New Cultural Icon to Reap Economic Benefits for HK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, September 06, 2003

New Cultural Icon to Reap Economic Benefits for HK

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The West Kowloon Cultural District project will bring substantial, long-term economic benefits to Hong Kong, and provide about 6,000 jobs in the short term, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang said Friday.

The construction works are expected to start by April 2006 and the facilities will be completed in phases between 2010 and 2012.

According to the cultural district's concept planner Norman Foster, the plan itself will require an investment of some 24 billion Hong Kong dollars (3.08 billion US dollars).

Tsang said this will help boost economic activities and create more jobs for the construction sector and professionals.

"We want Hong Kong to be the most vibrant hub for culture, artsand entertainment in the region," he said.

When completed, contemporary facilities will provide residents and visitors with a range of cultural and leisure pursuits. The cultural and commercial facilities on the site will not only draw more tourists to Hong Kong, but also help attract more world-renowned performers and add to Hong Kong's attraction as the most cosmopolitan and dynamic international business center in Asia.

Tsang also announced that, for the first time, the government is inviting the private sector to finance and construct this majorarts and cultural project. The move is in line with the government's philosophy of "small government."

The world-class future development envisages: performance venues, museums and some residential development in a cultural headland at the western end of the site; a multi-level complex of entertainment and retail facilities in the middle of the site; a commercial gateway at Canton Road with high-rise developments; extensive open space for public use comprising a podium park, landscaped terraces and a waterfront promenade; an automated people mover running from one end of the site to the other; and a spectacular canopy.

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