Saved from the wrecking ball: old Hong Kong buildings given a new lease of life

Having transformed a police station into a hotel and a hospital into a Chinese centre – the Hong Kong government’s scheme to preserve and repurpose historic buildings has saved several heritage structures in recent years.

Yet experts say that such efforts now need to be drastically expanded and scrutinised as the city continues down a road of rapid development.

Established in 2008, the revitalisation scheme is run by the Development Bureau and aims to conserve government-owned historic buildings that are vacant and have limited commercial viability through repurposing them as social enterprises.

More Hong Kong heritage being saved, but critics question uses it’s being put to

Although the programme has been hailed as a rare success for the government by some experts, others say too few buildings are covered by the scheme and call its emphasis on ensuring projects become financially sustainable in the long run “problematic”.

“If you think that just by keeping those buildings in place – which means that you don’t tear them down – [is enough] then it may be called successful,” Conservancy Association senior campaign manager Peter Li Siu-man said. “But if you see what’s being sacrificed – it may not be so good. Almost every building in the scheme has been heavily modified.”