Heritage advisers to rate historic political retreat Fanling Lodge
Conservationists want to keep the summer home of colonial governors that was also the scene of secret Sino-British talks before the handover
Heritage advisers will be rating Fanling Lodge, the 80-year-old summer residence of colonial governors that is facing an uncertain future because of a new town development.
Already, some of them say the lodge - which was the scene of secret Sino-British talks before the 1997 handover - is historically significant and should be preserved and used as a public facility in a future new town.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has used it to host top government advisers and ordinary Hongkongers, such as students.
The South China Morning Post learned that the lodge recently made it to a list of 200 newly identified sites slated for historic grading by the Antiquities Advisory Board, which has been rating 1,440 such sites in the past few years.
Last month, Leung said he was willing to surrender the lodge for a new town development. A study, covering the site and the surrounding Hong Kong Golf Club, would start next year.
Asked if this meant the lodge would be demolished, a Development Bureau spokeswoman said: "It is too early to tell.
"The advisory board would flexibly advance its discussion on the grading of a new item [among the 200] in case of cogent needs such as demolition threat."