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Date :	29 November 2005 (Tuesday)
Time :	4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Venue :	Conference Room, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Agenda

1. Presentation by Urban Renewal Authority on Wan Chai Master Thinking
   (Board Paper AAB/41/2005-06)
2. Heritage Education and Publicity Plan of the Antiquities and Monuments Office For 2006
   (Board Paper AAB/42/2005-06)
3. Report on the Antiquities Advisory Board's Study Tour to Shanxi
   (Board Paper AAB/43/2005-06)

Present:

Mr Edward Ho, SBS, JP (Chairman)
Dr Chan Wai-kwan, JP
Mr Patrick Fung Pak-tung, SC
Mr Daniel Heung Cheuk-kei, SBS, JP
Mr James Hong Shu-kin
Mr Kwong Hoi-ying
Mr Billy Lam Chung-lun, SBS, JP
The Hon Patrick Lau Sau-shing, SBS, JP
Prof Bernard Lim Wan-fung
Mr Ng Yat-cheung, JP
Dr LindaTsui Yee-wan
Ir Dr Greg Wong Chak-yan, JP
Miss Sylvia Yau Siu-fee, JP
Ms Lisa Yip Sau-wah
Ms Heidi Kwok (Secretary)
    Senior Executive Officer (Antiquities and Monuments)
    Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Absent with Apologies:

Dr Chan Man-hung, JP
Prof Leslie Chen Hung-chi
Prof Kwok Siu-tong
Prof Peter Lam Yip-keung
Ms Paddy Lui Wai-yu, JP
Mr Almon Poon Chin-hung, JP
Prof Yeung Kin-fong

In Attendance:

Home Affairs Bureau

Mr Peter Kwok
Principal Assistant Secretary (Culture)2

Ms Elsa Wong
Chief Executive Officer (Heritage)

Miss Susanna Siu
Chief Curator (Heritage)

Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Mr Chung Ling-hoi, JP
Deputy Director (Culture)

Mr Gerard Tsang
Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums)

Dr Louis Ng
Executive Secretary (Antiquities and Monuments)

Mrs Ada Yau
Curator (Education and Publicity)

Ms Cissy Ho
Curator (Historical Buildings)

Mr Kevin Sun
Curator (Archaeology)

Mr Richie Lam
Senior Manager (Antiquities and Monuments)

Mrs June Tong
Principal Marketing Coordinator (Heritage and Museums)

Miss Addy Wong
Senior Marketing Coordinator (Heritage and Museums)

Ms Yvonne Chan
Executive Officer I (Antiquities and Monuments)

Planning Department

Mr Anthony Kwan
Assistant Director/Metro and Urban Renewal

Architectural Services Department

Mr S L Lam
Senior Property Services Manager/Eastern and Antiquities

Opening RemarksAction

The Chairman opened the meeting at 4:15 p.m.

Former Police Married Quarters Site at Hollywood Road (former Central School Site)

Presentation Session

2. Before proceeding to the agenda, the Chairman and Dr Louis Ng took the opportunity to update Members on the recent media coverage and public concern about the Site and to clarify some misleading information presented in the press. The following points were highlighted and additional information on the Site was tabled at the meeting for Members' reference:
   1. Dr Sun Yat-sen was educated at the Gough Street premises of Central School from 1884 to 1886. By the time the school moved from Gough Street to Hollywood Road, he had already left the school;
   2. in light of (a) above, the former school premises of Central School at Hollywood Road was not directly associated with Dr Sun. It had little historical significance as far as its association with Dr Sun was concerned;
   3. the school building of the former Central School at Hollywood Road was demolished in 1951. Relics of the School Site were only confined to the retaining walls surrounding the Site and two flights of steps along Hollywood Road and Staunton Street. The heritage value of the relics was not so significant as to warrant preservation under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance;
   4. in response to community concern, the AMO had proposed to Lands Department (Lands D) to include in the proposed land sale conditions the preservation of the existing stone wall along Shing Wong Street and a large portion of the retaining wall along Hollywood Road together with the trees growing on them in order to preserve the historical landscape of the Site;
   5. the authenticity of the retaining walls fronting Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street had been undermined by alterations over the years; and
   6. the Board was informed of the case at its meeting on 5 July 2005 and was in support of AMO's assessment of the heritage value of the stone walls as well as the preservation proposal.

