimed at making regular

reviews and assessing the temporary traffic measure options;

－ as traffic on Tak Man Street, Sung Wong Toi Road and Ma Tau Wai

Road was relatively busy, the improvement works would be

conducted during night time and the number of traffic lanes for use

would remain the same during peak hours and day time;

－ the mitigating measures under the traffic impact assessment would

reduce the impact on traffic to the minimum and should be adequate

to cope with the traffic flow. Also, it was understood that the section

of the new lane from Kai Tak Development Area to Kowloon East

would be completed in mid-2018, which would further relieve the

pressure on traffic in the district; and

－ the automatic detection system was subject to approval by the traffic

liaison group and it would exercise control on the change of the

traffic signs in response to the request by TD and the Police according

to the prevailing traffic conditions at the scene.

38. Mr Dennis FOK, Deputy Project Manager of Atkins China Ltd. made a

response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ a series of measures against mosquito nuisance included: (i) avoid

water accumulation at source. The site staff would conduct site

inspection every day and if water stagnation (mainly after the rain)

was found, immediate request to clear it would be made to the

contractors; (ii) during the mosquito nuisance peak season such as

summer, mosquito larvicidal oil would be sprayed in the sites at least

thrice a week to prevent the growth of mosquito/insect nuisance; (iii)

the staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)

would conduct inspections to check if there was water stagnation in

the sites. They would collect information on water accumulation

16

and mosquito nuisance; and (iv) if there was mosquito nuisance near

the sites, immediate follow-up actions would be taken;

－ part of the above improvement works did overlap with the works for

CKR and preliminary assessment showed that excavation would not

be done repeatedly at any location and deep excavation quite far away

from the pipelines was performed on CKR. In addition, TD would

review the traffic diversion measures proposed for various works and

thus Members did not need to worry about it;

－ generally, as the diameter of the pipes in the rear lanes were relatively

smaller and the pipes were located near the surface, the trench method

would be employed. As for the pipes of roads, they had a greater

diameter and were usually situated deeper underground, thus

consideration on either the trench method or the trenchless method

would be made depending on the condition of the scene. Therefore,

the segregation devices for the works on roads would be of a larger

scale than those for the works at the rear lanes.

39. Mr YEUNG Chung-cheung of the Drainage Services Department made a

response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ the above improvement works aimed at coping with the sewage

discharge produced by the projected population in 2041. The

Department had used the computerised hydraulic model to calculate

the sewage discharge in 2041 and the findings indicated that many

pipes had insufficient discharge capacity and their locations were

rather scattered. The current project would use pipes with greater

discharge capacity that would be able to cope with the sewage

discharge in 2041 and the sewers with defects would be replaced and

improved;

－ the above works aimed at improving the sewerage system. However,

DSD attached great importance to the flooding problem and a

separate project was carried out to study the whole rainwater

discharge plan and consultation would be conducted on the plan in

due course;

－ the current works aimed at laying sewers with greater diameters to

replace the present sewers with insufficient discharge capacity. As

17

for the leakage problem, the Department’s maintenance section would

undertake routine inspections and if leakage was found, urgent repairs

and replacement would be arranged by the Department. In addition,

DSD had launched another project with plans for inspecting,

rehabilitating and carrying out overall and large-scale replacement of

ageing underground sewers and stormwater drains in the district.

The project was now under consultation;

－ the Department had completed an overall impact assessment on traffic

by the works and submitted different proposals to TD and the Police.

As the above improvement works needed to be carried out in phases,

works on some road sections might commence one or two years later.

