VILLAGERS in fire-ravaged Tai O last night voted unanimously to accept a design plan that would see their historic stilt-houses rise from the ashes.
The new design - prepared by the Tai O Residents' Rights Concern Group - would see a new arrangement of about 62 stilt-homes built on two sites, occupying about 3,000 square metres.
There would also be a two-metre-wide fire escape passage between houses to meet fire-safety regulations.
The plan features a life-size model fishing boat as its centrepiece, offering a taste of Tai O as one of Hong Kong's oldest fishing villages. A monument would be erected next to the boat to recount the 300-year history of the village.
Drafting architect and group member Wong Chi-chuen said the proposal would be forwarded to the Planning Department as an alternative to the department's earlier revitalisation plan, which he said would effectively 'destroy Tai O'.
In the Government's plan, a visitors' centre and a handicraft centre built on stilts would be included on the two sites, forcing some villagers out.
Aside from the two centres, a series of other tourist attractions, such as a folk museum and waterfront promenades, are also proposed in the government plan, as are anti-flood walls.
