Community and Green Deck
An innovative social project for all
Benefits to the Community
The areas adjacent to the Toll Plaza are facing different problems such as heavy traffic, air and noise pollution, poor pedestrian connectivity, lack of open space and many others. It is expected that the Green Deck will help improve the situation and bring the following benefits to the community:
1. Help improve air quality and promote healthy living in the community
With about 110,000 vehicles passing through the Toll Plaza each day, the air quality in the surrounding areas has been extremely poor. The poor air quality imposes a potential health risk for the pedestrians, bus passengers and the nearby communities.
The Green Deck will incorporate air treatment facilities such as an air purification system to reduce the pollutants. The proposed waiting lounges for bus passengers will also help protect passengers from exposure to polluted air.
The proposed green environment with nicely built walking paths, will not only enhance the connectivity of different areas, but also encourage people to walk and exercise more regularly.
The Green Deck would introduce urban greening to help mitigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and improve thermal comfort by moderating micro-climatic conditions and providing shading. It can bring other benefits including the ability to attenuate noise levels, improve air quality, reduce urban storm water runoff and enhance stress recovery of the public and nearby residents.
2. Enhance community connectivity
Neighbouring communities are spilt up by the Toll Plaza, roads and railway tracks, which have taken up much public space and left very little room for pedestrians. Connectivity among communities in Hung Hom, Ho Man Tin and East Tsim Sha Tsui is seriously affected.
The Green Deck will separate vehicular traffic from pedestrians and become one single platform that facilitates connectivity of pedestrians among communities in Hung Hom, Ho Man Tin, East Tsim Sha Tsui. In addition, there is a potential for the proposed bicycle tracks, which will also provide enhanced connectivity and convenience.
The Intermediate Level of the Green Deck will furthermore serve as an all-weather pedestrian concourse. Pedestrians will be able to access the bus stations or railway station safely and efficiently in a pleasant environment.
3. Provide more space for community facilities
Within one kilometre of the proposed Green Deck site, there is no large park, no major community facility and only limited sports and recreation facilities. The Green Deck will help address the needs of the community by providing a landscaped park on the Top Level with an area of about 28,000m2, consisting of footpaths, a variety of outdoor/semi-outdoor recreation venues and cultural facilities for public use.
The Intermediate Level will make available about 25,000 m2 indoor space for pedestrian concourse, various community facilities for different purposes such as meetings, exhibitions and retail, thus satisfying the needs of different user groups, for example, the local community, the business sector, tourists, etc.
The Ground Level will continue to serve cross-harbour traffic and provided with indoor bus waiting lounges to serve bus commuters going in both directions.
4. Help revitalise the local districts and support the economy
The MTR Hung Hom Station podium and the East Tsim Sha Tsui area are prime urban sites that have been underutilised. The Green Deck will enable further development/revitalization of these urban sites, taking advantage of existing hotels and retail/entertainment facilities in East Tsim Sha Tsui. It is expected more job opportunities will be created, benefitting Hong Kong society as well as the neighbouring communities.
Tourism is one of the pillar industries in Hong Kong. The Green Deck would be a unique attraction on top of other nearby tourist destinations such as the clock tower, the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, the Science Museum and the History Museum.
It is believed that the Green Deck will also help support the economy by bringing economic benefits to society in addition to the social and environmental benefits.