Thus the contractor would re-assess the traffic conditions before the

commencement of the works and when required, new temporary

traffic management options would be submitted. During the period,

close contact with the relevant stakeholders, residents and district

councillors would be maintained by the Department, site engineers,

front-line staff and the contractors. In response to the views of

various parties, slight adjustments on works arrangements and

temporary road diversion would be made under feasible

circumstances and the option would be implemented after trial so as

to reduce the impact of the works to its minimum;

－ the consultation of the first phase of the above improvement works

was to collect the views of the District Council and to fine-tune the

design plan. The Department noted the views of Members on works

at the rear lanes and a works liaison group comprising the

Department’s site engineers, front-line staff and staff of the

contractors would be set up when the works started. The works

liaison group would proactively contact the management office of the

nearby buildings, resident representatives and local district

councillors for consultation and distribution of relevant information

including the works time table, temporary traffic road diversion

measures, contact means etc. A hotline would also be set up during

the works period for collecting residents’ views on the improvement

works and answering residents’ enquiries by site community liaison

officers. Members of the public could also call 1823 for enquiries;

－ as for noise nuisance, all works including the works being carried out

at night had to comply with the relevant environmental protection

18

ordinance and noise barrier proposals had to be submitted to EPD for

approval and issuance of the construction noise permit before the

commencement of the works. Furthermore, works inspections

would be conducted by the site engineers and the front-line staff and

orders to stop work would be made once the noise level exceeded the

limit. Thus Members did not have to worry about the noise nuisance

problem;

－ at present, there was no regulation and policy under which

compensation could be claimed by shop operators affected by

government works. However, close communication would be

maintained with the relevant shop operators by the Department to

reduce the impact of the works to its minimum;

－ as the whole project would last for four and half years, it thus had to

be carried out by phases to reduce impact on the residents.

Consultation on the works locations and time tables with the relevant

district councillors and stakeholders would be made by the

Department and the options would be revised before the

commencement of the works in response to their views. In addition,

the Department explained that the pipelines going to be replaced were

no-pressure sewers and the water flowing downward mode would be

applied in sewage treatment. The rear lane sewers were at upstream

locations (shallow locations) while the road sewers were at

downstream locations (deeper locations) in the whole sewerage

system;

－ the Department noted the concern and views of Members on noise

nuisance produced by iron plates, road diversion in the Whampoa

District, community liaison, provision of the mobile numbers of the

project action officers and night works. Consideration on detailed

works design would be made on common understanding and

communication with local district councillors would be made again

later;

－ works debris would not accumulate in the work sites for a long time

and would as far as possible be removed on the same day by dump

trucks and supervision would be carried out by site engineers. The

wheels of dump trucks would be washed before they left the site in

19

order not to pollute the nearby streets. The Department would pay

heed to the concerns of Members;

－ as for the conduct of improvement works in the redevelopment areas,

the Department would consult the Urban Renewal Authority (URA)

on the works design;

－ as for the impact on the metered parking spaces, the Department

would discuss the options submitted by the contractor with the

relevant district councillors; and

－ the works liaison group would not function on a regular public

engagement platform basis and, if required, the Department would

inspect the sites and hold discussions with the relevant residents and

district councillors and he opined that such communication would be

more effective.

40. The Chairman concluded that he supported the improvement works in

principle. He hoped that community communication and distribution of information

would be improved by the relevant departments and suggested that sufficient

consultation and communication on detailed works design with the local district

councillors and stakeholders by way of group meetings be conducted.

Effective Use of the Smart Tender Scheme to Rehabilitate Private Buildings

(Paper No. 14/18)

41. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH introduction Paper No. 14/18. He hoped that

URA would attend all the meetings of private buildings held to discuss building

rehabilitation and introduce the “Smart Tender” Building Rehabilitation Facilitating

Services (Smart Tender Scheme) at the meetings to enhance owners’ understanding on

the scheme so that they could make a decision on whether to join the scheme.

42. Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming stated that the Smart Tender Scheme could

effectively reduce bid rigging incidents and was greatly welcome by the residents.

However, different bid rigging ways were employed by the works contractors

including hindering owners to understand the services provided under the Smart

Tender Scheme. Thus, to achieve the best effect of the scheme, it was suggested that

the relevant departments should amend the law to require owners’ corporations to

invite URA staff to present the Smart Tender Scheme and then decide on whether to

join the scheme or not at the meetings for discussing rehabilitation works.

20

43. Mr SIU Leong-sing showed support for the Smart Tender Scheme but

opined that amendments to the law should hinge on whether the scheme would be

adopted on a continual basis.

