The owner of Ho Tung Gardens has rejected a government plan to declare the property a monument after the expiry of the one-year provisional monument status in January.
Ho Min-kwan turned down a land swap offered by the government and insisted on demolishing the main house of the villa as she believes it has no historical or architectural value. But, she has offered to give away some of the elements in the Chinese-style garden so that officials can reconstruct them on another site, if they wish.
Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had earlier said negotiations between the two sides were deadlocked and the final decision has to be made by the Chief Executive in Council.
Ho Tung Gardens, located at No 75 Peak Road, occupies 11,520 square metres. The property was badly damaged during the second world war. Due to neglect for many years after the war, it became dilapidated. The house was then divided into different apartments and rented to outsiders. The family reoccupied it in the 1960s. Many important visitors to Hong Kong stayed there, including former US president George H.W.Bush, when he was chief of the US liaison office on the mainland.
In terms of heritage value, the architecture of Ho Tung Gardens is not exceptional. The structure pales in comparison to some other Chinese Renaissance architecture, even though it represents an integral part of Hong Kong's colonial history. It's understandable that the owner wants to demolish the main house for redevelopment.
The opposition mainly stems from the fact that Hong Kong people have become increasingly concerned with heritage conservation in recent years.