Discussion Session

3. Prof Bernard Lim declared interest as a member of the Metro Planning Committee of Town Planning Board (TPB), which at its meeting of 25 November 2005 decided not to approve an application to rezone the Site from 'Residential (Group A)' (R(A)) to 'Government, Institution or Community' (G/IC) and requested that a planning brief for the Site be prepared by Plan D to address the applicants' concern about the needs to preserve the cultural heritage and historical features of the Site.
   
   Major comments and views expressed were as follows:
   1. irrespective of whether the former Central School site at Hollywood Road was associated with Dr Sun Yat-sen, the Central School was an important institution in the education history of Hong Kong. The fact that the retaining walls were the only relics left of the School site which had survived the course of time and interacted with community development enhanced their heritage value. The retaining walls should be preserved unless there were technical difficulties;
   2. in constructing the Hollywood Road Former Police Married Quarters in the 1950s, the architect might have seen some aesthetic merits in and hence preserved the retaining walls on the boundary of the Site despite making some alterations to them. It was worthwhile for the AMO to conduct research on the heritage value of the retaining walls fronting Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street to ascertain if they should be preserved and restored and to include the relevant terms in the proposed land sale in response to community call;
   3. the Board should not advise on whether the retaining wall at Staunton Street should be preserved or demolished by simply looking at its present appearance. Expert advice should first be sought on whether the wall could be reverted to its original state;
   4. if further research confirmed that the openings in the retaining wall on Staunton Street had been filled up, it might not be too difficult to restore the wall to its original state. However, restoration of the retaining wall would be based on the conservation principles of authenticity and integrity;
   5. while noting some aesthetic value of the retaining walls and the local sentiments attached to them, the Board should focus on their historical significance in considering their preservation in order to strike a balance between heritage preservation and future development of the site and the community;
   6. while the site had some historical value, it might not be justified to the extent of giving up redevelopment of the whole site simply to preserve the retaining walls. As limited work could be done at Aberdeen Street in view of the narrow passageway and the secondary entrance, consideration might only be made to restore the retaining wall fronting Staunton Street, which would however affect the road widening work;
   7. preservation of the retaining walls and the existing trees on Hollywood and Shing Wong Street had already provided a landmark of the Site. The historical value and feasibility of restoring the retaining wall on Staunton Street should be carefully assessed prior to proposing preservation in order not to sacrifice other community needs such as more greenery and open space, road widening, pedestrian safety, etc.
   8. the site served as a good example for implementing the conservation approach of 'point-line-facet'. As such, the staircases adjoining the retaining walls on Hollywood Road and Staunton Street should be retained as well to preserve the integrity of the retaining walls. By increasing the plot ratio of the site, the architect could overcome the design constraint posed by the retaining walls; and
   9. Members requested for more information on the original retaining wall fronting Staunton Street and suggested that it be opened up partly for investigation to further assess its heritage and architectural values before deciding whether it should be preserved;
4. The Chairman noted Members' diverse opinions. In summing up, he concluded that the site had no historical value as far as its association with Dr Sun Yat-sen was concerned. Its historical value as the second campus of the Central School had yet to be ascertained. The retaining walls on Hollywood Road and Shing Wong Street should be preserved as discussed in an earlier meeting. However, the historical value and preservation of the boundary walls at Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street and its impact on redevelopment and the community had to be carefully assessed. Instead of making a hasty decision, he suggested calling a special meeting if required for further consideration of the subject when more information was available.
5. Dr Louis Ng undertook to provide more information on the historical significance of Central School; the feasibility of restoring the original boundary walls fronting Staunton Street and Aberdeen Street; and the impact of the feasible options on the community for a thorough discussion at the next meeting. He referred to the media's recent criticism on AMO and reiterated that the AMO had not deliberately concealed the relevant information, which had been disclosed to the AAB in the first instance. The Chairman thanked AMO for providing the information and assistance in this subject.

Item 1 Presentation by Urban Renewal Authority on WAn Chai Master Thinking
(Board Minutes AAB/4/2005-06)

Presentation Session

6. Mr Billy Lam declared interest in the item as Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). He gave an introduction on the Wan Chai Master Thinking followed by a presentation by Mr David Au, Senior Manager, Planning and Development, URA, highlighting the following aspects:
   1. conservation and revitalization proposals in Wan Chai to optimize conservation opportunities for suitable adaptive re-use and proposal to set up heritage trails to connect the heritages; and
   2. though the URA redevelopment projects in Wan Chai were at different development stages, the Wan Chai Master Thinking was put forward at this point in time with a view to regenerate Wan Chai through the '4R' strategy for the benefits of local residents and the general public at large.

