Culture chief: revamp of Victoria Park tennis court & support to film

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law says they will minimise disruptions to the soccer pitches and swimming pool near Victoria Park tennis court during the redevelopment works there.

Tennis tournaments will also be relocated to the Hong Kong Stadium during its reconstruction.

The government is currently studying the redevelopment of the Victoria Park Centre Court into an all-weather, multi-purpose venue with doubled seating capacity of around 7,000 to 10,000 spectator seats

able to host higher-level sports events and performances.

Speaking with TVB News, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law says construction could commence within three to four years at the earliest, and will aim for completion in the early period of the city's second Five-Year Plan.

When asked about concerns over whether the nearby hard-surface soccer pitches and swimming pool will be affected in the expansion project, Law says the football pitches serve multiple purposes where the Lunar New Year Fair is set up shortly after the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern carnivals.

She stresses both the pool and soccer pitches will remain untouched unless absolutely necessary.

As for the 70-year-old Hong Kong Stadium, its positioning has remained unclear since the commissioning of the Kai Tak Sports Park, but Law says it will soon take on a new mission to help the city host some major tennis tournaments during the transition period before the Victoria Park tennis court completes revamp work.

Meanwhile, the Policy Address has proposed a comprehensive review of the Film Development Fund. Law says related funding schemes will be streamlined. The market value of films will be taken into consideration

while granting subsidies. She adds a larger-scale set-construction site is in the pipeline, allowing the industry to rent spaces at more affordable rates to trim production costs. However, considering that commercial film studios already exist in the market, authorities will handle this matter prudently to minimise competition with private businesses.