1 Market stall shuffle at Central site
Bonnie Chen, The Standard 29 July 2008

The Urban Renewal Authority plans to spend an extra HK$200 million to build a two-story wet market in the Graham street redevelopment project in Central.

The idea is to retain characteristics of the original market. But it will mean sacrificing a 100-space car park and the revenue it would generate in addition to trimming the value of the property . It will also extend the development period by up to two years, taking the completion date to 2014 at the earliest.

The arrangement will increase the budget of the project from HK$3.8 billion to HK$4 billion.

Authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said yesterday the market is actually outside the boundary of the project but the authority hoped to save the market from further shrinkage.

"Quite a number of old market stalls have been replaced by trendy shops, and the number of hawker stalls is decreasing due to the hawker licensing policy," Cheung said.

He said adjustments to the original plan were made after discussions with the conservation advisory panel, which is made up of district councilors, hawkers and residents.

The two-story building could accommodate 16 shops, he added, and the existing 14 wet- provision street stalls would have priority.

He said there would be 300 square meters of storage space, but stall operators would need to rent additional space.

"The additional development cost will be about HK$200 million," Cheung said. That will cover the extra expense for the longer redevelopment period of up to 18 to 24 months and relocation of the wet stalls.

He added that he realized returns on the project would be reduced without the sale of parking spaces and the overall value affected. But it was worthwhile to go ahead with the changes.

Cheung said affected shop operators would be allowed to continue operations up to the point of actual demolition.

Also, safety hoardings and protective walls will only be erected on one side of the street at any one time during the construction stage.

Temporary areas within the development area for the wet-provision shops will also be arranged.

The authority will hold a public forum early next month to collect views on the proposal.

 

2 Historic Building revitalized under MTR West Island Line Project
MTR Press Release, 29 July 2008

MTR Corporation has announced plans to revitalize the ex-Upper Levels Police Station on High Street – a Grade III historic building built in 1935 – as part of the West Island Line (WIL) railway project.

The ex-Upper Levels Police Station is a five-storey building with a floor area of 1,800 square metres. Until it was vacated in mid-2005, the building served as the Regional Headquarters of the Hong Kong Island Crime Wing of the Hong Kong Police Force.

The vacant building will be restored, together with a new annex building, to provide rehabilitation services including psychiatric daypatient and outpatient services, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services provided by the current David Trench Rehabilitation Centre on Bonham Road. It will have to be relocated in order to allow a new entrance to be built for the future Sai Ying Pun Station of the WIL.

We undertake to retain the architectural features of the ex-Upper Levels Police Station, the design of which was influenced by Stripped Classical, Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles,” said Mr Robert Seddon, Senior Design Management Architect of MTR Corporation. “These features include the columns, window frames and balconies, as well as the curves and patterns of the external walls.”

The building will also be fitted out to meet the special needs of rehabilitation services and their users. The balconies of the main building will be retained but need to be fully enclosed with glazing for safety and security reasons. Users of the building will have spectacular views of King George V Memorial Park and the Sai Ying Pun area. In addition, a new external glass lift tower and other installations will provide barrier-free access to the building and enable the mobility-impaired to move from floor to floor inside the building.

The new annex will be built to the north of the former Police Station. “A simple design will be adopted for the new annex to ensure harmony between the two whilst highlighting the architectural features of the old Police Station,” added Mr Seddon. On the ground floor, the two buildings will be connected by a covered weather-proof walkway.

The ex-Upper Levels Police Station is one of the historic buildings in the Central and Western District. The history of the ex-Upper Levels Police Station will be displayed in the new rehabilitation centre when it is opened to the public.

MTR Corporation has prepared a Heritage Impact Assessment and a Conservation Management Plan, which are under discussion with the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

It has also started consultations with the Central & Western District Council about the project. Further discussions with the Hospital Authority will take place on the detailed design of the new Rehabilitation Centre, which is expected to be in service in late 2010.

The existing David Trench Rehabilitation Centre will be demolished after all facilities have been relocated to the new site. Construction of the new railway entrance will commence thereafter.