For discussion
on 24 February 1999

PWSC(98-99)71

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 708 -CAPITAL SUBVENTIONS AND MAJOR SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT CAPITAL
SUBVENTIONS AND MAJOR SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
Education Subventions
13EA - Redevelopment of Heep Yunn Primary School at No. 1 Farm Road, Kowloon

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the approval of a new commitment of $63.35 million in money-of-the-day prices for the redevelopment of Heep Yunn Primary School at No. 1 Farm Road, Kowloon from a 9-classroom primary school to a 18-classroom primary school.

PROBLEM

The existing school building of the Heep Yunn Primary School does not have adequate classrooms and teaching facilities to enable the school to implement whole-day primary schooling without affecting the student intake.

PROPOSAL

2. With the support of the Secretary for Education and Manpower and on the advice of Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), the Director of Education (D of E) proposes to create a commitment of $63.35 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices for redeveloping the existing Heep Yunn Primary School at No. 1 Farm Road, Kowloon from a 9-classroom primary school to a 18-classroom primary school.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The scope of the project includes demolishing the existing 9-classroom school building for the construction of a new 18-classroom replacement primary school building. The new school will be redeveloped in situ by adopting a tailor-made design to maximise the development potential of the site. The new school building will have the following -

1. 18 classrooms;
   
   
2. six special rooms including a computer-assisted learning room and a language room;
   
   
3. three remedial teaching rooms;
   
   
4. a guidance activity/interview room;
   
   
5. two interview rooms;
   
   
6. a staff room and a staff common room;
   
   
7. a student activity centre;
   
   
8. a conference room;
   
   
9. a library;
   
   
10. an assembly hall;
    
    
11. a multi-purpose area; and
    
    
12. ancillary accommodation including a lift and relevant facilities for the handicapped.

Compared to the latest schedule of accommodation for a 18-classroom standard design primary school, the proposed school building will be largely on par with the prevailing standards, except that it will have smaller classrooms and a smaller computer-assisted learning room because of site constraints. However, D of E confirms that the slight deviation from the standard schedule of accommodation is acceptable in educational terms. The school management has been fully consulted and has agreed with the design of the new school premises.

JUSTIFICATION

4. To facilitate the implementation of whole-day primary schooling, it is Government policy to convert existing bi-sessional primary schools into whole-day operation within their existing boundary where feasible through the construction of extra classrooms, provision of additional facilities or redevelopment.

5. In line with the above policy, we propose to redevelop the existing Heep Yunn Primary school, which has nine classrooms and operates on a bi-sessional basis, into a 18-classroom primary school. There is a need to expand the school into a 18-classroom premises so that it can operate on a whole-day basis without affecting its student intake after the redevelopment.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6. The cost of the project is estimated to be $63.35 million in MOD prices (see paragraph 7 below). The estimated cost, which is supported by the D Arch S, is made up as follows -

			$ million
(a)	Demolition		3.20
(b)	Foundation		4.94
(c)	Building		26.63
(d)	Building services		4.82
(e)	External works		1.00
(f)	Furniture and equipment		3.94
(g)	Consultants' fees for		4.70 1
	(i)contract administration	4.07
	(ii)site supervision	0.63
(h)	Contingencies		2.96
Sub-total			52.19	(at December 1997 prices)
(i)	Provision for price adjustment		11.16
Total			63.35	(in MOD prices)

The construction floor area of 13EA is 5 614 square metres. The construction unit cost, represented by building and building services costs, is $5,602 per square metre at December 1997 prices. D Arch S considers this construction unit cost reasonable.

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


8. We derived the MOD estimates on the basis of Government's latest forecast of trend labour and construction prices for the period 1999 to 2003. We will tender the works under a fixed-price lump-sum contract because we can define the scope of works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty.

9. The additional annually recurrent expenditure for the school is estimated to be $1.23 million. We will provide for this through recurrent subsidy to the school. As the school is redeveloped for conversion to whole-day operation, the costs of furniture and equipment, estimated to be $3.94 million, will be borne by the Government in accordance with existing policy.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. Since the proposed redevelopment of the school is carried out within the existing school boundary, we do not consider public consultation to be necessary.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. Based on the Preliminary Environment Review completed in February 1997, the Director of Environmental Protection recommends to provide the following environmental mitigation measures to keep the road traffic noise impact on the school within the limits stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines -

1. construction of a building end wall without windows facing Tin Kwong Road;
   
   
2. provision of insulated windows and air-conditioning to 13 classrooms on 1/F to 6/F at the northern facade of the classroom block and four special rooms on 3/F to 6/F and two remedial teaching rooms on 2/F at the western facade of the special room block; and
   
   
3. application of a 25-millimetre thick acoustic spray to the corridor ceilings of 2/F to 6/F.

We have included $460,000 in the project estimate to implement the above mitigation measures.

12. We will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during construction through the implementation of mitigation measures in the relevant contracts.

LAND ACQUISITION

13. The project does not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

14. With an allocation of $375,500 from the block allocation Subhead 8100QX of the Capital Works Reserve Fund, we have completed the feasibility study for the project including site investigation and topographic survey and is finalising the detailed working drawings and tender documents. We plan to demolish the existing building in July 1999 and start the construction works immediately after the demolition works. We plan to complete the construction of the new building by July 2001.

15. During the construction period, students of the Heep Yunn Primary School will be temporarily relocated to a vacant primary school premises in the same district.


Education and Manpower Bureau
February 1999


(PWSC0079/WIN3)


1. The school sponsors have engaged a firm of consultant architects to design and supervise the project. The consultancy agreement provides for the consultants to be remunerated on a scale fee basis. The sum of $4.70 million is based on the current estimated cost of the project. The estimated fee of $4.07 million includes approximately $1.95 million for architectural discipline services, $0.81 million for structural and geotechnical engineering discipline services, $0.51 million for building services engineering discipline services and $0.8 million for quantity surveying discipline services. The estimated project costs are acceptable to the Director of Education and the Director of Architectural Services.