Discussion Session

7. Major views expressed and questions raised by Members were as follows:
   1. the Board placed high hope in the URA for conservation of historic buildings. URA had done a good job especially in the preservation and adaptive re-use of historic buildings in private hands;
   2. the Wan Chai Master Thinking seemed more like a redevelopment plan, which did not necessarily preserve all the old parts of Wan Chai considering URA's redevelopment projects there. The 'facet' aspect of the 'point-line-facet' approach could not be felt in the Wan Chai Master Thinking. Whether the area bounded by Chun Yuen Street and Wan Chai Road would be regenerated to realize the 'facet' approach; and
   3. would URA incorporate any traffic network improvement plan and the provision of underground carpark in areas where URA projects were concentrated to improve the traffic condition between Queen's Road East and Johnston Road;
8. In response, Mr Billy Lam made the following points:
   1. at present, URA's redevelopment projects had not extended that far to the south of Queen's Road East. They were confined to the old parts of Wan Chai, i.e. north of Queen's Road East, south of Johnston Road, west of Ship Street, and north of Tai Yuen Street However, there is an access road leading from Stone Nullah Lane to Kennedy Road. Additional access might also be provided in the future Mega Tower development;
   2. through redevelopment and rehabilitation, URA aimed to conserve historic buildings for adaptive re-use; to retain the distinctive characteristics of and to revitalize Wan Chai. Apart from Government, URA was the largest agent in heritage preservation. Unlike overseas countries like Australia, Malaysia, Singapore where preservation of historic buildings were governed by a separate building code, URA had encountered practical difficulties in preserving historic buildings, which had to comply with the building code for new buildings. It was hoped that the relevant regulations could be relaxed and new building code for preservation of historic buildings could be drawn up to facilitate and encourage adaptive re-use of historic buildings;
   3. apart from the four redevelopment projects at hand, URA had no other large-scale redevelopment plan in the old parts of Wan Chai. If the need arises, some minor redevelopment project may be carried out near the Chun Yuen Street garden to provide a town square to improve the traffic there. Nevertheless, residents would be encouraged to rehabilitate their buildings to preserve the look of the old community. However, private development within the area such as redevelopment of the Lung Moon Restaurant (龍門酒樓) was something beyond URA's control;
   4. the proposed pedestrianisation in the Wan Chai Master Thinking would compound the traffic problem and increase the demand for parking spaces. Some parking spaces have been planned in the Lee Tung Street redevelopment project. The proposal of constructing an underground carpark in Southorn Playground was reactivated at a recent Wan Chai District Council (WCDC) meeting. URA would discuss with Plan D on the feasibility of such proposal with a view to improve traffic and transport arrangement there;
   5. in the course of consultation, there was a proposal to establish a heritage trail to connect all the heritages in Wan Chai. The proposal was being further considered by the WCDC and other relevant organizations. Local residents had also given their valuable views and suggestions on how to revitalize the old parts of Wan Chai to create commercial opportunities for the preserved historic buildings; and
   6. the URA thanked the AMO staff for their close co-operation and exchange of views on heritage preservation, which had helped URA in implementing its projects.
9. Dr Louis Ng added that there was close liaison between AMO and the URA while AAB would be consulted on the preservation of built heritage. The AMO basically supported the overall concept of the Wan Chai Master Thinking and would closely liaise with URA and other relevant Government departments on its implementation.

Item 2 Heritage Education and Publicity Plan of the Antiquities and Monuments Office for 2006

Presentation Session

10. Dr Louis Ng briefly mentioned the heritage education and publicity plan, which was prepared according to the guidelines and principles in the strategy statement endorsed by the AAB. He said that at year-end, a heritage education and publicity plan for the next year would be prepared for Members' consideration and AMO would report work done during the year.

Discussion Session

11. Member suggested that the AMO report progress on the heritage education and publicity plan at half-yearly interval.

Item 3 Report on the Antiquities Advisory Board's Study Tour to Shanxi

1. The Chairman remarked that the Study Tour to Shanxi was fruitful and concluded with success. The delegation had gained valuable knowledge and experience from the tour. He commended the report which was prepared as a round-up to the study tour.

Item 4 Any Other Business

My Heart, My Home - 18 Districts Reach Out Together for Loveable Sights In Hong Kong
(情繫我家十八區共同尋找全港最愛景點)

13. The Chairman appealed to Members to participate in and to promote the project, which was jointly organised by HAB, 18 District Councils and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.
14. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.

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