54th Board Meeting of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Held Today

The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) held its 54th meeting today.

At the meeting, WKCDA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Duncan Pescod reported to the Board on the latest developments of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) project.  Construction of various venues is progressing well. Construction of the Art Park has been underway for approximately one month; the outer shell of Xiqu Centre will be completed within this year so that work can move ahead on the inside fully protected from the elements.  In parallel, work on the installation of the external facade is also in good progress. The M+ building works continue to move ahead after almost a year of construction. It will soon be possible to see the tower section slowly emerging from the ground once the major trusses supporting it above the Airport Express tunnel are completed by mid-2017. The installation of the piles for the Lyric Theatre Complex and Artist Square foundations is moving ahead smoothly, and 70% detailed design of the Lyric Theatre Complex has been received and is now being reviewed. The Board was gratified to learn that despite the intensity of construction works on site, the site safety record remained excellent, with a reportable accident rate of only 0.05 per 100 000 man-hour worked.

M+ Pavilion, the first permanent venue for exhibitions and arts events in the WKCD, will host its first exhibition Tsang Kin-Wah: Nothing from 9 September until 6 November. Members noted that the pilot membership scheme, M+ Pioneers, has also been launched recently to give supporters special access to all M+ exhibitions and events, with the aim to help shape the museum’s future membership programmes.

Further on M+, Mr Pescod reported the successful completion of two major education initiatives: M+ Rover and M+ Summer Camp. The former, being M+'s first major school and community outreach project, reached nearly 18,000 students and members of the public through 43 school visits and 13 community sessions between March and July 2016; the latter, in its second year, brought 100 senior secondary school students to a creative and artistic adventure over summer.

As regards performing arts, Mr Pescod informed Members that the well-received Freespace Happening series will return to the Nursery Park with a new season of programmes starting from September. The monthly event will continue to bring an extensive range of music, dance, workshops and handicraft markets to cultural lovers, pet lovers, lovers of the great outdoors and anyone else who simply wants to enjoy a good day out. The first event on 11 September will feature a range of programmes including world music, DIY Literary Kite workshop, Reading on the Grass Library, WE Dance showcase, ohmykids Market and many others. 

He also reported that WKCDA continues its work on promoting Xiqu development. The second edition of Rising Stars of Cantonese Opera performed by a cast of 14 emerging actors was successfully held from 12 to 17 August.  In August, WKCDA organised a Xiqu Exchange Tour to Shanghai following the signing of an agreement with the Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas in July to further promote collaboration on Xiqu between the two cities.

At its meeting today, the Board also noted the further findings of a review on the possible development of a Mega Performance Venue (MPV) and Exhibition Centre sharing a site on the western part of the WKCD, in particular its business viability in light of relevant government policies and the market environment.  Those findings indicated the increasing use of alternative venues for performances in recent years and reported on the Government's public commitment to press ahead with the Kai Tak Sports Park including a 50,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof which is suitable for mega performances.  In addition, the Government has advised that the 12,500-seat Hong Kong Coliseum would be retained for sports and performances purposes. Against these developments, and following thorough discussions, the Board came to the view that the original proposal to build a MPV in WKCD was no longer a suitable proposition.  As the MPV was always intended to be developed with private sector financing, the Board's decision would have no impact whatsoever on the Authority's finances but the site could be considered for alternative use.  The Board's tentative view was to explore the development of a medium-sized, multi-purpose venue for exhibition, convention and performance purposes to complement the Authority's core arts and cultural facilities, also through private sector financing.

The Board also discussed the outcome of a recent review and assessment for risk management.