44. Mr LAM Tak-shing stated that the number of residents in the District who

knew about the services under the Smart Tender Scheme was on the increase. He

also enquired about the number of buildings which had joined the Smart Tender

Scheme, the number of successful applications and the number of buildings which

had completed the tender procedure. In addition, he hoped that URA would

continue to improve the services under the Smart Tender Scheme and exempt its fees.

Furthermore, he hoped that URA would enhance publicity on the Smart Tender

Scheme for promote the understanding of the public on its services.

45. Mr Daniel LEE, Senior Manager / Building Rehabilitation of URA

thanked Members for affirming the services under the Smart Tender Scheme and

made a response to the questions by Members, the main point of which were as

follows:

－ the suggestion for amending the law to require owners’

corporations to invite URA staff to introduce the Smart Tender

Scheme and decide to join the scheme or not at the meetings for

discussing rehabilitation works involved the Building Management

Ordinance (Cap 344) and this was outside the purview of URA. He

suggested Members to explore the matter with the relevant

government departments and the law enforcement agencies;

－ as for the continuous implementation of the Smart Tender Scheme, no

time limit was set on it by URA for the time being. Also, the

Government was expected to launch the Operation Building Bright

2.0 and the Fire Safety Improvement Subsidy Scheme in mid-2018.

As the new schemes would operate for years, it was believed that the

services of the Smart Tender Scheme would not be terminated in the

near future;

－ publicity on the Smart Tender Scheme was conducted through

different channels by URA including the use of exhibition vehicles,

letters to the district councils and visits to over 200 housing estates

and buildings and several talks on it were conducted too; and

21

－ up to the end of February 2018, URA had received 400 Smart Tender

Scheme applications, five of which were calling for tender from

contractors through the e-tendering system and bid opening

procedures for three of them was completed. In addition, the Smart

Tender Scheme was supported by the industry and bidding by

contractors was active and some bid offers were within the estimation

by URA, which manifested that more options were provided to the

owners.

46. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH hoped that URA would reflect Members’

proposal for amending the law to require owners’ corporations to invite URA staff to

introduce the Smart Tender Scheme when discussing on building rehabilitation by the

owners’ corporations to the Civil Service Bureau (CSB). Also, he requested the

Assistant District Officer or the Senior Liaison Officer to convey Members’ views to

CSB.

47. Mr NG Po-keung stated the Smart Tender Scheme aimed at enhancing

transparency of tendering procedures and providing more options for owners but it

was very important that stricter penalty on bid rigging be imposed. He enquired if

URA would impose penalty on the works contractors taking part in the tender under

different company names and refer the cases to the law enforcement departments for

follow-up actions.

48. The Chairman believed that URA could not respond to the issues on law

enforcement and a record of the views would be made.

49. Mr Eric WONG, Senior Liaison Officer (Building Management) of the

Kowloon City District Office made a response, the main point of which were as

follows:

－ consideration should be made on whether the current mechanism

could handle the relevant issues before proceeding to amend the law.

The Smart Tender Scheme drew favourable comments soon after its

implementation. It was believed that the owners’ corporation would

join the scheme without the need to amend the law after its credits

were recognised;

－ individual owners who wanted to apply for the Smart Tender Scheme

could reflect their wish to the management committee. With no less

than 5% of the owners making such request, the chairman of the

22

management committee needed to convene a meeting of the owners’

corporation on the matters prescribed by the owners. He viewed that

the above mechanism could handle the matter;

－ the Government played the role of a facilitator in building

management and would not have any direct involvement in the

decision of owners’ corporations in the choice of service providers.

Under the common law principle, it would not compel any

organisation to choose service providers or consider any service

providers because other organisations or markets could also provide

service similar to the Smart Tender Scheme. However, the

Government strongly encouraged the buildings to join the Smart

Tender Scheme to prevent bid rigging; and

－ The District Office noted Members’ views and would file them.

50. The Chairman stated that Hong Kong’s law offices or solicitor firms could

also provide service similar to that of the Smart Tender Scheme.

