Those facilities would account for 40 per cent of the underground space, while about 30 per cent would be used for car parks. The remaining 30 per cent would be reserved for retail shops and restaurants.
“In formulating the proposed Kowloon Park Conceptual Scheme, consideration has been made to provide diversified space to enhance accessibility and walkability,” the Development Bureau said in a statement.
“The departments will also strive to minimise possible disruptions to the park caused by underground space development, retain ‘old and valuable trees’ in the park, and preserve heritage and the Bird Lake.”
The proposal for Kowloon Park is part of a government study on how to best use the city’s underground space to alleviate the city’s overcrowded streets and increase the insufficient number of parking spaces.
The plan was identified by the government-appointed Task Force on Land Supply as a priority in curbing the city’s land shortage.
On Wednesday, the government launched a second round of a three-month public engagement for the study. The first phase of public consultation was launched in 2016, and was completed in February 2017.
Kowloon Park was among one of four “strategic urban areas” – along with Tsim Sha Tsui West, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Admiralty-Wan Chai – with the potential for underground development.
Out of the 40 attractions in the park, about 10 of them would be affected, including a children’s play area, elderly facilities and several gardens, according to a Post review of the proposed development boundary. The consultation document did not make clear the size of the affected area or list the facilities that might be compromised.
In the long run, after the upgrading works in the park users will have a better experience.
The plan excluded several widely used park facilities after it took into account feedback from the first phase of the public consultation. Those facilities included the Piazza, the indoor and outdoor swimming pool, the Chinese garden, the Aviary, the Bird Lake, which is home to flamingoes, and heritage trees in densely vegetated areas.
The project would take three to four years if the underground spaces are developed at the same time, or between six to seven years if they are developed in phases.
Joel Chan Cho-sing, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design, said the proposal was a good opportunity to improve interconnectivity in the district. “Currently, it is not convenient to walk through the park to get to other places with all the slopes and stairs, therefore most people will go around it,” Chan said.
Chan said it could help alleviate pedestrian traffic saturated with tourists and crowded into narrow pedestrian walkways.
Pedestrians now rely on Haiphong Road alongside Kowloon Park as the main passageway between Nathan Road and Canton Road. The heavily congested route had been the scene of several pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
With the new underground passages, the average space above ground on Haiphong Road could be almost doubled to 3.4 square metres per person, the government estimated.
“From a city planning perspective, Kowloon Park definitely has the potential to be redeveloped to improve the urban space while also upgrade existing facilities,” Chan said.
Chris Ip Ngo-tung, the Yau Tsim Mong District Council chairman, said the project in the park would inconvenience residents to some degree, but he added that disturbances would not be serious if development was conducted in phases.
Ip said he would be inclined to support the initiative as long as it brings better connectivity and convenience to the public. He stressed that the proportion of commercial facilities in the future underground space should reflect an appropriate balance.
“But in the long run, after the upgrading works in the park users will have a better experience,” Ip said.
An environmental group raised concerns about the threats the development would bring to the city’s green lung, which also serves as a refuge for wildlife.
Woo Ming-chuan, the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society’s senior conservation officer, said several species of local and migratory birds – such as the Black-crowned Night Heron and the Japanese Paradise Flycatcher – used the park as a roosting, stopover or breeding site.
“There might be more disturbances to the birds. Their foraging and roosting areas could be diminished by the possible reduction in the number of trees along with the larger volume of human traffic,” Woo said.
She said the severity of the impact would depend on the number of trees that would be removed and the scale and design of the project.
