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The Secretary for Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Executive Vice Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Mr Lu Ruifeng, convened the sixth meeting of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Task Force on Boundary District Development in Hong Kong today (May 23).
The task force was briefed by its working group on the progress of the development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point project and discussed the way forward. With higher education to be the leading land use in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the task force has set up a Working Group on Higher Education Development in Lok Ma Chau Loop. Comprising officials from education authorities in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the working group will discuss issues related to higher education development in the Lok Ma Chau Loop.
With regard to the Planning and Engineering Study on Development of Lok Ma Chau Loop, both Hong Kong and Shenzhen have commenced concurrently the public engagement exercise. Positive feedback from the community including suggestions on how to improve the development of Areas A, B and C has been received. Both sides have begun to revise the outline development plan in light of the public feedback. Upon completion of the revision, the Stage Two public engagement will commence.
Regarding the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point project, the Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities have launched an international design ideas competition for the passenger terminal building. The assessment panel conducted the first round of assessment in early May. Ten entries each from both the professional group and open group were selected. An exhibition of the selected entries will be held in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen in June. The selected entries will also be uploaded onto the competition website (www.lthywbcp-design.hk). Public views on the selected entries will be collected. The assessment panel will conduct the second round of assessment in July. Taking into account the public views, the winning entries will be announced in an award presentation ceremony in August.
The Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities have reached a consensus on the mode of co-operation on the construction work of the bridge and footbridge connecting the boundary control points of both sides. Details of the entrustment arrangement and agreement are being worked out. Meanwhile, both Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities are now taking forward various preparatory works for the boundary control points' construction. The study on investigation and preliminary design of the boundary control point on the Hong Kong side was completed in late 2010. The detailed design and construction supervision consultancy agreement commenced in mid-March and the reprovisioning works for Chuk Yuen Village have also begun. The detailed planning of the boundary control point on the Shenzhen side has been generally completed while the feasibility study and the environmental impact assessment are now being carried out. According to the schedule, the construction work of the boundary control points will commence in Hong Kong and Shenzhen in 2013, with a view to opening the boundary control points no later than 2018.
The task force was pleased to note that both the development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point project had made marked progress.
Ends/Monday, May 23, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:41
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