For discussion PWSC(95-96)56
on 8 November 1995

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS
Education - Primary
162EP - Two primary schools in area 59, Tseung Kwan O
185EP - Primary school in Kwai Fong Estate, Kwai Chung

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 162EP and 185EP to Category A at an estimated total cost of $176.2 million in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of two primary schools in area 59, Tseung Kwan O and one primary school in Kwai Fong Estate, Kwai Chung.

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PROBLEM
PROPOSAL
PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE
JUSTIFICATION
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
LAND ACQUISITION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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PROBLEM

The Director of Education (D of E) forecasts that by 1998, there will be shortfalls of 253 and 40 primary school classes in school zones 335 (Tseung Kwan O) and 302 (Kwai Fong and Kwai Hing) respectively.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Education and Manpower, proposes to upgrade the following projects to Category A at an estimated total cost of $176.2 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices -

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The primary schools will be of a new standard design. Each school will comprise -

1. 30 classrooms;
2. four special rooms;
3. three remedial teaching rooms;
4. a guidance activity/interview room;
5. two interview rooms;
6. a staff common room;
7. a student activity centre;
8. a library; and
9. an assembly hall and ancillary facilities.

When compared with the previous standard design, the new standard design provides for additional accommodation (see (d) to (h) above) as recommended in the Education Commission Report No.5; and access facilities for the disabled.

JUSTIFICATION

4. In school zone 335 (Tseung Kwan O), there are at present three primary schools providing a total of 120 classes. A new whole-day primary school of 30 classes will start operation by 1996. D of E forecasts that the demand for primary school places in this school zone will reach 403 classes in 1998. There will be a shortfall of 253 classes. In order to reduce the shortfall, we plan to provide two new whole-day primary schools i.e. 162EP to tie in with the public housing development and four additional new whole-day primary schools in other locations of this school zone by 1998. We will seek Members’ approval to upgrade the other four school projects to Category A in mid-1996. We will meet the remaining shortfall of 73 classes in the future school building programme.

5. For school zone 302 (Kwai Fong and Kwai Hing), there are at present five primary schools providing a total of 144 classes. Due to the Housing Authority’s Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme, the number of classes will decrease by 96 classes to 48 classes when we close down three primary schools, two in 1996 and one in 1998. D of E forecasts that the demand for primary school places in this school zone will reach 88 classes in 1998. There will be a shortfall of 40 classes. In order to reduce the shortfall, we will require a new whole-day primary school by 1998. We will absorb the remaining shortfall of 10 classes in adjacent school zones where there is surplus provision.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6. We estimate the capital costs of 162EP and 185EP to be $113.6 million and $62.6 million respectively in MOD prices (see paragraph 7 below), made up as follows -

7. Subject to approval, we will phase expenditure as follows -

8. We derive the MOD estimate on the basis of the Government’s forecasts of trend labour and construction prices over the period between 1996 and 2000. We will entrust the construction of 162EP and 185EP to the Housing Authority (HA). For 162EP, the HA will implement the works under a fixed-price lump-sum contract because we can define clearly the scope of the works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty. For 185EP, the HA will incorporate the piling contract for the primary school into the piling contract for Kwai Fong Estate Phase V, and the building contract into the housing estate development main contract, which will be on a lump-sum basis with provision for price fluctuation.

9. We estimate the annually recurrent expenditure for each school to be $13.6 million. As the new schools will be aided schools, the individual sponsoring bodies will bear the costs of furniture and equipment, estimated at $1.9 million for each school.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. We consulted the Sai Kung District Board in May 1994 on 162EP and the Kwai Tsing District Board in April 1995 on 185EP. The District Boards supported these school projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. The Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) conducted the Environmental Reviews on the two projects in March 1995. DEP envisages that the three schools will be subject to traffic noise impact in excess of the standards stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines. We will implement the following mitigation measures -

1. For 162EP, the Director of Territory Development (DTD) has undertaken to construct noise barriers and low noise road surfacing along Road P2 and the Road P2 to Road D1 slip road as noise mitigation measures for the schools and other affected residential buildings. DTD will implement these measures under 277CL "Tseung Kwan O development, phase II, remaining engineering works" at an estimated cost of $13 million at December 1994 prices. In addition, we will construct two-metre long buttress walls on both sides of and at the same height as the school building (PS2) facing the adjacent slip road at an estimated cost of $90,000, which has been included under 162EP. The noise mitigation measures will be completed by August 1998 when the two schools start operation.
2. For 185EP, we will provide good quality windows and air-conditioning to classrooms subject to traffic noise impact. We have included the estimated cost of $0.7 million in the project estimate.

12. For short term construction impact, we will control dust and site run-off nuisance during construction to within established guidelines/standards through the implementation of mitigation measures in relevant contracts.

LAND ACQUISITION

13. The two projects do not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

14. We included 162EP and 185EP in Category B in April 1995 and September 1995 respectively.

15. We have completed site investigation works for both projects. We are finalizing the working drawings and tender documents using in-house staff resources. We plan to start construction works for 162EP and 185EP in June 1996 and February 1996 for completion in December 1997 and February 1998 respectively. We have scheduled the completion of both projects to tie in with the completion of the associated housing estates.

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