On the right track
What shall we do with the Central Police Station, an exceptional heritage site that has been gathering dust for a considerable amount of time because the government can't make a decision? To everyone's surprise, it was revealed in the chief executive's policy address on October 10 that the Jockey Club has been working with world-renowned architects to transform the site into performance spaces, shops and eateries. It appeared that the government had already decided the project would go ahead.
Shortly afterwards, a picture of the architects' proposal appeared in newspapers, causing a big reaction among the public, both positive and negative.
Not unreasonably, people began to question why the Jockey Club was involved, and how it had become involved in the first place without public knowledge. Under pressure, officials tried to reassure the public that no decision had yet been taken about the police station's future, and the club would consult the public on the project.
Questions were also asked about what had happened to the design and offer of money put forward by a group of Hong Kong families some years ago. Senior officials first said the problem was that the families had asked for the right to the site. That turned out to be incorrect. Then, officials said they didn't like the design. So, the public doesn't know what really happened in that instance; only that the government let the site continue to deteriorate.
As more questions were asked, the story of how the Jockey Club became involved began to unfold. Very senior Jockey Club officials apparently wanted to make a significant contribution to Hong Kong - the club is, after all, the city's most significant charitable donor - and began to take an interest in how to regenerate the Central Police Station, to make it a heritage landmark.
The club contacted a firm of European architects known for doing tasteful, top-quality work, often under challenging circumstances. It also approached the government to make an offer to pay for the renovation, renewal and redesign of the site, and then to form a special non-profit company to operate it. The idea was that the site should be financially sustainable. Now, the Jockey Club has been saddled with conducting the public consultation; it seems that the government has left it to fend for itself.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the Jockey Club putting forward a regeneration proposal. Had the process been more open, there would not have been so much negative speculation. Openness is almost always a good policy for the government to adopt, and this is especially true when there is a long-standing problem of trust between the community and the administration. The public is wary of backroom deals, when officials and powerful businesspeople rub shoulders so often.
The Jockey Club is not a commercial body but it is well-known that some of its stewards are very close to the government. The public does not overlook such relationships in assessing how decisions have been made - hence people's initial suspicion in this case. However, there does not appear to be cause for concern here.
Now that the background has been clarified, it is time to consider the design. Having seen it, I believe that the basic idea is on the right track - it should be a mixed-use site for the arts and people to mingle, folding in a variety of small-scale eateries and mostly indigenous shops. Indeed, it should blend well into the style and ambience of the SoHo area.
The problem is the tall spires at the back. While innovative, there are only two pockets of air space left in Central. The first is at this site, and the other is at the back of the Central Government Offices. These are like the lungs of a very built-up area. If their size is reduced, we all lose.
Surely the design can be modified without losing its fundamental concept or financial sustainability. It's time to talk and deliberate.
Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange
