Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building, Government building in Yuen Long District, Hong Kong.
The Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building is a public facility that combines a library and sports center under one roof. Its different floors feature reading areas, fitness and training facilities, along with spaces for various activities.
The building descends from a Regional Council project originally called "Yuen Long Area 3 Public Library and Sports Centre", listed as a priority in the 2005 Chief Executive's Policy Address. Its site had been a park with two five-a-side football pitches, a roller-skating rink and a jogging trail. Funding was withdrawn in 2009 after residents complained of no consultation, and resubmitted in February 2010; construction started that year and ran late, with unpaid workers owed HK$2 million by January 2014. The name was approved in November 2014, the sports centre opened on 6 June 2017, the library on 19 June, and the building was formally opened on 20 November 2017.
The library opened on 19 June 2017 with about 140,000 items, and the sports centre had opened on 6 June 2017. The building was formally inaugurated on 20 November 2017 by Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and other officials. Its name was approved by the Yuen Long District Council in November 2014.
The sports center and library are located in a single building with clear signage and multiple entrances. Visitors should know that different areas have varying hours and registration may be required for some activities.
The building's oval shell design, capped at 35 metres to protect views from low-rise flats, was mocked by legislators as a "spaceship from outer space" out of keeping with surrounding estates. Its site was previously a park with two five-a-side football pitches, a roller-skating rink and a jogging trail.
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