Society for Protection of the Harbour
Encyclopedia
Society for Protection of the Harbour is a Hong-Kong-based organization founded in November, 1995. It is a charitable, non-political and non-profit making green group. The objectives of the organization are to protect the Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

 in Hong Kong from destruction caused by Government’s excessive reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...

 and improper development, and to arouse public aspirations for the Harbour. In order to preserve the Harbour, SPH has raised a number of objections on related Government policies, undertaken numerous conservation projects, suggested constructive urban planning along the waterfront and carried out public education on harbour protection.

Background

There has historically been reclamation of Victoria Harbour since the early part of the 20th century. Since the 1989, when the Government had completed its feasibility study, and launched the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation is a project launched by the Hong Kong Government since the 1990s to reclaim land for different purposes.-Background:The project was first mentioned in the 1985 planning strategy by the Government...

 project, there has been growing realisation on the part of the general public of the deterioration of the environment and the encroachment upon the beautiful natural harbour Hong Kong once had, lost to urban and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 development.

Concerns about possible impacts of harbour reclamation

  1. Strategic Planning: Harbour reclamation may isolate Hong Kong from the Pearl River Delta
    Pearl River Delta
    The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...

     hinterland, setting back economic activities.
  2. Harbour Safety: The narrowing of the Harbour may create a less favourable environment for navigation and other water activities as water currents become much stronger and space for maneuvering is reduced.
  3. Landscape Destruction and Loss of Habitat: Harbour reclamation may result in a permanent destruction of Hong Kong's irreplaceable natural asset, Victoria Harbour. The loss of natural coastlines might result in the loss of natural habitats and shallowing feeding areas for many inter-tidal creatures that live in shallow sandy bays or on rocky shorelines.
  4. Air and Water Pollution: Intensive development of the reclaimed areas may worsen air quality in the nearby urban area. Moreover, reclamation worsens the water quality of the harbour, thus adversely affecting marine life.
  5. Flushing Action: Reclamation may narrow the Harbour and potentially creates "dead spots" where there is little flushing tidal action, and where litter and sewage could accumulate.

History

The Society was established in 1995

Inspired by his mother to preserve the Victoria Harbour, Winston Chu Ka Sun
Winston Chu
-Early years and education:Chu received his secondary school education in Hong Kong, after which he furthered his studies in the United Kingdom. He graduated from University College London with a Bachelor of Laws degree and became a solicitor. Chu was also an Honorary Law Lecturer in the Faculty of...

 (徐嘉慎) founded the SPH in 1995. Chairman of the local chapter of Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...

, Christine Loh
Christine Loh
- External links :* ] ]*...

 (陸恭蕙) became Deputy Chairperson. Jennifer Chow (周潔冰) and Honorary Secretary.

On 11 October 2003, Winston Chu announced his resignation as Chairperson of SPH due to death threats against him and his family. To fill the void left by Chu, Christine Loh
Christine Loh
- External links :* ] ]*...

 (陸恭蕙) stepped in as the new Chairperson of SPH. Chu nevertheless continues to provide legal advice and other support to SPH.

1996

In 1996, the Society for Protection of the Harbour conducted the “Save Our Harbour” Campaign which received support of 170,000 signatures from the Hong Kong public. The same year in May, SPH succeeded in opposing the Government's proposal of reclaiming 190 hectares (20.5 million square feet) of Green Island
Green Island, Hong Kong
Green Island is an island off the northwest coast of Kennedy Town on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, separated by the Sulphur Channel. A smaller island nearby to the east, uninhabited, is called Little Green Island...

 (青洲).The Protection of the Harbour Bill (海港保護條例草案) to the Legislative Council (立法會) as a private members' bill in June and sent a Petition to the Governor-in-Council Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....

 (彭定康) was also produced which was supported by 148,041 signatures from the public in December.

