Villagers blame cracks in historic house on piling, but developer and experts deny it

Twenty villagers in Sheung Shui have demanded a developer halt construction work near their homes and repair a historic building which they say was damaged by piling work on the building site.

They protested yesterday outside the construction site in Kwu Tung South village, where Sun Hung Kai Properties is extending its Europa Garden estate. The villagers claim piling caused cracks in the walls of the grade-three listed Manor House.

The company denies the piling caused the cracks and two reports commissioned from independent consulting engineers by one of the protesters support its contention.

Nevertheless, Tsang Kar-sun, who commissioned the reports and who is a co-owner of the mansion, said: 'I am ready to die for this.' On Monday he threatened to commit suicide unless the developer repaired the house.

He claims cracks appeared in staircases, columns and walls throughout the Manor House after piling began in November 2006.

'Water is flowing through the roof, and I don't even know what to do when it rains,' he said.

Built between 1936 and 1941, the fortified house was owned by Tsang Sin-kin, a Nationalist general and a staff officer of Chiang Kai-shek.