Members of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee's Southeast Kowloon subcommittee also wanted to know whether the government considers the committee's efforts to encourage public participation "a waste of time'' and whether it already has a preconceived plan for the former airport site.

Skepticism about the Kai Tak plan arose last week after Town Planning Board chairwoman Rita Lau voiced impatience over a public consultation report presented by the Conservancy Association.

Lau was reported as saying that the consultations ``cannot go on forever.''

Alvin Kwok, a member of the association, questioned Lau's role in the planning process, saying she was already heavily involved as the chairwoman of the Town Planning Board, Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands and as a member of the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee. However, Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Ava Ng assured members that the board did not think public involvement was a ``waste of time.''

``We treasure [public involvement] in the planning process. Planning is an ongoing process, there is no beginning or end to it,'' she said. Paul Zimmerman, of the Business Environment Council, wanted to know what the government could do to speed up plans for Kai Tak's future instead of pushing for an end to public consultation.

``The quality of our input is only as good as your execution,'' he said, while calling for better communication among the groups involved.

He and others also raised doubts about the government's preference for certain proposals, saying a cruise liner terminal and multi-purpose stadium appear to have been given much more weight than proposals for water sports or an ``eco-city.''

Kwok said: ``We want to be open-minded so that the final product will reflect public opinion.''

The Kai Tak subcommittee is working towards the second of three stages of a planning review, which aims to involve the general public in Kai Tak's development.

In addition to public forums, Web sites and workshops, there is talk of a program to encourage youth participation.

Although plans for Kai Tak, which involved reclamation of about 133 hectares, were approved by the chief executive in 2002, they had to be abandoned after the Court of Final Appeal ruled last year that reclamation can only be justified by over-riding public need.

The Kai Tak Planning Review

is expected to be completed by mid 2006.

staff.reporter@singtaonewscorp.com