51. Mr Jimmy LAM said that owners’ corporations had the final say on whether

to join the Smart Tender Scheme and the suggestions in the paper only aimed at

enhancing understanding of the service of the Smart Tender Scheme by owners’

corporations. He enquired about the reasons why buildings taking part in the

Operation Building Bright 2.0 and the Fire Safety Improvement Subsidy Scheme had

to join the Smart Tender Scheme at the same time. Also, he again requested the

service of the Smart Tender Scheme be extended to cover the inspections made after

the completion of building rehabilitation.

52. Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming stated that as the District Office, URA and district

councillors were not invited to the meetings by some of the owners’ corporations and

the decision on arrangements on building rehabilitation and even the signing of

agreement with contractors were made by a small number of owners, which might

compel other owners to accept bid rigging leading and cause them losses. Thus the

paper did not ask for law amendments to force owners’ corporations to adopt the

Smart Tender Scheme but to mandate them to allow intervention by the Government

to protect the owners’ right to information. Also, he pointed out that the Mandatory

Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) was a bad policy by the Government and thus

additional resources should be provided by the Government to improve the service of

the Smart Tender Scheme and to assist owners to prevent the incidence of bid rigging.

On the other hand, those who took part in bid rigging earlier went scot-free. Unless

23

heavier penalty was imposed on bid rigging, otherwise there would be bid rigging in

different forms in the future.

53. Ir CHEUNG Yan-hong, MH stated that the suggestions in the paper were

based on good will and good intention. As most of the owners of the old districts

were elders, they might lack full understanding of the policy of and measures taken

by the Government and assistance to the relevant owners by the Government to

prevent bid rigging was needed in order to turn MBIS into a good policy. In

addition, he opined that the Government should allocate resources to subsidise the

Smart Tender Scheme continuously to alleviate the problems faced by old buildings.

Also, the expenditures on the Smart Tender Scheme would certainly be far less than

the loss caused by bid rigging and so it was worth the Government’s allocation of

resources to it. On the other hand, he hoped that the District Office would not just

note Members’ views. The Committee should reflect the views to the relevant

government departments and law enforcement agencies.

54. Mr SIU Leong-sing hoped that URA and the District Office should further

enhance publicity on the Smart Tender Scheme as short-term measures for promoting

owners’ awareness on the service of the Smart Tender Scheme. In addition, as the

Treasury had large amount of surplus, it was hoped that the Government would

provide more subsidy to the Smart Tender Scheme so as to enhance its effectiveness.

55. The Chairman hoped that URA would pay heed to the coordination on the

project division approach by district against the Smart Tender Scheme adopted by

contractors and suggested that URA should consider resorting to mechanism to

disqualify contractors who just responded to tenders for rehabilitation projects in

some districts to avoid conspiracy by contractors to set bidding prices by district.

56. Mr Eric WONG of the Kowloon City District Office, in response, stated

that the District Office had taken note of Members’ views and would also reflect their

views to the Headquarters. The owners’ corporations would generally invite the

District Office to their building rehabilitation meetings and the District Office would

make use of those opportunities to encourage owners’ corporations to apply for the

Smart Tender Scheme. The District Office would also provide the contact details of

URA and when required, would ask URA to introduce the Smart Tender Scheme to

owners’ corporations directly. In addition, district-wide briefings on the Smart

Tender Scheme would be organised regularly by URA and he suggested that the next

Building Management Certificate Course and relevant seminars should include

introduction on the Smart Tender Scheme.

24

Appeal to Urban Renewal Authority to Immediately Resume the Old Buildings

around Sheung Heung Road, Wing Yiu Street and Hung Kwong Street by Taking

the Opportunity Created by the Construction of CKR

(Paper No. 15/18)

57. Mr LAI Kwong-wai introduced Paper No. 15/18.

58. Mr Roger KWAN stated that the Kowloon City District Urban Renewal

Forum (DURF) made proposals years ago to include the old buildings around Sheung

Heung Road, Wing Yiu Street and Hung Kwong Street into the urban renewal priority

project areas and the conditions of the buildings there met the requirements for

resumption by URA. Thus it was hoped that URA would consider resuming the old

buildings there as soon as possible.

