Concrete Analysis | City must adopt proactive policies to protect, preserve heritage buildings
Existing government system for protection of old buildings still has significant gaps that urgently need to be closed
There has been much in the media recently regarding the Red House, a Grade 1 villa located on farmland in Pak Kok near Tuen Mun. Ownership changed hands in November last year at HK$5 million and concerns regarding demolition were first expressed last month when some tenancies were terminated and damage inflicted to parts of the surrounding walls (not included in the grading). Since then further damage has been done to the house itself resulting in the government taking action to declare it a “proposed monument”.
Many believe the house served as a base for republican revolutionaries who overthrew the Qing dynasty in 1911 including Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China. Others have doubts about the linkage with Sun himself as there appears to be no real certainty as to the date of construction of the house itself; however this does not change the fact that Red House is a Grade 1 heritage building and only adds to the challenges faced in conserving the city’s built heritage. I will come back to Red House later but believe there is first a need to explain the context within which decisions regarding built heritage conservation in Hong Kong are considered.
The Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance has been in effect since 1976, a time when economic growth and expansion were the drivers of the day and most, although not all, of the community supported such policies with the result that issues like heritage conservation, adequate open space, the environment and similar issues were not considered to be as important as building more infrastructure, more housing, more offices and bigger shopping centres.
To be fair, the system has improved, thanks to the various bodies involved doing much to increase their transparency
In fact the ordinance almost seems to have been written with a view to limiting what might be regarded as worthy of conservation with only a narrow definition of built heritage – historic or architectural significance. In addition, the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is just that – it has no executive powers and is reliant on others within government to implement its recommendations. Various heritage policy consultations and engagements have taken place over the years but unfortunately review and upgrade of the ordinance have always been regarded as an unnecessary outcome.