Antiquities board chairman backs public access to MTR station relics

While two prominent archaeologists have raised doubts over the MTR's plan to redesign To Kwa Wan station to preserve unearthed relics, the head of the Antiquities Advisory Board has argued that public display should be an important consideration when deciding how to handle the artefacts.

"The display of the relics was our top consideration during our discussion," said board chairman Andrew Lam Siu-lo. "We can't say we would just dismiss concerns over financial costs or possible delays of the railway project … but the public has to be able to see the relics to understand the history behind them. If people can't see them, it is meaningless."

While acknowledging that archaeologists may hold different opinions from academics, Lam said board members - as the government's heritage advisers - should listen to the collective view of society. "An archaeological perspective may be different from a public perspective when it comes to the conservation of a site," he said.

Lam also said that the money spent directly on the relics formed just a small part of the cost estimate announced by the MTR Corporation, and that a large portion was provision for compensation claims that may be made by contractors, due to delays.

According to a breakdown of the cost estimate, which the MTR submitted last week, the extended archaeological dig has caused the budget to overrun by HK$3.1 billion. Of that amount, HK$1.7 billion has been set aside for possible compensation claims.

The MTR Corporation said the recently announced initiatives to preserve the archaeological features in situ would cost another HK$1.01 billion.