59. The Chairman suggested URA to explain to Members its role and the

purpose of its establishment.

60. Ms YAN Sin-wah, Senior Manager, Community Development of URA

made a response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ URA was not a developer and its main role was to undertake,

encourage, promote and facilitate urban renewal in Hong Kong to

cope with the problems of the ageing urban area and to improve the

living environment of the residents of the old districts. The two core

businesses of URA were redevelopment and rehabilitation as well as

heritage conservation and revitalisation for creating a sustainable and

quality living for the people of Hong Kong;

－ as CKR was outside the ambit of URA, it was not in a position to

respond to the impact caused by its works on the structure of the

buildings in the surrounding areas; and

－ URA understood the expectations of Members and residents on the

redevelopment of the buildings in the above area. Before the

commencement of any redevelopment project, different factors would

be taken into consideration by URA including the conditions of the

buildings, living environment, URA’s resources etc. and a pragmatic

approach to conduct urban renewal step by step would be taken.

However, under its secrecy obligation, URA could not disclose the

25

project information and redevelopment time table before the projects

were gazetted.

61. Mr Ronald YEUNG stated that the 13 streets of To Kwan Wan fully met

URA’s criteria for redevelopment and he hoped that active consideration of

redevelopment would be made.

62. Mr LAI Kwong-wai stated that he understood URA’s secrecy obligation

under which it was unable to provide the redevelopment time table of the above area.

In addition, he pointed out that in the Executive Summary of the Planning Study on

Urban Renewal Plan for Kowloon City (Renewal Plan) published by DURF in 2014,

it was mentioned that there was a mixture of old and new buildings in the above area

and some of them were in dilapidated conditions and long term disturbance was

caused to the residents by noise nuisance and exhaust problems of CKR. The

Renewal Plan was positioned to bring renewal to the sub-district riding on the

extension of the railway service. It would strive to solve the incompatible land use

problem and at the same time introduce diversified development leading to the

transformation of the sub-district into a multifunctional district centre. The residents

had strong expectations on the Renewal Plan but there were no further news up to the

present. In view of the commissioning of the To Kwa Wan Station of SCL in 2019

and the construction of CKR, it was hoped that URA would take the opportunity to

redevelop the old buildings in the above area as soon as possible.

63. Ms YAN Sin-wah of URA responded that reference had been made by URA

to the Renewal Plan published in 2014 when undertaking requisition and

redevelopment in the district. URA had started 14 projects in Kowloon City, six of

which were commenced in recent years, and it would continue with the work in the

future. However, because of its secrecy obligation, it was unable to provide the

information and time table of individual projects.

Strong Request to Oi Man Estate for Replacing the Rubbish Bins on Each Floor

or Increasing the Number of Bins

(Paper No. 16/18)

64. Mr CHO Wui-hung introduced the paper and in respect of the written reply

by HD that new rubbish bins of 660 and 240 litres would be purchased in due course,

he enquired about the time table the new rubbish bins would be provided for the

residents. He supplemented that there were more than 30 households on each floor

of Oi Man Estate and the small rubbish bins were not suitable for them but would

26

only lead to rodent infestation. Thus it was hoped that the Department would use

rubbish bins of medium and big sizes.

65. Mr Tony NG raised the following views/enquires in respect of the written

reply by HD: (i) he hoped that staff of HD would continue their inspection on each

floor to ensure cleanliness and to check whether the bins were damaged and repairs

and replacement should be made as soon as possible; (ii) notices should be posted

near the bins calling for the residents to place their rubbish properly into the rubbish

bins to maintain environmental hygiene; and (iii) whether points would be deducted

for cases of littering by the residents.

