Minister calls time on wreckers
Better late than never, say conservationists as mansion declared proposed monument
The battered King Yin Lei mansion is being declared a proposed monument in an effort to save it from further damage - days after workers began hacking at the 71-year-old building with sledgehammers and jackhammers.
Defacement of the Chinese mansion in Stubbs Road continued yesterday even after the government announced the change in status - described by conservationists as 'better late than never' - which will not take effect until it is gazetted today.
After consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board yesterday afternoon, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said: 'Fearing that the present works in King Yin Lei will affect the integrity of the building, I decided to declare it a proposed monument.'
Under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, once a building is declared a proposed monument, it is subject to stringent controls. Mrs Lam said no further work could be carried out on the rare mansion. 'No one can demolish, remove, obstruct, deface or interfere with the building.'
Even after Mrs Lam's announcement, workers at the mansion smashed windows and took sledgehammers and diggers to the balustrades and walls. Workers also smashed the tip of a pavilion in the garden of the Mid-Levels mansion after removing all the green tiles.
Work continued until 6pm.
Mrs Lam noted that the government had made a rare move by publishing a special Gazette today, as normally all government notices are gazetted on Friday.
The gazetted order will last 12 months and protects the building, with immediate effect, until the Antiquities Authority can determine whether it qualifies as a monument.
Betty Ho Siu-fong, chairwoman of the Conservancy Association, which has been fighting for the building's preservation since 2004, described the move as 'a late spring'.
'But still, it is better late than never. The government should have done it before any damage was done,' she said. 'We do not have many buildings with heritage value left in the city. We should act fast to save them.'
Since Tuesday, conservationists have vowed to fight to preserve the building. Many of its distinctive features, including the green roof tiles and red brick walls, have been damaged or destroyed over the past few days. The three golden Chinese characters 'King Yin Lei' on a plaque at the gate were also destroyed.
It is not the first time the government has intervened in this way to protect private premises. In 2004, it proclaimed the Morrison Building in Tuen Mun a monument. And in April this year, the European-style Jessville mansion in Pok Fu Lam was declared a proposed monument. The government plans to contact its owner to discuss preservation options.
Shih Wing-ching, chairman of property agent Centaline, said the odds were high that King Yin Lei's owner would demand compensation. Owners can claim compensation if they can prove they suffered financial losses as a result of the declaration.
Mr Shih said the impact of the government's action could be 'scary' because 'anything built with style could become a monument'.
