Historic sites to get fresh start under new chief

The chief executive yesterday responded to the recent rise in conservation controversies by setting up a Commissioner for Heritage Office and a partnership scheme under the Development Bureau to revitalize seven historic buildings.

The chief executive yesterday responded to the recent rise in conservation controversies by setting up a Commissioner for Heritage Office and a partnership scheme under the Development Bureau to revitalize seven historic buildings. Donald Tsang will set aside HK$1 billion for the scheme to help nonprofit organizations renovate and reuse historic buildings for social enterprises. Conservation initiatives for three sites were also announced - a HK$1.8 billion facelift for the Central Police Station compound, removing a former police married quarters from the land sale list for one year, and the complete preservation of the Wan Chai bazaar. But critics say the measures lack long-term vision and are only piecemeal in approach. The seven government-owned buildings in the revitalization scheme range from Grade I buildings to those not yet graded, including the 76-year- old Lui Seng Chun in Mong Kok and the North Kowloon Magistracy. After vetting, the bureau will offer financial support to successful applicants, such as a one-off grant to cover renovation costs, nominal rentals, or a possible grant to meet starting costs and operating deficits within two years. The bureau has earmarked HK$1 billion from the Capital Works Reserve Fund for renovation purposes. Government sources said this should be adequate for the current phase, which will continue if there is demand. The scheme will begin accepting applications early next year. Tsang's only reference to King Yin Lei, the Stubbs Road mansion that triggered controversy recently, was that the government would provide economic incentives for private owners to protect historic buildings. A Commissioner for Heritage Office will be set up in the Development Bureau to oversee heritage policy. Attempts to defuse potential conservation controversies were made. A HK$1.8 billion revitalization plan for the Central Police Station compound on Hollywood Road has been proposed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and accepted by the bureau. The former Police Married Quarters on Aberdeen Street will be removed from the land sale list for a year and revitalization proposals will be invited. The site once housed the Government Central School. The Father of modern China Sun Yat-sen was a student of the school before it moved to Aberdeen Street. Relics were excavated from the site earlier this year. The open-air bazaar on Tai Yuen Street and Cross Street in Wan Chai will be preserved. Earlier the Urban Renewal Authority had proposed relocating the hawkers. Heritage impact assessment will be mandatory for all public works projects, including both monuments and graded buildings. Critics said the measures indicated a good start but failed to offer institutional reform in heritage conservation policy. Others said the initiatives lacked detail and a concrete layout and appear to be just mending holes in the wall. Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chair of the Hong Kong People's Council for Sustainable Development, noted that Tsang's proposals were a positive response to civil society, but failed as a plan targeting a five-year development. Though a heritage policy is no where in sight, Bernard Lim Wan-fung, member of the Antiquities Advisory Board, praised the measures as a pragmatic approach on heritage conservation through specific tasks. The Standard