Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ6: Mong Kok Flower Market
Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Fang Kang and an oral reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today
(April 29):
Question:
I have received requests for assistance from the commercial tenants in the
Mongkok Flower Market (MFM), pointing out that since October 2008, staff of the
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have frequently prosecuted tenants for
placing flowers in public areas. The tenants have indicated that as many people
go to MFM to buy and watch flowers during public holidays, the roads are narrow
and parking spaces are insufficient in the vicinity of MFM, and MFM is the major
flower trading centre, the situation is often difficult to control. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that MFM has become a flora market and tourist attraction with native
characteristics where many tourists and local people visit and go shopping,
whether the Government will study ways to assist the development of MFM,
including the provision of space for business tenants to display flowers and
potted plants on the premise that pedestrian safety is not compromised and,
especially, enforcing the law with more flexibility during holidays;
(b) given that obstruction is often caused by goods vehicles loading and
unloading goods because the roads are narrow and parking spaces in the vicinity
of MFM are insufficient, and the only parking lot in Mongkok Stadium near MFM
will be closed temporarily whenever football matches are held in the stadium,
plus the fact that the parking lot will be closed during the two-year conversion
works of Mongkok Stadium which will commence in the middle of this year, whether
the Government has planned to designate an area in the vicinity of MFM for
loading and unloading goods, as well as to provide additional parking lots and
to take measures to cope with the demand for parking spaces during the period of
the conversion works; and
(c) whether it will re-plan the land uses in the vicinity of MFM, so as to
enlarge the area of MFM in the long run; whether it has planned to set up
another wholesale and retail flower market, with a view to solving the aforesaid
problems?
Reply:
President,
For many years, many traders gradually decided to open shops to sell fresh
flowers, potted plants and gardening products in the vicinity of Flower Market
Road, Mong Kok. To date, the Mong Kok Flower Market (MFM) has become a major
flower wholesale and retail distribution centre with over 100 flower shops. MFM
is now a favourite spot with locals and visitors alike.
Being a sightseeing location and a prime leisure spot, MFM is naturally over
flowing with visitors. A large number of visitors bringing brisk business are
unsurprisingly welcomed. However, we also noticed that some nearby residents may
feel inconvenienced by goods stored outside the shops which have occupied part
of the road.
Over the years, the Government has continued to liaise with the commercial
tenants of the MFM and their trade associations, with a view to facilitating
business while minimising nuisance caused to nearby residents.
Since 2002, the Yau Tsim Mong District Office has coordinated inter-departmental
meetings so as to enhance communication and co-operation between commercial
tenants of the MFM and the departments concerned, including the Police,
Transport Department (TD) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).
Road closure arrangements will be put in place and law enforcement will be
stepped up in the vicinity of Flower Market Road before the Lunar New Year, so
as to maintain order and pedestrian safety during the period.
The consensus between the relevant departments and the commercial tenants was
endorsed by the Yau Tsim Mong District Council on January 30, 2007. Relevant
specific measures are as follows:
(i) during road closure in festive days, commercial tenants may extend their
business operations to the yellow hatched marking area on the carriageway on the
condition that emergency vehicle and pedestrian access are not obstructed; and
(ii) at all times other than the road closure period in festive days, commercial
tenants may not occupy the roads or other public areas beyond three feet from
their shop front for displaying, selling or temporary storage of goods, and the
yellow hatched marking area of the road may be used for loading and unloading
purposes only.
The representatives of commercial tenants undertook to self-discipline according
to the agreed arrangements. Since then, the FEHD and the Police have been taking
enforcement actions with reference to the above consensus.
As a result, the vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the vicinity of Flower
Market Road have been effectively managed. The order in the area was
satisfactory before the recent Lunar New Year. Both the number of complaints
about the MFM received and the number of prosecutions instituted by the FEHD in
January and February 2009 were substantially lower than those in the same period
of 2008.
Here, the Administration is grateful for the full cooperation of the commercial
tenants, and look forward to their continued co-operation.
As regards the question on parking facilities, the TD indicated that there is
now generally a lack of carpark facilities in the vicinity of the MFM as well as
a lack of suitable sites for use as carparks in the neighbouring areas. Despite
the constraints posed by factors such as the existing development of the area
and limitations in land and road space, the TD has all along been working to
balance the need to facilitate vehicular movements with the loading and
unloading demand of commercial tenants. As such, lay-bys have been designated at
the Flower Market Road, Yuen Ngai Street, Prince Edward Road West and Sai Yee
Street to facilitate loading and unloading activities of commercial tenants
without compromising traffic and road safety.
The TD currently provides about 100 metered parking spaces on the streets in the
vicinity of the MFM, including Playing Field Road, Fa Yuen Street, Tung Choi
Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street North. In addition, there are around twenty or
so parking spaces for private cars and light goods vehicles in the carpark of
the Mong Kok Stadium which is mainly provided for organisers of events at the
Stadium. For the convenience of the public, the Stadium carpark is also open to
the public as a toll carpark when no functions are being held in the Stadium.
The improvement works of the Mong Kok Stadium will commence in September 2009
for a period of two years. As parking spaces in the Mong Kok Stadium carpark are
limited and the carpark has only been opened to the public when no functions are
being held in the Stadium, the closure of the carpark due to the conversion
works of the Stadium should not bring pressure on the parking and
loading/unloading facilities of the nearby streets. That said, the TD and the
relevant departments will continue to closely monitor the situation, especially
during the period when the conversion works are in progress, so as to ensure
that there are adequate parking and loading/unloading facilities for the public
and the commercial tenants.
Any proposals to improve the problems of traffic congestion and obstruction to
pedestrian movement in the vicinity of Flower Market Road must have the support
of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council and the cooperation of the commercial
tenants. As a matter of fact, there are currently no restrictions on the
location of premises for retailing and wholesaling fresh flowers, potted plants
and associated products, nor any special licensing requirements. As mentioned
above, the concentration of flower retail and wholesale trade in the vicinity of
Flower Market Road is a commercial decision of the trade. Moreover, we also note
that the commercial tenants have previously opposed to proposals of moving away
from the vicinity of the Flower Market Road on the ground that their business
would be seriously affected.
The MFM has become a tourist spot with character, attracting large numbers of
locals and visitors. The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has planned to enhance
the local characteristics of the district by preserving and revitalising 10
pre-war "verandah-type" shophouses of significant heritage value located at
Prince Edward Road West. The existing on-street shops displaying local
characteristics will also be retained as far as practicable. After taking into
account the results of workshops and public opinion surveys, the URA initially
proposes to reserve the on-street shops for use as flower shops and the units
upstairs for cultural and art uses so as to develop a "cultural art flower
market".
In fact, long-term cooperation of commercial tenants is essential to solving the
traffic congestion and road obstruction problems in the vicinity of Flower
Market Road. We therefore consider that for now, the best approach is to
maintain close liaison between the commercial tenants and the relevant
departments. The relevant law enforcement departments will continue to work out
more effective measures with the commercial tenants, with a view to ensuring
traffic safety and environmental hygiene and keeping public areas unobstructed,
while minimising nuisance caused to nearby residents and facilitating business
of the commercial tenants as far as possible.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:23
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