Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park – The Excitement is Building!
Posted by Richard Poulter on Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Last year we gave you a development update and here we are again to share the current status of this enormous project! The Kai Tak Sports Park development is underway with 3 major consortia already shortlisted and currently tendering for this circa HK$28B mega project.
The Kai Tak Sports Park will spread across about 28 hectares. It will occupy the north apron of the former Hong Kong International Airport in Kai Tak, Kowloon City. It is the most important Hong Kong sports infrastructure project in recent decades and the sports park will be the largest in Hong Kong. The Sports Park will provide multi-purpose sports venues that will allow the hosting of major international sports events and provide our athletes with more opportunities to compete at a home venue with players from other parts of the world. It will also provide many facilities for professional and amateur athletes as well as members of the public to enjoy.
The key sports facilities of the Kai Tak Sports Park will include a main stadium with a retractable roof, seating capacity of around 50,000 allowing for hosting major sports events such as international football and rugby matches, and leisure and entertainment events and other uses such as concerts, carnivals and large community events; a public sports ground with a seating capacity of around 5,000 suitable for hosting school athletic events, athletic training and local football matches and open for members of public to jog, exercise and play football during non-event days; and an indoor sports arena with a seating capacity of around 7,000 providing a playing surface equivalent to around 30 standard badminton courts during non-event days for community badminton, basketball, volleyball and other indoor sports activities.
The Sports Park will also provide a landscaped park with an area of more than 7 hectares for the public to relax or enjoy outdoor exercise. Facilities including a children's playground, a fitness area, a jogging track, a cycling track and outdoor sports courts will be constructed. Other facilities under planning include ancillary facilities such as retail space, food and beverage areas, a hotel and office space for the sports community and related industries.
The new complex will allow Hong Kong to compete with neighbouring Asian countries to attract foreign sports teams and events. The stadium is highly anticipated within the sporting community with the new stadium allowing for up to extra 10,000 people to attend popular events such as the rugby sevens.
Development
As part of the Kai Tak development there are various schemes planned including: commercial, leisure, residential and other public facilities.
Commercial: commercial elements will include 57,000 m2 of retail and F&B space, 2,500 m2 health and wellness centre, 3,000 m2 dining cove, various hotels and over 850 parking spaces. This will help promote tourism within the area.
The Kai Tak Development will provide nearly 50,000 new flats housing an estimated population of 134,000 residents. The 3 main residential areas will be: Kai Tak City Centre, Grid Neighbourhood and Runway Precinct
Transport Links
Development of the Kai Tak area and new sports complex will be heavily integrated in to the new Shatin to Central Link (SCL) MTR projects which are currently under construction. This will allow easy access for the public and events goers, as well as helping to ease traffic congestion in the surrounding areas. Kwa Wan Station and Kai Tak MTR Stations will provide to direct access to the stadium.
An onsite elevated monorail system has also been suggested to compliment the MTR access and help move people in and out of the site. The monorail system would connect to Kai Tak Station, Kowloon Bay Station and Kwun Tong Station, and would be 9kms long running through the length of the Kai Tak development with 12 stations.
Progress Update
Three major consortia have been shortlisted to bid for the build and operate sports park scheme. The tender process is underway and is expected to be completed in 6 months with the first spade in the ground targeted for Q4 2018 and completion in 2022.
We expect this major project to help create a number of excellent job opportunities for both expatriate and local candidates. Quantity Surveying, Commercial Manager, Engineering, Construction Manager and Project Director appointments are all likely to be in demand once work begins.
In addition, we invite specialists with major stadia experience, in risk management, planning, environmental and sustainability, design, contracts and procurement to get in touch immediately to hear about the positions available at this time.
Richard Poulter
Recruitment Director, Hong Kong
I am responsible for the recruitment business in Hong Kong, Asia, and the Middle East. I was a civil engineer and project manager for 15 years before becoming a construction industry recruiter in 2004. I am based in the Hong Kong office and excel at placing professionals in engineering, project management, planning and HSEQ/risk.
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Email: richard@maximrecruitment.com