West Kowloon Cultural District

2014 continued to be a year of financial pressure for the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) while it progressed towards its goals of partially-opening in 2017. At the beginning of the year, with the objectives of increasing income and reducing expenditure, WKCDA suggested raising the plot ratio to accommodate bigger floor area, and implementing hire-freeze. Capital available to the WKCDA would only cover the construction of phases 1 and 2 facilities. When inquired about the status of the 3rd phase construction, Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration, said that it would be a waste of resources to construct such facilities should the cultural standard of Hong Kong remained to be sub-optimal. Her remarks induced aggravation from the local cultural sector. The delay of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) construction has impacted the date for the MTR Corporation to return the borrowed land to WKCDA, which in turn pushes back the construction schedule of the West Kowloon Cultural District (the District). In February 2015, Michael Lynch, Chief Executive Officer, tendered his resignation. Lynch would leave the post from August 3, 2015.