LCQ10: Provision of recreation and sports facilities
15.3.2023

Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (March 15): Question: The 2022 Policy Address has proposed to map out a 10-year development blueprint for sports and recreation facilities (the development blueprint) to provide about 30 diversified recreation and sports facilities by phases. Regarding the provision of recreation and sports facilities, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the respective latest progress of the 16 projects commenced under Phase 1 of the development blueprint (set out in a table); (2) as the Financial Secretary indicated in the Budget delivered on February 22 this year that the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau was examining the conversion of some underutilised floors of the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building into an urban sports centre, of the details of the relevant plan; (3) of a comparison of (i) the number of recreation and sports facilities to be provided as recommended by the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines ("HKPSG") calculated based on the population of Hong Kong in 2022 with (ii) the number of recreation and sports facilities provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in 2022 (set out in the table below by recreation and sports facility); Recreation and sports facilities Population-based provision standards set by HKPSG (i) (ii) (ii) being more/less than (i) and the number of difference More/less Number of difference Sports centre Sports ground Swimming pool complex Football pitch 7-a-side soccer pitch 5-a-side soccer pitch Badminton court Basketball court Tennis court Volleyball court Squash court Table tennis table Leisure pool (4) whether the authorities have plans to build more of those recreation and sports facilities the provision of which have fallen short of the population-based provision standards set by HKPSG, and raise the relevant standards which have been in use for years, so as to meet the present-day demands of the community; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (5) of the average occupancy rates or utilisation rates of the recreation and sports facilities mentioned in (3) and the number of cases in which hirers did not use the recreation and sports facilities as scheduled, in each of the past two years, with a breakdown by recreation and sports facility; and (6) given that the Government put forward a "five-year plan for upgrading football pitches" in the 2021-2022 Budget, of the latest progress of the plan? Reply: President, My reply to the questions raised by the Hon Vincent Cheng is as follows: (1) The 2022 Policy Address has announced a 10-Year Development Blueprint for Sports and Recreation Facilities (the Blueprint) which provides about 30 diversified facilities by phases, such as sports centres, swimming pools, sports grounds and parks. The progress of the 16 sports and recreation projects planned for implementation in phase 1 under the Blueprint is at Annex 1. (2) As announced in the 2023-24 Budget, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau is examining the conversion of some underutilised floors of the Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building into an urban sports centre so as to provide a suitable venue for activities such as sport climbing and skateboarding. We plan to consult the Yau Tsim Mong District Council at the end of this month regarding the closure arrangement of the Kwun Chung Market and its Cooked Food Centre as well as the plan to convert it into an urban sports centre. We expect the technical feasibility study of the transformation project will be completed within this year. (3) The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (the LCSD) provides various sports and recreation facilities. The comparison between the provision of major sports and recreation facilities under the LCSD and the provision as recommended by the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) is listed as follows: Sports and recreation facilities (Note 1) Population standard Provision based on population of 2022 (i) (Note 2) Provision by the LCSD (ii) Estimated provision of projects under planning (iii) (Note 3) Surplus/ shortage (ii)+(iii)-(i) Sports centre 1:50 000 - 65 000 (Note 4) 117.7 105 12 Shortage 0.7 11-a-side football pitch 1:100 000 76.5 61 8 Shortage 7.5 Sports ground 1:200 000 - 250 000 (Note 5) 30.6 25 1 Shortage 4.6 Swimming pool complex (with pools of 50 and /or 25 meters long) 1:287 000 26.7 42 4 Surplus 19.3 Note 1: Since some sports and recreation facilities are provided by other departments (such as the Housing Department), the above table only lists those provided by the LCSD. Note 2: The projected population of Hong Kong in 2022 is 7 649 000. Note 3: Projects under planning refer to those projects which the District Councils have been consulted on their scope of works, and their relevant technical feasibility studies have been completed/are in progress or are under preparation. These projects include those projects under the Blueprint as well as other projects planned and implemented by the LCSD in collaboration with other government departments and policy bureaux. Note 4: The standard provision is one sports centre for every 50 000 to 65 000 persons. Provision of one sports centre for every 65 000 persons is used in the above table. Note 5: The standard provision is one sports ground for every 200 000 to 250 000 persons. Provision of one sports ground for every 250 000 persons is used in the above table. (4) The LCSD has been committed to providing quality sports and recreation facilities for the general public. When planning new and improving existing sports facilities, apart from making reference to the HKPSG, other relevant factors, including the current provision of sports facilities territory-wide and at the district levels, policy objectives for sports development, utilisation rate of existing facilities, population change, views of District Councils, land availability, technical feasibility, etc., will also be considered. To ensure that the planning of sports and recreation facilities can meet public needs, the Sports Commission established a working group to review the overall supply of sports and recreation facilities and the demand for various types of sports facilities. On the advice of the working group, the Government engaged a consultant in 2017 to conduct a Consultancy Study on the Provision of Sports Facilities in Hong Kong. We are following up on the Study recommendations, and will consider how the relevant chapter of the HKPSG is to be revised taking into account the rise in public expectations of relevant facilities, population increase, enhancement of transport network and scarcity of land, with a view to meeting the public demand for facilities while making good use of precious land resources. (5) The usage rates of major sports facilities under the LCSD in the past two years are set out at Annex 2 whereas the situation of hirers not taking up the booked sessions/not being present during the use of the booked sessions is set out at Annex 3. (6) The 2021-22 Budget announced the implementation of a five-year plan for upgrading over 70 football pitches to promote the development of football in Hong Kong and respond to public expectations. The LCSD has commenced the improvement works in 2021/22. Improvement works of 21 venues have been completed, including resurfacing two futsal pitches, providing standard futsal pitch line marking for 1 futsal pitch, converting 12 substandard 7-a-side hard-surface football pitches into futsal pitches, superimposing futsal pitch line marking for five existing 7-a-side hard-surface football pitches, as well as expanding one existing football pitch into a standard 11-a-side turf pitch. In addition, 16 improvement projects will commence during 2022/23 to 2023/24 and the remaining projects are expected to commence in or before 2025.