It is not often that an opportunity arises to defend naked self-interest as in the public interest. The owners of the International Finance Centre complex in Central have been quick to take advantage. There is obvious self-interest in their argument for the preservation of public open space that gives their tenants unobstructed views of the harbour and Central ferry piers. A spokesman for the owners says they are doing it for 'public benefit'. There is room for debate, however, as to whether their opposition to development balances the public interest.
This newspaper has been a staunch defender of public access to the harbour and an advocate of more open space to enhance living and working environments. They are causes that have won wide support from the public. It matters little whether one developer or property owner gains at the expense of another. It does matter, though, that we strike a sensible balance between development and the environment.
The government proposes a 30-storey office block in front of Two IFC and an 18-storey office or hotel building next door. IFC Development's alternative plan for 9,600 square metres of public open space with fountains and festival squares, restaurants, bars and performance areas, connecting the central business district with the harbourfront, is a worthy idea. A Development Bureau spokesman pointed out that it had to be balanced against other needs, like the demand for more office space when the economy rebounds.
The courts have drawn a line against any further reclamation of the harbour. Ironically it is past reclamation that has created an opportunity to make something of this prime piece of harbourfront open space. Perhaps we should now be thinking of smaller buildings. It is worth recalling too that Two IFC and the International Commerce Centre opposite on the Kowloon side of the harbour were envisaged as iconic city pillars. A 30-storey building in front of the 88-storey Two IFC will distract from that vision. There is an argument therefore to think of more imaginative ways to realise the value of land without sacrificing public and visual access. After all, the government responded to public demand for a more vibrant streetscape in the Central reclamation by splitting large buildings into smaller blocks. The answer may lie in taking advantage of the large land area and IFC's high podium levels to achieve low-rise floor space, and devoting more space, including roof area, to public access.