Heritage and development must exist side by side, says Tsang

Heritage conservation should not be carried out at the expense of infrastructural development, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said yesterday.

Entering the debate on the definition of collective memory, fuelled by the Star Ferry pier controversy, he called for more members of the public to express their views, to help strike a balance on the way forward.

'The growing interest in what we call collective memory has sparked something of an awakening in our community,' he said in RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong.

He said different people cherished different memories, varying from scenes of clashes or celebrations to individual experiences like a daily ferry ride.

'They are unique to every one of us, highlighting the difficulty of finding an answer to the heritage conservation question that satisfies everyone.'

The government was caught off guard last month when a group of young people staged a rowdy protest at the Star Ferry pier in Central in an attempt to stop workers from tearing down the clock tower, seen by commuters as part of their collective memory for half a century.