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1. Heritage enthusiast battles against the wrecker's ball

1. Heritage enthusiast battles against the wrecker's ball
ANDY CHENG, SCMP 10 January 2005

Roger Ho Yao-sheng is on a mission to save Hong Kong's architectural heritage.

A marketing manager in the fashion business, Mr Ho's passion took root in his childhood, when he was raised in a tong lau, the type of low-rise residential building which sprang up across Hong Kong in the 1940s and 1950s.

At the forefront of his mission recently has been the battle to preserve the Central Police Station on Hollywood Road.

"I have heard students supporting turning the police station into another Soho or Lan Kwai Fong," said Mr Ho, 42. "If I knew nothing about its heritage, I would agree it was a good idea because it could give us more space for entertainment."

However, he believed the police station should instead be turned into a museum. He said education was the key to retaining more of Hong Kong's architectural heritage.

The police station was rich in cultural value because it encapsulated the history of the police force and was part of the city's collective memory.

The government last year revealed its intention to seek tenders for the redevelopment of the police station site. Seventeen of the 27 buildings on the site are slated for preservation, fully or in part.

Keen not to see the police station end up as another commercial development, Mr Ho contacted community groups, including Caritas and the Conservancy Association, to offer them advice on historic buildings for their education programmes.

Videos covering the history of the police station and other heritage buildings will be distributed by the groups to schools in a few weeks. Mr Ho said the groups' educational approach was better than taking part in street protests.

"If people are not told about the importance of the police station, they will not know why others are protesting."

Mr Ho said old buildings reflected a city's history and culture. "A city cannot have development without preserving its roots. We cannot pull down all the old buildings. In renovating an area, I would rather the Urban Renewal Authority preserve one of the old buildings and build the new buildings higher."

Mr Ho's other major concern is a cluster of 46 tong laus on Staunton Street in Sheung Wan.

After Mr Ho found out that the Urban Renewal Authority intended to renovate the area, he wrote to and met officials from various government departments to express his concerns. He is now busy meeting architects and residents to form a study group in order to exert more influence on the government. Mr Ho wants the buildings turned into a tong lau museum.