1997

In April 1997, SPH appointed Dr. Robert Chung
Robert Chung Ting-yiu
Dr. Robert Chung is the Director of Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong.-Study and career:Dr Chung graduated from Diocesan Boys' School. He obtained his Bachelor degree, Master of Philosophy in Sociology and PhD Degree from The University of Hong Kong...

 (鍾庭耀博士) of the Social Sciences Research Centre of The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Its motto is "Sapientia et Virtus" in Latin, meaning "wisdom and virtue", and "" in Chinese...

 (香港大學社會科學研究中心) to conduct an opinion survey on harbour reclamation. The result showed that over 95% of Hong Kong people opposed further reclamation on the Harbour. In June, the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance was legislated.

The Protection of the Harbour Ordinance (保護海港條例)
Proposed as a private member's bill by Christine Loh in 1996 and enacted on 30 June 1997 , the Ordinance was established as a presumption against reclamation in the Central Harbour. In 1999, further amendment of the Ordinance extended its coverage from Central Harbour to the entire Victoria Harbour. The aim of the Ordinance is to protect and preserve the Harbour as a special public asset and a natural heritage of Hong Kong.

The full text of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance

1998

The Government's proposals of reclaiming 340 hectares (36.5 million square feet) of Kowloon Bay
Kowloon Bay
Kowloon Bay is a bay located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between Hung Hom and Lei Yue Mun...

 (九龍灣) and 32 hectares (3.5 million square feet) of the Central Waterfront at Tamar Site
Tamar site
Tamar site , 4.2-hectare large, the former location of the naval basin attached to the headquarters of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, is currently the site of the Central Government Offices of the Hong Kong SAR Government at the harbourfront of Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.To the...

 (天馬艦) were successfully pulled down by SPH in January and May respectively.

1999

In October 1999, the former Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....

 (董建華), under the persuasion of SPH, promised in his 1999 Policy Address to downsize the reclamation plan for the Harbour and to follow the Principle of Sustainable Development as a major concern of the public. In addition, he claimed in a public radio conversation with Winston Chu that “the government will try to reduce reclamation to an absolute minimum”. In December, the proposal of reclaiming a part of North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...

(北角) waterfront for a cruise centre was successfully halted by SPH.

2000

In March 2000, The Town Planning Board http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/index_c.htm (城市規劃委員會) under the persuasion of SPH, announced in its Vision Statement for Victoria Harbour:- “The Harbour is to be protected and preserved as a special public asset and a natural heritage of the people of Hong Kong. Reclamation in the Harbour should only be carried out to meet essential community needs and public aspirations”.

2001

In June 2001, SPH successfully stopped the Government's project of reclaiming 79 hectares (8.5 million square feet) of the Western District waterfront.

2002-2003

During 2002-2003, SPH succeeded in applying for Judicial Review against the Town Planning Board. The Government's proposal of reclaiming 26 hectares (2.9 million square feet) of the Wanchai waterfront was again opposed. On 5 October 2003, SPH conducted "The Blue Ribbon Campaign" http://www.eff.org/br//README.blueribbon in which around 3,000 supporters joined.
And hundreds of people signed a petition in "Signature Campaign" on 12 October 2003. In the same year, approximately 1000 protesters marched to the government buildings in Central to demand a halt of reclamation work on the Harbour.

2004

In January 2004, the interpretation of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance suggested by the High Court (Hong Kong)
High Court (Hong Kong)
The High Court in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. It deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997.- High Court Building :...

 (高等法院)Judgment of Madam Justice Chu (朱芬齡) was approved by The Court of Final Appeal (終審法院,CFA).

Moreover, SPH urged the Government to halt all reclamation works in Central Reclamation Phase III (CR3) http://www.criii-tdd.com/ and asked the Town Planning Board to conduct a proper review of the plans with regards to the criteria of the judgment proposed.

In March, SPH held the "Hand-in-Hand" Rally in which over 10,000 people formed a "human chain" along the Harbour from Central to Wan Chai to demonstrate against harbour reclamation.

