Views collection: West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Chairman Henry Tang and guests launch the public-engagement exercise.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority has unveiled three conceptual plan options for public comment.

They are City Park prepared by Foster + Partners, Cultural Connect: Key to Sustained Vitality by Rocco Design Architects, and Project for a New Dimension by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture.

Launching the stage-two public-engagement exercise today, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Chairman Henry Tang said the district is starting to take shape, and the credit should go to brilliant master planning teams as well as Hong Kong people and the arts and cultural stakeholders.

"Each conceptual plan presents a vision of how the district can be developed into a centrepiece for the city - showing off Hong Kong's unique character, integrating seamlessly with its surroundings, making cultural connections beyond our borders, and becoming a part of our social fabric."

Public engagement

Noting the three options reflect public views collected in the stage one exercise, he encouraged people to carefully examine the options and express their views.

The authority's consultation panel chairman Prof Stephen Cheung said the unveiling of the conceptual plans is an important milestone.

"We are looking forward to hearing what the public think as we move towards selecting a master plan for the district."

The questionnaires to be distributed during the stage-two exercise will ask the public to what extent the conceptual plan options have incorporated the mainstream opinions received in the stage-one exercise.

Consultation process

Public views will also be sought on individual attributes of each conceptual plan option, the phasing of the core arts and cultural facilities, as well as other arts and cultural facilities and education-related facilities that should be considered.

The conceptual plan options will be presented to the public in the form of scale models, interactive 3D models, photomontages and animated videos.

They will be available for viewing and comment during a series of exhibitions and public forums, and on the authority's website. People can also join guided tours to learn more about the plans.