66. Ms Ada KONG, Housing Manager (Kowloon West and Sai Kung 1) of

HD made a response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ every year the Department ordered about 60 rubbish bins of 660 litres

and 40 bins of 240 litres for Oi Man Estate to cater to the needs and

20 bins of 240 litres were delivered and the Oi Man Estate Office

would make arrangements for repairs or replacement depending on

the damage of the bins on each floor;

－ the Department’s staff would conduct regular inspections on the

cleanliness of each floor and would make arrangements for repairs or

replacement depending on the damage of the bins, and when required,

the number of bins on each floor would be increased or decreased;

－ posters and notices were put up at the trash room of each floor and the

lobby to call for the reduction of household waste by the residents and

proper disposal of their rubbish in response to the environmental

policy and call for hygiene improvement by the Government; and

－ the Department would conduct inspections every month and points

would be deducted for cases of littering by the residents.

Strong Request to Housing Department for Facing the Problem of Wild Bird

Feeding in Housing Estates Squarely

(Paper No. 17/18)

67. Mr. CHO Wui-hung introduced the paper and stated that though no wild

bird feeding was spotted in the sitting-out areas next to Chung Man House and Chiu

Man House after complaints were made to HD, bread scraps and rice were still found

27

on the ground, showing that some people did feed wild birds there. It was hoped

that HD would strengthen inspection and enforcement actions and he suggested

deducting five points from households feeding birds or imposing on them a fine

$1,500.

68. The Chairman enquired whether HD had the right to impose fines on the

residents feeding the wild birds.

69. Mr Tong NG suggested HD should conduct covert surveillance on the time

wild birds were fed and said that he had provided information on wild bird feeding to

the Department and the relevant persons were caught red-handed. Also, he hoped

that the Department would provide information on whether there was incidence that

points were deducted from offenders and also provide a list of such offenders. He

also suggested that home visits be conducted by HD to call for the residents not to

feed wild birds.

70. Mr Terence SIU stated that there was illegal feeding of wild birds near his

district too. Though cleansing was enhanced by FEHD but no one was prosecuted

and the problem remained unresolved. He asked HD about the ways to disperse

wild birds.

71. Ms Ada KONG of HD made a response, the main points of which were as

follows:

－ inspection on the public places in Oi Man Estate was enhanced and

several persons were found feeding wild birds there. The situation

had improved after they were advised not to do so and dispersed and

the incidence of wild-bird feeding had decreased recently. For the

time being, no one was caught feeding wild birds, the Department

thus did not have a list of the offenders and it called for Members and

residents to report the cases of wild-bird feeding to the Department

for investigation and follow-up actions. If required, reference to

social workers for follow-up actions would be made by the

Department;

－ close attention was paid to the gathering of wild birds in Oi Man

Estate to prevent the estate from becoming a wild bird black spot.

However, it was found that there were no wild birds gathering on the

trees of Oi Man Estate. Thus inspection and cleanliness would be

28

strengthened on the rooftop of buildings to prevent gathering of wild

birds;

－ publicity and education was enhanced by the Department to explain

to the residents the environmental pollution problem brought about by

feeding wild birds and to educate them not to do so;

－ apart from deducting 5 points from the residents for feeding wild

birds and soiling the public places in the estate in accordance with the

demerit points system, summons would be served on the offenders

and a fine of $1,500 would be imposed; and

－ Members might reflect the gathering of wild birds in other public

housing estates to the relevant public housing authorities while

problems outside the estate areas would be dealt with by FEHD. If

the exact locations where wild birds gathered were provided by Mr

Terence SIU, the Department would help referring the case to FEHD

for follow-up actions.

Strong Request to Oi Man Estate for Strengthening Anti-rodent Measures

(Paper No. 18/18)

72. Mr CHO Wui-hung introduced the paper and showed pictures of rodents

causing nuisance to residents at their homes. Though rodent guards were installed

on the lower floors of buildings, the result was not satisfactory. The mouse traps and

rodent sticky plates distributed by the Department were not sufficient to meet the

demand, resulting in rodents climbing onto the upper floor units. There were signs

that the rodent infestation problem was becoming serious and he requested HD to

assist the annoyed households to get rid of rodents and install rodent guards.

