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Blue House residents want say in revamp

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Occupants of the historic Blue House cluster of buildings in Wan Chai want a say in selecting who will take over their properties.

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The second phase of a heritage revitalisation scheme started taking applications from NGOs yesterday. Earlier this year six government-owned historic buildings were rented out as social enterprises.

The latest scheme covers the cluster and four other historic sites.

The Development Bureau has suggested the Blue House cluster in Stone Nullah Lane be an education or visitor centre, or recreation and welfare facility. The commissioner for heritage, Jack Chan Jick-chi, said it would be the first revitalisation project that kept its residents as well as the structure.

'The people are an important element of the history. We will require in the rental contract the NGO to charge a reasonable rent level to the tenants who stay,' he said.

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The successful NGO would initially have to freeze rents, Mr Chan said, but after operations had started adjustments could be made every two or three years according to the consumer price index. It would also have to arrange interim housing nearby.

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