My Lamma Forums

[Lamma-Gung]

There's a new notice up about the WIP on the drainage channel "improvements" going into the harbour between Green Cottage and the Beer Garden:

That pretty little piece of sandy beach outside the Green Cottage will be used for construction purposes as a "works site" for THREE YEARS starting next month! This time has more than doubled since we've seen the last deadline of 18 months for the entire project (see messages above in this Topic).

One of the very best sightseeing, photo-taking (see below) and people-spotting points on Main Street will be used for the construction of the outflow of the drainage channel they're building right now from the Yung Shue Long valley to the beach. The notice was put up just before CNY, Feb 14, leaving only the usual 14 days for any objections from residents, till next Wednesday.

Here's the notice & map with all contact details for more info and objections.
http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma/Blog/YSL-canal/Map-3-years-4907-wp.jpg

If you live in Tai Peng or Yung Shue Long, expect major inconveniences for the next 3 years, as they'll be raising the road in all the red areas on the map. Anything planted along the roads will be dug under without compensation (except it's on private land and has been there for years.)

[Norseman]

[Alan]

It's rather grotty, but it's the only patch of beachfront left in YSW. After three years as a work site it'll be totally fucked. And most likely it will take five years.
They already occupy a large area behind the Lung Wah, and have an office and yard on the reclamation. Seems they're determined to spend the maximum amount of time and money while destroying the last vestiges of nature in the village.

I really do think that occasionally cleaning up the crap people dump in the channel would have been more cost-effective and less disruptive. But cost-effective is never an issue, the bigger the pork barrel the better for our local government.

[Nancy]

Do we assume the stream is of little ecological value simply because it is in a village area? I suspect we probably don't even know what species occur there. Six of Hong Kong's 24 native amphibian species occur in the Yung Shue Long area, including the protected Romer's treefrog, which I have heard in the farm area down toward the rubbish bins. Probably not all of the species are using that section of stream, but 150 m of concrete this year my lead to another 150 m later with the same justification.

Another thing to consider is that these concrete channels are death traps for smaller animals, like amphibians or small mammals, that fall into them, can't get out, and receive a swift ride to the sea.

[Alan]

[Nancy]

Yes, those too.

[samx]

Using the beach as a construction site will only lead to HUGE bottlenecks of people heading to and from the ferry -- surely they know this... And knowing this, perhaps its not intended as just a construction site forever? It would be a tremendous ashame if this spot -- while admittedly not the best beauty point -- ended up as a massive concrete culvert.

[Lamma-Gung]

Looking at the construction works so far, here's a picture, shot in Aug 2004, from the back of the shop at the channel, to the left of Jackson's.



Click on the photo above for more photos of this formerly beautiful area full of butterflies and dragonflies, just behind Lung Wah Rest., all destroyed now by the construction of the drainage channel in progress...

And here's the same angle from a few days ago. It's too late for this area, but do we want the beach outside Green Cottage look the same soon, for up to three years?

[Nancy]

Those before and after photos speak a thousand words.

[Tavis]

[F-X]

[Marc Antony]

There is a disturbing lack of connectivity with or appreciation of nature which seems to have become embedded in the local culture. And when I say 'local' I don't mean Lamma. This attitude dictates that nature should be controlled (see for example the Three Gorges Dam and the new series of dams about to be constructed in China's Yunnan Province) - even better if there are a few jobs for the boys in the process.

Our little stream in YSW is just another example of this mindset. City kids in HK run screaming from birds and insects as if their lives were threatened. Residents in Stanley recently rejected a tree-planting scheme because they thought it would bring birds and mosquitos. (Duh!) Serious education is necessary to get these people to understand and appreciate nature. And of course they won't succeed in controlling nature anyway - just wait and see what Mother has in store for us over the coming years!!

[Alan]

Well, at least I posted an objection.

[F-X]

Good letter.

Today's the last day and they give no fax number or email address.

"Late objections will not be considered."

Objections must be delivered in person then to 19/F, Harbour Bldg.
http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma/Blog/YSL-canal/Map-3-years-4907-wp.jpg

[Alan]

Well, post is more formal, and if you get it postmarked today it should be okay.

Make sure you cite: Ref (81) in DLO/IS O4/CRN/1997/B/L/M

The general address for District Lands Officer/Islands is
gendlois@landsd.gov.hk They will probably accept objections via that; they will reply in any case.

[Lamma-Gung]

It's time to stand up and be counted...
I've emailed and mailed my own objection letter as well...
A Lamma-zine story is in progress...

[Lamma-Gung]

Lamma-zine story published, better late than never.

Here's my own, quick objection letter. Not my finest writing, but it should be good enough. Thanks for the inspiration and push to action, Alan! Any feedback will be published in extracts in this forum as well, of course.

[Greenman]

I phoned the person listed on the notice Mr Shiu who claimed to know very little about the project and referred me to the engineering section, I'm still waiting for them to get back to me. I also sent an email objection pointing out that the drainage work being conducted by the drainage dept is scheduled for completion in early 2008, so why the need for a three year allocation of land?

see this link for updates on the drainage project:

http://www.dsd.gov.hk/our_projects/our_project_district/index_UID_959006.htm

[Lamma-Gung]

Here's quite a bit more info on the project, from an email doing the rounds around Lamma right now. I got it twice in a few minutes...

Dear Friends,

The lands department have proposed, and it seems passed, a motion to repair the drainage system in Po Wah Yuen / Yung Shue Wan. Whilst this would have benefit to the community - the proposed work would involve knocking down the bridge outside the bakery, taking up the pathways either side of the bridge, building a temporary bridge and making a building site of the beach right infront of the Green Cottage.

The estimated duration of the work is THREE YEARS!

No one in the community seems to know any more about this project. Signs went up about it over CNY and are characteristically scant in detail. Ron from the GC has already lodged a letter of complaint (sitting at the GC during the development would be no pleasure!) but it now requires a large community effort to get this thing stopped or at least re-shaped into something that repects our village life.

The official deadline for lodging complaints is today - Wednesday 28th February!!!
So PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!!!
Send a brief letter of complaint via email or fax to:

Mr Shiu Wai-ming
Lands District Officer, Islands
gendlois@landsd.gov.hk
Fax No. : 2850 5104

Copy and paste these reference numbers into the letter: DLO/IS 38/OP/ADM Pt.14, DLO/IS 04/CRN/1997/B/LM

Alternatively you could call him personally on 2852 4218 and give him a piece of your mind!
And please email everyone else you know on Lamma and ask them to do the same. This really is urgent.
Thanks for your help.

Lamma People Power!

[Lamma-Gung]

The letter mentions that nobody knows anything about this project.

Well, except anybody who reads these forums or the Lamma-zine at least occasionally. This project has been going on for years and this forum has been running since June 2004 and there was another forum about the same project before that. The construction on the drainage channel has been in progress for over a year and is now reaching the final stage at the outflow into the harbour.

The details about the bridge are new, but no surprise. As this is just the last stage of the almost completed drainage channel from the Yung Shue Long valley there's probably not much we can do about the actual channel construction and the bridge. Except saving the beach that's only used as a temporary work site but would be destroyed in the process, most likely!