Project Overview
Background
In May 2009, the Planning Department commissioned the Hong Kong Island East Harbour-front Study (“HKIEHS”) to formulate a comprehensive plan for enhancing the Hong Kong Island East harbourfront, with a focus on improving connectivity and pedestrian accessibility of the harbourfront. As part of the study process, a three-stage public engagement exercise was undertaken to solicit public views on the proposed enhancements and to build consensus on the proposals recommended in the HKIEHS. The HKIEHS was completed in March 2012. Among the various proposed harbourfront enhancement initiatives, a pedestrian boardwalk of about 2km long was proposed to be constructed underneath the Island Eastern Corridor from Oil Street to Hoi Yu Street to enhance connectivity along the North Point waterfront. The proposed boardwalk was well received by the public during the said public engagement exercise.
According to the judgment of the Court of Final Appeal in 2004 in respect of the judicial review on the Draft Wan Chai North Outline Zoning Plan, the presumption against reclamation in the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance can only be rebutted by establishing an overriding public need for reclamation (“the overriding public need test”) based on cogent and convincing materials.
In this light, the HKIEHS recommended that further technical assessments including the compliance with the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance be conducted for the proposed boardwalk. Civil Engineering and Development Department commissioned a Topical Study for Boardwalk underneath Island Eastern Corridor (“Topical Study”) in January 2012 to establish the preliminary engineering feasibility of the proposed boardwalk and to assess the implications of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance on the proposal. The Topical Study reviewed different alignment and level options, access points from the inland and the provision of cycle tracks under the site constraints, and recommended a refined scheme. The refined scheme was generally agreed by the Task Force on Harbourfront Developments on Hong Kong Island of the Harbourfront Commission in October 2013. It is also suggested that part of the boardwalk scheme proposed lies within the boundaries of Victoria Harbour and is therefore subject to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.
In March 2015, the Civil Engineering and Development Department (“CEDD”) commenced an investigation study for the proposed boardwalk underneath the Island Eastern Corridor (“the Study”). The objective of the Study is to review the feasibility of the proposed boardwalk under the Island Eastern Corridor and to demonstrate its compliance with the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.
In December 2019, the CEDD commenced an assignment to provide professional services in respect of Boardwalk underneath Island Eastern Corridor - Design and Construction.
The CEDD awarded a contract of about HK$1,181 million on 23 December 2021 to IEC Boardwalk JV for carrying out the construction of the Boardwalk underneath Island Eastern Corridor. The works commenced on 31 December 2021 for completion in phases between end 2024 and end 2025.
Development of This Assignment