In July, SPH joined Save Our Shorelines (SOS)http://www.saveourshorelines.bizland.com/index.html and Clear the Air
Clear the Air (Hong Kong)
Clear The Air is a voluntary organisation aiming at reducing air pollution in Hong Kong. It was founded on 10 December 1997 as a Society under the Societies Ordinance . It is self-sustained and is supported by individual membership fees and member donations.爭氣 means "fighting for air" and "living...

 (CTA)http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/index. to urge the governor to maintain good governance and transparent and fair town planning process.In September, SPH conducted a "Vote For The Harbour" Campaign. In order to include the protection of the Harbour in the election platform, SPH asked its supporters and the Hong Kong public to give their vote for the Harbour, and contacted all the candidates and political parties in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

 to support it. As a result, 86% candidates supported harbour protection and preservation.see results.
The story book "The Adventures of Victoria" was published to arouse harbour protection awareness and complaints from the Government was received because of this publication. In response to the complaint, SPH had written a letter to Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....

 (曾蔭權), Michael Suen
Michael Suen
Michael Suen Ming-yeung GBS CBE JP is currently the Secretary for Education of Hong Kong.-Education:Suen attended Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, a male-only Jesuit school in Hong Kong.-Career:...

 (孫明揚) and Dr. Robert Chung
Robert Chung Ting-yiu
Dr. Robert Chung is the Director of Public Opinion Programme at the University of Hong Kong.-Study and career:Dr Chung graduated from Diocesan Boys' School. He obtained his Bachelor degree, Master of Philosophy in Sociology and PhD Degree from The University of Hong Kong...

 (鍾庭耀博士).

2005

From April to May, SPH held two public campaign; the “Kids Love the Harbour Campaign” (好孩子.愛香港) and the "Giordano selling Saving Victoria T-shirt" for teenagers. In Septemcber,“Victoria Harbour and I” Photo Competition was held.

In May, SPH together with Save Our Shorelines (SOS) and Clear the Air (CTA) held a Joint Press Release and presented a join petition to the Town Planning Board.

In November, the Action Group on Protection of the Harbour and Friends of the Harbour (FOTH)http://www.friendsoftheharbour.org joined together for the first time to launch the “HARBOUR WEEK” (保護維港週) from 6th to 13th. On 13 November, SPH, Action Group on Protection of the Harbour and FOTH launched a Harbour Week Carnival (保護維港週嘉年華) at the Golden Bauhinia Square, Wanchai, to encourage people to appreciate and care for the Victoria Harbour. http://www.harbourprotection.org/html/all_page_c_eng.htm

On 17 December, another Joint Press Release titled “CIVIL SOCIETY DECLARES VICTORY--STOP and RETHINK: No Rush for the Tamar Site!” was published.

2006

On 1 January, SPH has moved its headquarter from Central to Mr. Winston Chu's law firm in Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

. Moreover, she has reduced the number of staff, from two full-time officers to only one part-time worker. While the move has been viewed by other harbour advisers as a retreat in the SPH's operations following the Government's commitment not to reclaim the Victoria Harbour after the legal battle. Ms. Christine Loh, chairperson of SPH, said "By saving on rent, staff and other utilities, we will have more resources for campaigning. It is going to be a long and winding road."

In January, SPH appointed The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Its motto is "Sapientia et Virtus" in Latin, meaning "wisdom and virtue", and "" in Chinese...

 to conduct a public opinion survey --"Planning for West Kowloon and the Harbour-front" which showed that the public rejected the developmental proposal of West Kowloon Cultural District.

