Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ14: Planning of public markets
Following is a question by the Hon Alice Mak and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(March 16):
Question:
The Planning Department (PlanD) revised the Hong Kong Planning Standards and
Guidelines (HKPSG) in April 2009 by deleting the population-based planning
standard for public markets (i.e. one public market stall should be provided for
every 55 to 65 households or approximately 40 to 45 stalls per 10 000 persons)
and adding a basket of considerations, i.e. "...provision of new public markets
should be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure the efficient use of
public resources. Apart from the population of the area, other relevant factors
that should also be considered include the demographic mix, community needs,
provision of both public and private market facilities nearby, number of fresh
provision retail outlets in the vicinity, and public sentiment towards
preservation of the hawker areas in the particular locality". On the other hand,
as mentioned in this year's Policy Address, the Government "will also formulate
plans to improve, alter the use of or vacate individual public markets and
cooked food centres". In this connection, will the Government inform this
Council:
(1) whether PlanD had conducted any public consultation on the aforesaid
revisions to HKPSG; if so, of the details (including the number of public
hearings held, the number of submissions received and, among the submissions,
the number of those which objected to such revisions); if not, the reasons for
that;
(2) as public markets are currently classified as "retail facilities" in HKPSG,
whether the authorities will re-classify public markets as "community
facilities" and stipulate that a public market must be provided in each
community; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) of the reasons why the Government has not built any new public market since
2009; whether the authorities will review the current standard for the provision
of public markets in HKPSG; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons
for that;
(4) whether it received any proposals of building new public markets put forward
by District Councils in the past five years; if it did, of the District Councils
concerned and the locations of the proposed public markets, as well as the
reasons why such proposals have not been adopted so far; and
(5) of the criteria adopted by the Government for formulating plans to alter the
use of or vacate individual public markets; the public markets the uses of which
will be altered or which will be closed down in the coming three years, and the
number of such public markets, as well as the anticipated number of stalls which
will be affected; whether it will build new public markets while implementing
such plans to avoid a decrease in the number of public market stalls; if it
will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) stipulates general
guidelines for determining the scale, location and site requirements of various
land uses, community facilities and infrastructures according to the population
and other factors. The relevant guidelines aim to serve as general reference to
ensure that, during the land use planning and development processes, the
Government will reserve adequate land for different planned uses and facilities
in new towns, new development areas and other land development projects. The
compilation of the HKPSG is coordinated by the Planning Department (PlanD). The
relevant bureaux and departments will formulate, review and update the relevant
planning standards in a timely manner, having regard to the policies under their
purview and development needs.
There are 101 public markets under the management of the Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department (FEHD), including 76 markets (with cooked food centres in 39
of them) and 25 stand-alone cooked food markets.
Having consulted the Development Bureau and PlanD, I set out below my reply to
the five parts of the question:
(1) to (3) The Food and Health Bureau conducted a policy review on public
markets in 2007-2008 which concluded that the future provision of new public
markets should be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure efficient use of
public resources. Apart from the population of the area in question, other
relevant factors that should be considered include the demographic mix,
community needs, the presence of market facilities nearby, the number of fresh
provision retail outlets available in the vicinity, and public sentiment towards
the preservation of hawker areas in the particular locality. The Government
consulted the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative
Council and all District Councils on the review findings in 2008. As a result of
the policy review, those parts concerning public markets in Chapter 6 of the
HKPSG (which deals with retail facilities) were amended in April 2009 and have
remained in force since then. The revised HKPSG is based on a more holistic
consideration of all relevant factors, rather than just the size of the
population, in the planning of public markets. When preparing or reviewing town
plans, PlanD will consult the relevant policy bureaux and departments, so as to
ascertain whether there is a need to reserve land for public markets. We will,
in the light of social developments and the actual situation on the ground,
assess the need to review the planning guidelines for public markets as and when
appropriate.
