24 July 2005 - Press Release
Harbour Business Forum Responds to Harbour-front Enhancement Committee Consultation Urgent: need for overarching policy and strategy to guide planning for a world-class harbour

The Harbour Business Forum (HBF) has responded to a Harbour Planning Principles and Planning Process consultation by the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee (HEC). The committee is a public and private sector body tasked to advise the Government on planning, land uses and developments along the existing and new harbour-front.

In a letter to the HEC, Andrew Long, HBF executive committee chairman said the forum endorsed the HEC's Harbour Planning Principles and Harbour Planning Process. The HBF is a business group formed to promote and protect Hong Kong's harbour. The HBF made the following key points:

• The HBF believes that the key to unlocking the potential of Hong Kong's harbour-front is the removal of all barriers to access in order to connect the city to the harbour.
• To achieve any meaningful results, the vision, mission and principles must be part of an overall strategic policy for the harbour and the harbour-front areas.
• It is essential that the principles, when finalized, be supported and approved by the Chief Executive in Council and adopted by all Government bodies, including the Town Planning Board, to ensure that they are adhered to.
• A transparent process for evaluating all existing and planned projects is clearly necessary, and the HBF suggests that this key element be added to the principles on stakeholder engagement and as a core element of the revised Harbour Planning Mission.

In summary, Mr Long said: "We would like to emphasise the urgent development of an overarching policy and strategy for the harbour, the need for high level endorsement of the harbour planning principles and process, a clear institutional framework identifying the role and ownership of the harbour planning process and the urgent need for an integrated planning framework for all harbour-front requirements to guide the planning of a world-class harbour."

For details of HEC's Harbour Planning Principles, please visit in the HEC website , Sub-committee on Harbour Plan review (Meeting agenda 30th March 2005; Annex I and II)

Note to the Editors

The Harbour Business Forum (HBF) was formally launched on 2 June 2005 to promote sustainable development of the Harbour. This diverse coalition of businesses aims to influence Government policy and decision making with respect to the harbour on the basis of what is in Hong Kong's best long-term economic, social and environmental interests.

HBF's mission is to see Hong Kong's harbour and harbour-front areas become a genuinely vibrant, accessible and sustainable world-class asset. The Forum aims to engage with relevant stakeholders and the Government in order to agree upon, and implement, a common vision for the harbour and promote integrated planning. The initial focus areas for the Harbour Business Forum include: Studying international best practices in harbour front-planning; reviewing management of local and international harbour-fronts; examining the broader value of Hong Kong's harbour; and, responding to Government and other bodies on initiatives related to harbour development.

In July 2004, the Business Environment Council (BEC) proposed the establishment of an independent Harbour Business Forum to engage the private sector in the sustainable planning and development of the existing and new harbour-fronts, foreshore and surrounding districts. Eleven leading corporations are the organisation's Founding Patrons and committed funds to make the Forum a reality. To date, more than 100 diverse businesses and their representative bodies have joined as Corporate, Professional and Supporting Members. Membership of the Forum continues to grow rapidly and includes representatives of a wider range of sectors, including food and beverage, hotel, manufacturing, marine, professionals, property, retail, transport and tourism, as well as chambers of commerce and business associations. The Harbour Business Forum's website is at www.harbourbusinessforum.com. The website is currently being further developed with additional information constantly being added.

About Business Environment Council

The Business Environment Council (BEC) is a leading independent cross-sector business association in Hong Kong advocating sustainable development. Their aim is to balance economic, social and environmental interest whist empowering competitiveness. They are a regional partner of World Business Council of Sustainable Development. For further details, please visit www.bec.org.hk.

Media Enquires
Andrew Thomson, Harbour Business Forum, T. (852) 27843934 / (852) 9648 2935