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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