| Central and Wan Chai Reclamation | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 中環及灣仔填海計劃 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中环及湾仔填海计划 | ||||||||||
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Central and Wan Chai Reclamation is a project launched by the government of Hong Kong since the 1990s to reclaim land for different purposes. This includes transportation improvements such as the Hong Kong MTR station,Airport Express Railway &Central-Wan Chai Bypass,as well as public recreation space such as the Central Harbourfront Event Space,Tamar Park and the Hong Kong Observation Wheel.
The project was first mentioned in the 1985 planning strategy by the Government. [1] The Government then completed a feasibility study in 1989,followed by endorsement of the then Land Development Policy Committee on the project. [2]
The proposed reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay. The ostensible objectives of the project,among other things,include:
The project is divided into five phases.
The Central Reclamation Phase 1 involved reclaiming 20 hectares of land,plus redevelopment of 6 hectares of land,between Rumsey Street and Pedder Street,for the construction of Hong Kong station of the Airport Express Railway. It also provided land for new piers,replacements of other facilities affected by reclamation. Works started in 1993 and were completed in June 1998. This phase of reclamation is part of the Airport Core Programme. The cost was HK$2,710 million. Upon completion of the project,the coastline of Central was extended up to 350 metres beyond the original coastline. [3]
The Central Reclamation Phase 2 reclaimed 5.3 hectares of land at the former Tamar naval base. The reclamation formed land for the Tamar Site,and also five commercial development sites. Works started in December 1994 and were completed in September 1997. The cost was HK$320 million. [4]
It has been proposed that a new complex housing the headquarters of the Government and the Legislative Council be built on the reclaimed land. [5]
The Central Reclamation Phase 3 involves reclamation for the overrun track of Airport Express,the west section of the proposed North Island line and the Central-Wan Chai Bypass,new Star Ferry piers,new roads,and other facilities. The cost is HK$3,561.5 million. It was originally planned to reclaim 32 hectares of land,but has been reduced to 18 due to public opposition. [6]
Works have started on 28 February 2003. Above-ground construction is scheduled to be completed in 2011. [2] The underground Central–Wan Chai Bypass has opened on 20 January 2019. [7] [ unreliable source? ]
Wan Chai Reclamation Phase I (also known as 'Island Reclamation for the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Extension') includes the formation of an island of 70,000 m²by reclamation at the northern side of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to supply land for building an additional room to the Centre. The island configuration is to ensure that water quality in the vicinity remained at satisfactory levels after reclamation was completed. Works commenced in March 1994 and were completed in July 1997.
Wan Chai Development Phase II extends along the water's edge from the Central Reclamation Phase III to Causeway Bay. This HK$10.5-billion project,together with Central Reclamation Phases I,II and III,is mainly to provide land for the construction of the Central–Wan Chai Bypass and the Island Eastern Corridor Link,the Hong Kong Island section of the Sha Tin-to-Central Link and the North Island line. [8] Construction work commenced in 2009 and is planned to be completed in 2017. [9]
Because of the multi-faceted nature of the project,involving road creation,land reclamation and foreshore development,the project is overseen jointly by Highways Department and Civil Engineering and Development Department,who together commission a single contractor for each location involved. [8]
The works involve the temporary reclamation –for a period of several years –of Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and the former public cargo working area. In a judicial review before the Court of First Instance,it was held in March 2008 that the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance applied to such works,and hence the government was required to demonstrate an 'over-riding public need' for the reclamation. It undertook to keep the temporary reclamation "to the minimum" and to reinstate the seabed after completion of the construction works. [10]
Not everyone welcomed with the reclamation plan warmly. Some Hong Kong residents thought the action was totally unnecessary;it did nothing good,merely reducing the size of Victoria Harbour. Instead of building a bypass,the opponents urge the government to start an electronic road toll scheme in the community.
On 5 October 2003,over 1,000 protesters dressed in blue marched on the Central Government Offices calling for a halt to reclamation work in the harbour. [11] They also promised to follow up with a three-pronged protest next month using land,sea and air to get their message across. The march was one of several protests in recent weeks over harbour projects,which the government says are necessary to ease traffic congestion in Central strictly due to the increase in private cars (the number of commercial vehicles and public transport vehicles have decreased over time). The government had lost the first round of a court battle,but then appealed against the decision.
The Society for Protection of the Harbour (SPH) applied for a stay of order and judicial review on 25 September 2003,prohibiting the government from continuing with the third phase of the Central reclamation project. The government resumed work to reclaim 230,000 m²of the harbour after the society failed in its bid to get hold of a court order to provisionally halt work ahead of December's judicial review. [12]
In September 2004,legislator Law Chi-kwong took a swim in Victoria Harbour bearing a plaque saying "Goodbye to the Queen",to protest the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation,particularly the loss of Queen's Pier. [13]
Further public furore erupted in late 2006 when it was revealed the plans would involve the destruction of two notable 50-year-old landmarks at the waterfront,namely the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier. Both have become potent symbols for environmentalists,who have staged protests and rallies in the light of strong public opinion to preserve the collective memory of Hong Kong.
The SPH requested judicial reviews on the Reclamation,on 27 February 2003 and 25 September 2003 respectively. On 6 October 2003 the High Court announced that the Government may proceed with the Central Reclamation,however on 1 September 2004 the Court of Final Appeal rejected the Town Planning Board's proposal on the draft Wan Chai North outline zoning plan (OZP),and the Wan Chai Development Phase 2 had to be reviewed. [14]
In an effort to soften opposition to the reclamation project,the Government proposed that the reclaimed land above the underground transport infrastructure could be used to construct a world-class waterfront promenade.
