Locals lament possible loss of rare urban green space that has been part of the community for almost two decades
HARMINDER.SINGH@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Monday, 02 May, 2016, 9:32pm
District councillor Ted Hui Chi-fung (second left) and Ben Mok (second right) and other residents at the protest. Photo: Dickson Lee
Kennedy Town residents gathered at a local park on Monday to rally against its planned demolition.
They are concerned the loss of the 18-year-old Cadogan Street Temporary Garden will deprive them of rare local green space.
As part of the government’s redevelopment plan for Kennedy Town west and to tackle the housing shortage, it wants the Town Planning Board to rezone the garden and nearby areas for housing.
If the garden were demolished, the area is expected to host over 600 private flats.
Central and Western district councillor Ted Hui Chi-fung has been holding a 30-day sit-in at the garden, battling the wet and humid weather, and the mosquitoes that come along with it.
“A park or garden [like this] is very rare. It’s not the usual government park with only a few seats, some playground facilities and lots of concrete. This is like a mini-forest with almost 200 big trees and a big grass area,” he said.
Hui’s protest ends on May 11, the same day as the deadline for public submissions to the Town Planning Board, where he hopes to submit a petition against the demolition. So far the petition has more than 2,000 signatures.
Residents of Kennedy Town urge the government to conserve Cadogan Street Temporary Garden in Kennedy Town. Photo: Dickson Lee
Protest organisers also held a screening of the controversial hit film Ten Years. The second of the film’s five short stories focuses on conservation, which organisers said was reflected in their fight.
But even after the planned demolition, construction of new flats cannot begin right away.
Before that the government must carry out a seven-year decontamination of the soil.
Before the garden, the area was the site of an incinerator – which ceased operation in March 1993 – and an abattoir which closed in 1999. The government claims the waste produced by those facilities has contaminated the soil.
If the plan is approved by the Town Planning Board, the government will ask the Legislative Council for HK$1.1 billion for the decontamination.
But locals are concerned the decontamination of the area will throw hazardous contaminants into the air.
“The park has been used for 18, 19 years. The government [knew] about the contaminants quite early, around 2000-2002. If there was a problem they should have closed the park [then],” said Ben Mok Kun-ki, convenor of the Concern Group for Protecting Kennedy Town.
Ms Chan, a 50-year resident of Kennedy Town, said she wanted to the preserve park as green spaces were scarce in the district. She also worried that constructing more flats in the area would cause more traffic.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1940567/kennedy-town-residents-want-government-make
