Ma Fung-kwok believes the cultural hub doesn't need a canopy to be a landmark
The new chairman of the Arts Development Council has added his voice to calls for the government to drop its single-developer plan for the West Kowloon cultural district project.
Ma Fung-kwok told the South China Morning Post that a single developer would not be conducive to the sustainable development of cultural activities in Hong Kong.
He said options worth exploring were dividing the 40-hectare site into various phases of development, or auctioning the land to finance the construction and operation of cultural facilities in the district.
'Under the single-developer approach, the bidding consortiums are likely to lose incentives to sponsor arts and cultural activities if they eventually fail to win the right to develop the project.'
Mr Ma, a filmmaker and former lawmaker, was appointed chairman of the Arts Development Council last Wednesday.
The government has been criticised by lawmakers and small developers for insisting on its plan to grant the entire project to a single developer for 30 years, and for failing to disclose the tendering details.