Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai paid a fact-finding visit to shops and various public facilities in Patane, Ilha Verde and Fai Chi Kei districts on Saturday morning, after which he told reporters that the government will soon launch a construction tender for its project to build a sports park, i.e., a park featuring various sporting facilities, on the plot of land where the now defunct greyhound racetrack (Yat Yuen Canidrome) and its adjacent, currently still in-use Lin Fong Sports Centre are located.
Sam also said that the government is studying the feasibility of building a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) section connecting the Qingmao checkpoint and the future sports parks.
After inspecting the site where the former greyhound racetrack is located, the last facility that he visited on Saturday, Sam spoke to reporters there.
According to a statement by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) on Saturday, Sam first visited the high-rise Patane wet-market municipal complex, including its widely praised food court, after which he headed to Ilha Verde and Fai Chi Kei districts where he talked with owners and staff members of various shops with the aim of gaining a better understanding of their business operations.
According to the statement, Sam also visited an exhibition facility located in a subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) estate in Ilha Verde district, which is run by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) with the aim of cultivating young local people with a sense of belonging to the nation.
Moreover, Sam also visited the government’s ongoing display of its “Flora Fête with Sanrio characters” installations in Praça dos Lótus in Ilha Verde district.
Finally, the chief executive visited the site of the former greyhound racetrack where he was briefed by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man about the government’s upcoming project to build its sports park there.
Speaking to reporters, Sam said that the sports park project will, as announced by the government previously, be carried out in two phases, adding that the government will soon launch its construction tender for the project’s first phase.
Sam noted that the Lin Fong Sports Centre, including its indoor swimming pools and outdoor running track and football field, will remain open during the sports park project’s first phase.
The Lin Fong Sports Centre, next to the former dog racetrack, comprises a pavilion and a running track plus a football field. The pavilion situated at the area’s southern tip includes various facilities such as swimming pools, table tennis tables, a gym, and areas used for various other sporting activities.
The government has previously indicated that in the first phase, the existing buildings and other structures once used for dog-racing purposes will be demolished, where three new pavilions will be constructed.
The government has previously said that only after the completion of the three pavilions will the second phase be carried out, during which the current Lin Fong Sports Centre’s pavilion, as well as its running track and football pitch, will be demolished, after which a pavilion for children will be built where the current pavilion is located, while a revamped running track and a football field will be built where the current ones are located.
Tam noted while speaking to reporters on Saturday that a pavilion for children and an underground carpark will be built in the sports park project’s second phase.
Sam also said on Saturday that the government is studying the feasibility of building an LRT spur line connecting the Qingmao checkpoint and the future sports parks.
The government is currently planning a project to extend the LRT East Line to the Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint in Ilha Verde from the Barrier Gate.
The ongoing LRT East Line project, without the projected extension to the Qingmao checkpoint, is scheduled to be completed in 2028, which the government is aiming to open in 2029.
Tam told the legislature earlier this year that the government is studying the feasibility of building a LRT West Line connecting the Qingmao checkpoint with the Fai Chi Kei waterfront, from where it would run along the Inner Harbour to Barra at the peninsula’s south-western tip.
Meanwhile, accompanying Sam while speaking to reporters, Tam said that the future LRT extension from the Qingmao checkpoint to the Fai Chi Kei waterfront would have a spur line running to the future sports park at the former greyhound racetrack.
Moreover, Sam also said that the Patane municipal market’s food court is a good example showcasing the government’s efforts to upgrade the operations of the city’s wet markets.
Meanwhile, Sam also said that his visit to Portugal, which was initially scheduled for the summer holiday period, will be postponed to the autumn, noting that his trip to Europe at that time would possibly include Spain and Brussels.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre) is briefed by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man (right) about the government’s sports park project on the site of the ex-greyhound racetrack in Fai Chi Kei on Saturday, as Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip looks on. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
