LCSD public beach areas being taken over by private businesses

[pb1234]

So does anybody know what the deal is with those areas designated for public use by LCSD at the beach but end up being taken over by a barb/ restaurant? Was at Shek O the other week and discovered that the terrace / patio area near the toilets was now the al fresco dinning area for a restaurant. I used to just sit there with my mates and a few beers in the evening before and I thought this was the point of the area. See photo attached for spot I'm talking about. There was still an LCSD sign there saying the area was for general public use...

Am I missing something here?

[emx]

Quite a few of the LCSD beach areas have private food/drink concessions mixed in with the public areas:

Stanley Main Beach, South Bay Beach (not sure if its still open), Big Wave Bay (HK Island)

[pb1234]

This one was not really mixed though - they had tables laid out with linen and stuff and waiting staff and it was pretty clear the general public did not have access to it.

[jimbo]

This one was not really mixed though - they had tables laid out with linen and stuff and waiting staff and it was pretty clear the general public did not have access to it.

Might be the same setup with Red at IFC where the outdoor seating area is actually available to the public without having to purchase food and drink from Red.

A big clue is if the outdoor seating area is table service or you need to order inside. If the former it's private area if the latter public.

[Prefab Sprout]

Common practice in Hong Kong to spill half of your restaurant out onto the pavement and beyond. Many even cordon off areas of public land and set up marquees and so on. There was supposed to be a crackdown but, unsurprisingly, the HKGOV failed to put words into action.

[anothercanuck]

there was an old thread on this when south bay beach bar was closed...I thought LCSD was moving away from concessions on public property...

http://hongkong.geoexpat.com/forum/8/thread214705.html

[Bob Loblaw]

I can't stand stuff like this. You want to take public space, then you should let people wander into your restaurant and sit without eating.
Or, do this in Western Sahara or Siberia where there's space galore. Folks are always doing this in Manhattan. Drives me nuts.

[HK_Katherine]

On the other hand, it's nice to have a restaurant at the beach. Folks were mighty pissed off when the other one closed.

[pb1234]

The problem I have is that this particular restaurant looked like it was really expensive and for what I could see people eating, you were paying more for the location than the food. Which is why I thought it was particularly cheeky because I'm convinced the location itself (the outdoor seating) is LCSD public property... or at least it was when Zanzibar (club / bar) was there a while back, and whilst it was sometimes awkward, ultimately they never stopped the general public from using the open patio area.

[bookblogger]

If the authorities ignore BMWs and Benzes parked at bus stops now, which I saw half a dozen times in Central today, they're not going to take action against other private occupation of public land.