In April, SPH and other associations organised a 'Tamar Day' to raise the public awareness of the impact of the construction in Tamar. The SPH continues to hold Press Conference in 2006. One was on 1 June 2006, Mr. Simon F.S. Li (李福善) voiced the public message regarding the proposed Government headquarters on Tamar. Another one was held on 1 July 2006 outside the Hong Kong Central Library
Hong Kong Central Library
Hong Kong Central Library is the main library of Hong Kong. It is located at the intersection of Moreton Terrace and Causeway Road in Causeway Bay....

 to demonstrate the Society's concern and commitment to the “Protection of the Harbour” and the “Enhancement of the Harbourfront”.

Parts of harbour SPH has saved

Parts of Harbour SPH has Saved
Time Place Amount
05/1996 Green Island
Green Island, Hong Kong
Green Island is an island off the northwest coast of Kennedy Town on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, separated by the Sulphur Channel. A smaller island nearby to the east, uninhabited, is called Little Green Island...

 (青洲)
190 ha.
01/1998 Kowloon Bay
Kowloon Bay
Kowloon Bay is a bay located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between Hung Hom and Lei Yue Mun...

 (九龍灣)
340 ha.
05/1998 Central Waterfront at Tamar
Tamar site
Tamar site , 4.2-hectare large, the former location of the naval basin attached to the headquarters of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, is currently the site of the Central Government Offices of the Hong Kong SAR Government at the harbourfront of Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.To the...

 (中環天馬艦)
32 ha.
12/1999 North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...

 Waterfront (在北角海旁興建郵輪中心之商業機構填海計劃)
-
06/2001 Western District Waterfront (西區海旁) 79 ha.
2002–2003 Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...

 Waterfront (灣仔北)
26 ha.

Recent actions

The recent action of the Society for Protection of the Harbour is related to the harbour reclamation in the Central and Wan Chai Districts. According to the Government, this project is needed for solving traffic problems, and the reclaimed land will be used for commercial development in future.
Therefore, SPH is now encouraging Hong Kong citizens to request the Government to review its present policy of extensive development of the above two mentioned districts.
There is also a reply slip available from SPH's website. The organization encourages citizens to download it and write down their own opinions.

For more information of the proposal of Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation is a project launched by the Hong Kong Government since the 1990s to reclaim land for different purposes.-Background:The project was first mentioned in the 1985 planning strategy by the Government...

 project, please refer to
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr03-04/english/panels/ea/papers/eaplw1127cb1-471-1e.pdf

Harbour Carnival and Walk for the Harbour

On 12 November 2006, the Society For Protection of the Harbour, together with Friends of the Harbour, Action Group on Protection of the Harbour (保護維港行動), and United Social Service Centre (安榮社會服務中心) will hold the Harbour Carnival & Walk for the Harbour. The objective of the event is to encourage the public to appreciate and to pay attention to the Victoria Harbour. The Harbour Carnival Walk will set off from the Edinburgh Place
Edinburgh Place
Edinburgh Place is a public square in Central, Hong Kong, adjacent to the Victoria Harbour. The Hong Kong City Hall is located in the square. In addition, the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier were also located in the square before they were demolished in early 2007.-History:The...

 along the coastline to the Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square
Golden Bauhinia Square
The Golden Bauhinia Square is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the...

, taking approximately half an hour. The Harbour Carnival and Cruises will be held after the Walk.

Suggestion on urban planning along the waterfront

In order to avoid the Victoria Harbour being destroyed by inappropriate development, Society for Protection of the Harbour suggests the constructive urban planning along the waterfront.

2004

2003

Awards

2005
Clearwater Award 2005, an international accolade presented by USA-based The Waterfront Center http://www.waterfrontcenter.org/, an international waterfront concern group. The Clearwater Award recognizes outstanding efforts by individuals or non-profit citizen's organizations to better their community and harbour's waterfront. The Society of the Protection of the Harbour was presented this Award in recognition for its work in protecting the Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong.

In English

In chronological order, the latest on top.


Note: "SCMP"=South China Morning Post, an English newspaper in Hong Kong

In Chinese

In chronological order, the latest on top.

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