The historical former clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in North Point will house the interim mega museum M+ until the West Kowloon arts hub is completed, the government has confirmed.
The Grade 2 historical building had open space and the location was easily accessible, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs Esther Leung Yuet-yin said yesterday.
Ms Leung also said the budget of HK$21.6 billion should be given to the proposed West Kowloon Cultural District Authority at one go to show government commitment to arts and cultural development.
Her comment came as lawmakers expressed reservations over the single-instalment arrangement, saying the Legislative Council might lose its power in monitoring the approval of the huge sum of money.
Ms Leung said a single instalment would provide the authority with a 'stable' environment to develop the clusters flexibly.
'The HK$21.6 billion will mainly be used for constructing the arts and cultural facilities,' she said. 'It will obstruct the level of integration among these facilities if each project has to be assessed individually by Legco.'
She said most of the approved amount would be used for constructing the facilities, stressing that the arts hub would sustain itself financially with the operation of retail and dining facilities. The authority could borrow money from the government during bad times, she said, but it would not be allowed to sell its assets by getting listed.
