Information Paper for Legislative Council
Panel on Planning, Lands and Works
Meeting on 15 April 1999
31GK - Construction of a Combined Maintenance Depot
in Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long
Introduction
This paper informs Members of the proposal of constructing a permanent combined maintenance depot for Water Supplies Department (WSD), Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), Drainage Services Department (DSD), Architectural Services Department (Arch SD) and Highways Department (HyD) on a vacant site in Tin Tan Street, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long. The estimated capital project cost is about $770 million (in December 1998 prices). We intend to submit the item to the Public Works Subcommittee in May 1999 for funding approval for partial upgrading of 31GK to Category A for pre-contract consultancy services including design and contract document preparation, at an estimated cost of $43 million (in December 1998 prices).
Background
2. Through its various Works Departments the Government is responsible for ensuring (a) adequate and timely maintenance of its various infrastructural facilities, and (b) effective and efficient capabilities to handle emergency repairs. To ensure that these capabilities remain in the control of the various Works Departments at all times, it is necessary for the Government to provide these strategic workshop and storage areas through the setting up of depots in various regions. To minimise the overall resource commitment the most competitive means of procurement is via the deployment of term contracts. In this respect, the necessary workshop and storage areas provided by the Government to the term contractors are reflected in the tenders received for these contracts.
Proposal
3. A site search has been carried out to identify suitable sites of sufficient area to satisfy the functional requirements of the depots serving the western and northwestern New Territories. Great effort has been made to find compatible joint users who can fully optimize such sites, locations and time frame. A suitable site of 12,000 sq.m. in Tin Tan Street, Tin Shui Wai has been identified for a combined maintenance depot. We propose to relocate various maintenance depots for WSD, EMSD, DSD, Arch SD and HyD, serving the western and northwestern areas of the New Territories, and house them under one roof so as to improving operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The requirements of the various Departments are described below:
- For WSD
The Mainland North West, Mainland North East and Mainland South West Regional Offices are currently housed in a combined depot in Argyle Street, Mongkok. In recognition of the value of this prime urban site and its under utilisation, the Government decided in November 1993 that the existing offices and depots on this site be reprovisioned as soon as possible to allow release for early redevelopment.
The proposed combined depot in Tin Shui Wai will facilitate reprovisioning of the WSD Mainland North West Regional Office and depot on this site with offices, workshops, storage areas and parking space at a net floor area of 5,470 sq.m..
The depot of the WSD maintenance term contractor for Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai areas is presently located in Fung Yau Street, Yuen Long in a temporary Government site. The proposed combined depot will also provide permanent offices, workshops, storage areas and parking space for the contractor, with a total net floor area of 6,540 sq.m..
- For EMSD
With the implementation of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund on 1 August 1996, EMSD undertook a major reorganisation and regionalisation exercise and developed a strategy of providing a number of smaller satellite depots in the New Territories to reduce travelling time.
The existing vehicle workshop servicing vehicles for Kowloon and the New Territories is located in the Sung Wong Toi Depot, To Kwa Wan. To improve efficiency and to assist in the eventual release of this site for redevelopment, we propose to provide a new workshop with a net area requirement of 2,960 sq.m. in Tin Shui Wai.
An electrical and mechanical workshop of 1,760 sq.m. will also be provided for the Transport, Security and Central Services Division, General Engineering Services Division and Supplies Sub-division. The existing leased premises at the Hang Wai Industrial Centre in Tuen Mun will be released.
- For DSD
All of the Direct Labour Force (DLF) of the Mainland North Division of DSD is currently accommodated in leased accommodation in Tai Kok Tsui. Those groups in the DLF which handle complaints and undertake clearance operations in the northern and western areas of the New Territories spend, on average, over two hours travelling each day. We propose to set up permanent maintenance facilities in Tin Shui Wai for part of the Mainland North Division's DLF, so as to facilitate preventive maintenance works and to shorten travelling time during operations in the area.
DSD maintenance term contractor and the maintenance staff of the Yuen Long District are presently housed in a temporary Government site in Ma Tin Road, Yuen Long, allocated on a two-year basis. The repeated processes of site request/search/selection/allocation and setting up new depots in temporarily allocated sites are inefficient and expensive. We consider it necessary to provide permanent maintenance facilities in Tin Shui Wai for maintenance staff and contractors to ensure the continuous provision of prompt maintenance services in a cost-effective way.
A permanent sub-depot of a net area of about 350 sq.m. with offices, workshops, storage areas and parking space will be provided.
- For Arch SD
The Property Services Branch of Arch SD has its main depot at Hung Hom. A temporary building in the grounds of the Castle Peak Hospital serves as a small sub-depot for the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts, which will need to be surrendered for the future expansion of the Castle Peak Hospital.
To provide a permanent maintenance depot to service more efficiently the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts, offices, workshops, storage areas and parking space with a net floor area of 930 sq.m. will be provided for Arch SD maintenance staff and the maintenance term contractor.
- For HyD
HyD maintenance staff and the maintenance term contractors for the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts are currently based in temporary depots in Government sites in Hong Yip Street and Tsing Lun Road respectively. The allocation of both sites will expire in September 1999. Until a permanent depot is available, HyD will request for the renewal of the temporary allocation in Hong Yip Street. As the site in Tsing Lun Road will be required for the West Rail project, a replacement depot site in Tuen Mun will be allocated to HyD temporarily. The installation, operation and maintenance of the public lighting system in Kowloon and the New Territories will be undertaken by the management-operation-maintenance contractor from October 1999. The contractor will have to rent the site for its operation at Government cost until a permanent depot is available. To provide accommodation for HyD staff to administer and supervise these contracts and to enable the contractors to centralize their resources, offices, workshops, storage areas and parking space with a net floor area of about 9,930 sq.m. will be provided.
4. The proposed combined depot site will be subject to a height restriction of 50 metres. As a result, the combined depot will be a seven-storey building with an estimated total gross floor area of about 54,000 sq.m..
Implementation Plan
5. Subject to funding approval for the partial upgrading of 31GK to Category A in June 1999, outline sketch, detailed design and contract documentation will commence in September 1999. Detailed design of the project is expected to be completed in August 2000. With the full upgrading of the project to Category A in late 2000, construction works will commence on site in April 2001 with completion in March 2003.
Works Bureau
April 1999