73. Mr Tony NG also showed a video on rodent infestation in Oi Man Estate

and pointed out that the District Officer, Kowloon City also realised the seriousness of

the rodent infestation problem during his inspection in the estate. He pointed out

that though rodent guards were installed and rodent sticky plates were distributed to

every building by HD, propagation of large number of rodents in the estate was

ignored and thus he hoped that there would be more effective rodent control measures

in place. In addition, he also hoped that the Department would set up a rodent

control team in the near future to take immediate rodent elimination actions once

complaints were received from residents.

29

74. Ir Dr CHENG Lee-ming stated that apart from Oi Man Estate, rodent

infestation in Ho Man Tin Hill had become serious recently and he suspected that the

rodents came from Oi Man Estate. Thus he hoped that HD would take the rodent

infestation problem in Oi Man Estate seriously and eliminate the problem to prevent

the nuisance spreading to other areas and lead to territory-wide hygiene problems.

75. Mr Admond YUE stated that there was serious rodent infestation problem in

the district and he was worried that there would be plague outbreak if no effective

rodent elimination measures were identified by HD. He suggested hiring pest

control experts or seeking assistance from FEHD. Also, he hoped that solutions to

solve the problem would be sought by HD, Link Asset Management Ltd (Link) and

FEHD.

76. Mr HE Huahan stated that the Department did not accord due importance to

the rodent infestation problem in Oi Man Estate. The estate should be kept clean

and sufficient mouse traps and rodent sticky plates should be provided to the residents.

Furthermore, he stated that after the installation of the rodent guards on all floors, the

rodent problem in Kai Ching Estate and Tak Long Estate had improved. Thus it was

suggested that the Department should consider applying the measures to Oi Man

Estate.

77. Mr LO Chiu-kit stated that there was serious rodent infestation in Hung

Hom Estate previously and improvements were seen after investigation and provision

of rodent control measures by FEHD. He thus praised the efforts made by FEHD

and hoped that HD would pay heed to the rodent infestation problem in old housing

estates and closely cooperate with FEHD to eliminate rodents. He enquired about

the methods taken by the relevant departments in eliminating rodent infestation in

buildings and opined that assistance to households in need of removing rodents in

their units should be provided by HD.

78. Ms Ada KONG of HD made a response, the main points of which were as

follows:

－ on receipt of complaints on rodent nuisance, the Department had

immediately invited FEHD’s staff and experts of its pest control

section to inspect the estate and requested for the provision of pest

control advice. The Department had taken their advice and installed

more rodent guards in Oi Man Estate;

30

－ active measures would be taken by the Department to handle the

cases reflected by individual households and those referred by

Members, including having active liaison with the relevant

households and providing rodent sticky plates;

－ the Department would inspect individual units and offer advice and

mouse trap equipment according to individual household’s hygiene

needs and would also assist the annoyed households to clear away

sundry articles inside their units. Also, in accordance with the

demerit points system, households deliberately depositing sundry

articles would have their points deducted and once all the points were

deducted, the Department would serve a notice of evacuation on the

household terminating the tenancy agreement and recovering the unit;

－ the Department had instructed the staff of the estate cleansing

contractor to wash the floors of the buildings and the public places

diligently;

－ joint cleansing and publicity education was conducted by HD and

Link for a cleaner environment in the estate and more raticide was

placed in the vicinity of the estate. The number of dead rodents in

the estate would increase when the raticide began to take effect;

－ rodent guards were placed at appropriate locations in the estate and

when required, the Department would pay visits to individual

households for the provision of rodent control advices to them; and

－ Oi Man Estate Office would exchange information on rodent control

and elimination with the staff of Kai Ching Estate and Tak Long

Estate. As Oi Man Estate was an old housing estate with open

design, the actual locations for the installation of rodent guards, their

numbers and design might not be exactly the same as those of other

estates.