Our focus is on facilitating convenient access on the part of the public to
retail outlets in their neighbourhood for meeting their daily needs on food and
other necessities. Currently, there exists a variety of channels for the public
to purchase fresh food. Apart from public markets, many members of the public
when purchasing fresh food may choose to patronise markets, supermarkets and
various types of retail outlets operated by other public and private entities.
Customer preference for different shopping venues in purchasing fresh food may
evolve in tandem with changes in socio-economic circumstances, lifestyles,
purchasing power and various other factors.
Providing a new public market requires the use of Government land and entails
public financial commitment. Therefore, in considering whether a public market
should be built, we have to duly assess the need for the market and cost
effectiveness in order to ensure that public resources are put to proper use. In
fact, in the face of fierce competition and changing circumstances in individual
communities, some public markets are facing relatively high vacancy rates and
low customer flows. Also, the Audit Commission has in previous reports pointed
out that, given the high cost of constructing a new public market, the relevant
principles should be strictly adhered to.
In considering whether new public markets should be provided in individual
districts, we would continue to take into account the abovementioned planning
standards and guidelines, the actual situation of individual districts and the
views of stakeholders, to ensure that public resources are put to proper use.
Among the views requesting the provision of new public markets, we notice that
many of them assume that the goods sold in public markets managed by FEHD are
cheaper than those sold in markets managed by other organisations and
supermarkets. However, this assumption has not been supported by facts. Insofar
as the prices of the goods sold in public markets are concerned, tenants of
public markets are free to determine and adjust the prices of their goods having
regard to market forces (e.g. operating costs, supply and demand, prices of
similar goods sold nearby). The Government does not control the prices of the
goods sold in public markets. Nor is the Government in a position to guarantee
that the goods sold in public markets would be cheaper than those in other
shops.
(4) In recent years, the District Councils of Islands District, Sai Kung, North
District and Yuen Long have proposed providing public markets in Tung Chung,
Tseung Kwan O, Fanling and Tin Shui Wai respectively. It is noted that in most
of the cases, markets facilities and other fresh provision retail shops already
exist in the vicinity of those areas at which new public markets are proposed to
be provided. Taking into consideration the abovementioned planning standards and
guidelines and the actual situation of individual districts, we currently have
no plan to provide new public markets in the above districts.
(5) To enhance the patronage of existing public markets, as an on-going
initiative, FEHD conducts various promotional activities. These include thematic
exhibitions and workshops, festive celebration activities, display of
multi-language recipes. In addition, FEHD will appropriately let out
long-standing vacant stalls at reduced upset auction prices and bring in a
greater variety of service trade stalls to enhance the occupancy rate of public
markets. Furthermore, in addition to regular maintenance and daily management of
markets, FEHD carries out improvement works in relevant markets to enhance their
operating environment. Depending on the circumstances, these works may include
improvement to the drainage, ventilation, lighting, fire services and signage,
replacement of floor tiles, refurbishment of toilets and the provision of
barrier free access.
Nonetheless, as a result of demographic changes, new development/redevelopment
projects and competition from other fresh provision outlets, the appeal of some
public markets has diminished, leading to reduced patronage and high vacancy
rates.
When assessing the viability of these markets and considering whether they are
to be closed, FEHD will look into a host of factors, including vacancy rate,
prospects for improvement, availability of alternative sources of fresh
provision outlets in the vicinity, the likely cost-effectiveness of upgrading
works and the views of the relevant district councils etc. In the absence of
feasible enhancement measures that may render the continued operation of the
market viable in business terms, FEHD will consult the relevant district
councils and affected market tenants on the closure of markets with low
patronage. Before closing a public market, FEHD will formulate exit plans for
the relevant tenants according to the established policy and past practice.
The Government is actively following up improvement works in several public
markets to enhance their competitiveness. At the same time, the Government will
also formulate plans to improve, alter the use of or vacate individual public
markets and cooked food centres, in order to ensure that land resources are put
to proper use.
Ends/Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:32
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