1  Central Police Station structure approved
The Standard, Staff Reporter 16 July 2008

The Executive Council has decided to reduce the height and size of the structure proposed earlier for the Central Police Station.

The council made the decision as it entered into a partnership agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to push forward the HK$1.8 billion conservation and revitalization project of the Central Police Station compound at the Hollywood Road-Old Bailey Street junction.

 

2 Plans for historic Central site scaled back
Olga Wong, SCMP 16 July 2008

Designers are going back to the drawing board to devise a "substantially reduced" structure to be built above the historic Central Police Station compound - a revitalisation project endorsed in principle by the government yesterday.

But the maximum height of the new building - a bone of contention with objectors to the original plans - has not been fixed.

And it is not known whether the soaring glass structure designed for the Jockey Club by the Swiss architects of Beijing's "Bird's Nest" stadium will be retained.

They had proposed the tower feature arts facilities and an accommodation deck alongside the renovated buildings of the police station and Victoria Prison. But its proposed height - 160 metres - is controversial.

Under the design framework announced yesterday, the observation deck and two cinemas that would have been housed in the tower have been scrapped. A 500-seat theatre has been scaled down to a simpler, 350-seat venue, and a museum of law and order and a police service centre have been added to reflect the site's historical significance.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the rethink reflected the public's concerns. Jockey Club chairman John Chan Cho-chak said it showed there had been a genuine public consultation.

He said the revisions were based on the recommendations of a British conservation expert commissioned by the club, who said a new structure was necessary but the compound's spaciousness should not be compromised.

Mr Chan said the new design would lower costs, which might offset the reduced revenue the smaller arts and cultural facilities would generate.

Mrs Lam said any surplus from the project would be put into a trust for heritage conservation.

Local architects will be invited to introduce local features into the design, which will take a year to complete and another year to go through the planning process. Fringe Club director Benny Chia Chun-heng urged the government to implement the ideas as soon as possible.

Vice-chairman of the Town Planning Board Greg Wong Chak-yan welcomed the changes but he said the maximum height of a new building on the site should be 80 metres.

 

3 Councillors urge URA to redraw development plan for Staunton St
Joyce Man, SCMP 16 July 2008

District councillors will propose a motion calling on the Urban Renewal Authority to redraw its controversial plan for the historic Staunton Street area. "We want to ask the URA, is their way really the only way?" Central and Western District councillor Tanya Chan said yesterday.

She said private developers such as Juliette Chow Lip-ming, who bought and renovated a building at 64 Staunton Street, could provide better solutions, she said.

She and four other councillors toured the site with a district concern group that has been lobbying for the URA to rethink the plan, which has been criticised by opponents for destroying the area's cultural and historic character.

Ms Chan, district council chairman Chan Tak-chor and councillor Cheng Lai-king will propose the motion at a council meeting tomorrow, calling on the URA to respect residents' opinions on density, height, traffic, land use and safety, and to draw up a new plan for the site, designated H19.

URA director of planning and design Michael Ma is expected to attend the meeting.

"Hopefully, we can get support from members in other parties to pressure the URA to rethink its plan," Ms Chan said, noting that because the URA was applying to the Town Planning Board for permission for the plan, it could still be changed.

A URA spokesman said the authority had asked the board to defer consideration of the H19 application, "mainly to hear more opinions, at the Thursday meeting and from other people in the area".

The board was to decide on the application this month.

The URA plans to construct one eight-floor and two 30-floor buildings on an area of 3,568 square metres along Staunton, Bridges and Wing Lee streets above Sheung Wan. Residents fear the plan will obliterate the area's cultural and historic value - dozens of presses churned out printed materials in the area for decades, and more recently Ang Lee filmed Lust, Caution at 64 Staunton Street.