In October 2003,Greenpeace said that the Central reclamation would create 580,000 cubic metres of toxic silt,63% of which was classified as "seriously contaminated" by the Environmental Protection Department. The activists were repelled when they attempted to collect mud samples from the Central reclamation site for analysis. [15] The Government was accused by Greenpeace of using "cheap and outdated" dredging methods during reclamations which leak toxic waste into the harbour. [16]
It stood accused also of dumping the dredged toxic waste in outlying island sites near an artificial reef created to protect marine life such as the Chinese white dolphin. [16] Fishermen reported that average catch had been cut by half since the reclamation started. [16] The Government responded that reclamation "would not cause irreversible marine damage." [16]
The Government was found to have breached World Trade Organization tendering rules in awarding the contract by unfairly changing the tendering conditions of the third phase of the reclamation after the tender was closed. However,the WTO ruling was not legally binding. [17]
Wan Chai is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road to the east,Arsenal Street to the west,and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called Wan Chai North.
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island,known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong",had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of 16,390 per square kilometre (42,400/sq mi),as of 2023. It is the second largest island in Hong Kong,with the largest being Lantau Island. Hong Kong Island forms one of the three areas of Hong Kong,with the other two being Kowloon and the New Territories.
Central,also known as Central District,is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in the northeastern corner of the Central and Western District,on the north shore of Hong Kong Island,across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui,the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula. The area was the heart of Victoria City,although that name is rarely used today.
The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour,between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The service is operated by the Star Ferry Company,which was founded in 1888 as the Kowloon Ferry Company,and which adopted its present name in 1898.
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep,sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony in 1841 and its subsequent development as a trading centre.
Admiralty is the eastern extension of the central business district on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It is located on the eastern end of the Central and Western District,bordered by Wan Chai to the east and Victoria Harbour to the north.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong,along with AsiaWorld–Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North,Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbour,it is linked by covered walkways to nearby hotels and commercial buildings. The venue was designed by Skidmore,Owings &Merrill LLP,in association with Wong &Ouyang (HK) Ltd. Larry Oltmanns led the design as the Design Partner with SOM.
The Wan Chai Pier,or Wan Chai Ferry Pier,is a pier at the coast of Wan Chai North on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. The pier is operated by Star Ferry,and provides ferry services to Tsim Sha Tsui. The pier is near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Airport Core Programme was a series of infrastructure projects centred on the new Hong Kong International Airport during the early 1990s. The programme was part of the Port and Airport Development Strategy,commonly known as the Rose Garden Project.
Wan Chai Sports Ground is a stadium in Wan Chai North,Hong Kong Island,Hong Kong,with a seating capacity of 2,401. It is a government-run sports ground primarily used by local schools for sports days and other athletic activities. Situated by the Victoria Harbour,it is at a convenient location next to Hong Kong's Central business district,Wan Chai,and the shopping district of Causeway Bay.
Star Ferry Pier,Central may refer to any of the successive generations of Central Ferry Piers in Central,Hong Kong used by the Star Ferry for its services across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier and until April 2011,to Hung Hom Pier. The current Star Ferry pier is the fourth to bear the name in Central. It opened for public service on 12 November 2006.
Queen's Pier,named after Queen Victoria,was a public pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place,Central,Hong Kong. For three generations it served not only as a public pier in day-to-day use but also as a major ceremonial arrival and departure point. The pier witnessed the official arrival in Hong Kong of all of Hong Kong's governors since 1925;Elizabeth II landed there in 1975,as did the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1989.
Society for Protection of the Harbour(SPH) (Chinese:保護海港協會) is a Hong-Kong-based organisation founded in November 1995. It is a charitable,non-political and non-profit making green group. The objectives of the organisation are to protect the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong from destruction caused by Government's excessive reclamation and improper development,and to arouse public aspirations for the Harbour. To preserve the Harbour,SPH has raised a number of objections on related Government policies,undertaken numerous conservation projects,suggested constructive urban planning along the waterfront and carried out public education on harbour protection.
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier,often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier,was a pier in Edinburgh Place,Central,Hong Kong,serving the Star Ferry. The pier,with its clock tower,was a prominent waterfront landmark. Built in 1957 at the height of the Modern Movement,it was the third generation of the Star Ferry Pier in Central,and was located near the City Hall and the General Post Office.
The North Island line is a shelved proposal to provide rapid transit service for the area between the existing MTR Island line and the northern coast of Hong Kong Island in order to relieve the congested Island line.
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter is a typhoon shelter located in Causeway Bay,Hong Kong,between the Hong Kong Island entrance of Cross-Harbour Tunnel on Kellett Island and Island Eastern Corridor. It was the first typhoon shelter in Hong Kong. It is roughly 17 hectares in area.
The Central–Wan Chai Bypass is a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) trunk road running between Sheung Wan and Fortress Hill on Hong Kong Island. The original design consists of a 2.3 km dual three-lane tunnel running under new reclamation areas provided by the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation project,and also connections to Connaught Road West flyover and Island Eastern Corridor. It substitutes Connaught Road Central,Harcourt Road,Gloucester Road and Victoria Park Road to be part of Route 4.
The reclamation of land from the ocean has long been used in mountainous Hong Kong to expand the limited supply of usable land with a total of around 60 square kilometres of land created by 1996. The first reclamations can be traced back to the early Western Han dynasty,when beaches were turned into fields for salt production. Major land reclamation projects have been conducted since the mid-19th century.
The Kai Tak Development,abbreviated as "KTD" and formerly called South East Kowloon Development (東南九龍發展計劃),refers to the redevelopment of the former Kai Tak Airport site in Kai Tak,Kowloon,Hong Kong.
Civic engagement in Central and Wan Chai harbourfront development is a process of civic engagement initiated by the Government of Hong Kong to explore the future development of the Victoria Harbour and its harbourfront areas since 2004. It was launched in response to the government's defeat in the judicial review case against the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation projects.