79. Mr CHO Wui-hung affirmed the efforts made by HD, FEHD and Link but

there were still no significant improvements in rodent control in Oi Man Estate. He

played a short video on the food establishments under Link showing that no adequate

hygiene measures were taken by some of them which became food sources for

rodents. Thus he requested for more cleansing joint actions. In addition, the

rodent control and elimination measures of the relevant department were not targeting

31

at the core problems such as rodents climbing onto the upper floors along the LP gas

pipes outside the buildings, veranda and windows. Effective measures preventing

rodents climbing into the buildings must be taken.

80. Mr Tony NG stated that there was room for improvement by HD in rodent

control and elimination. In view of the less effective rodent control and elimination

measures previously taken, study on new measures to be taken and reference to the

measures of other housing estates should be made so as to actively improve the

control on rodent infestation in Oi Man Estate. In addition, he stated that the estate

office must report cases in which residents were bitten by rodents to the senior staff of

HD.

81. Mr YIU Hon-sang, Community Relations Manager of Link Asset

Management Ltd. made a response, the main points of which were as follows:

－ according to FEHD’s information, the territory-wide rodent

infestation rate for 2017 was 3.5%, that of Kowloon City was 2.3%

ranking 14 in the 18 districts;

－ Link, in the capacity of the owner of a private company, took joint

actions against rodent infestation within its business areas together

with its clients. At present, Link employed two rodent elimination

consultants and the advice on rodent control and elimination were

provided regularly included the locations for depositing raticide. In

order to prevent rodent infestation, Link had changed the nullah

covers as advised by FEHD;

－ on the education issue, Link would try all means to advise shop

operators to maintain environmental hygiene and issue notices on the

proper handling of food, refuse and food remnants to the market and

operators of cooked food stalls in accordance with FEHD’s advice.

Pamphlets on rodent infestation prevention by FEHD were also

distributed to shop operators;

－ the rodent infestation problem could not be solved solely by the

owner’ efforts. The cooperation from the shop operators was also

required. As such, consideration was being made by Link to include

hygiene clauses into its tenancy agreements in the future but study on

this had to be carried out by the legal section; and

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－ Link had stepped up the work of cleaning markets, cooked food stalls

and food premises and large-scale cleaning operations were rolled out

together with HD with a view to effectively reducing rodent

harbourages. It was hoped that the joint efforts of various parties

and Members’ supervision could help mitigate rodent infestation in

the estate.

82. Ms YUNG Suk-ching, Chief Health Inspector 1 of FEHD, in reply, said

that the Department was paying close concern to rodent infestation control in Oi Man

Estate and regular inspections were carried out by its staff. Also, advices on rodent

infestation control in the estate were provided to the relevant persons-in-charge and

rodent infestation control was carried out in the public places in Oi Man Estate and its

nearby areas. On receipt of the paper, an inspection by the Department’s staff was

conducted in Oi Man Estate and its surrounding areas including those managed by

Link. Later, an inspection by pest control experts would again be conducted in Oi

Man Estate to follow up the implementation of the pest control measures suggested

earlier by the Department and provide further advices.

83. The Chairman then dealt with the motion stated in Paper No. 18/18 which

was: “Strong Request to HD, Link and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

for Strengthening Anti-rodent and Rodent Elimination Measures and Facing the

Rodent Infestation Problem at Oi Man Estate Squarely”. The motion was proposed

by Mr CHO Wui-hung and seconded by Mr Tony Ng. The Chairman declared that

the motion was effective.

84. The Chairman asked whether there was any proposed amendment to the

motion by Members. Before the meeting, The Hon Starry Lee in her written notice

appointed Mr Roger KWAN to vote on her behalf. As there were no amendments to

the motion, the Chairman suggested voting on the motion by secret ballot by show of

hands and the result of the voting was as follows:

Support：14

Objection：0

Abstention：0

85. The Chairman declared that the motion was passed.

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Date of Next Meeting

86. The Chairman announced that the meeting was adjourned at 6:17 p.m.

The date of the next meeting was 10 May 2018 and the deadline for the submission of

papers would be 24 April 2018.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed on 10 May 2018.

Chairman

Secretary

Kowloon City District Council Secretariat

May 2018