Secret study on Hong Kong’s Palace Museum site revealed in new twist
Details of ground work only made known more than two months after contract was awarded, raising more questions about transparency
The controversy surrounding the Palace Museum project took a new twist yesterday when it was revealed yesterday that details of a HK$3 million geotechnical study to prepare for construction were only made known to members of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority more than two months after the contract was awarded.
Internal documents obtained by FactWire News Agency also showed that architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee had commissioned an engineering firm to conduct a feasibility study 20 days before he was appointed to spearhead the design, adding to the barrage of questions about the transparency of the project.
The authority denied it had tried to hide the expenses, maintaining payment was made from development budget and that it did not involve public infrastructure works.
The HK$3.5 billion museum drew controversy when it was announced in December by former chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. The secrecy of the deal and lack of a consultation – even though the Jockey Club, not taxpayers, was picking up the tab – caused a political storm and prompted the authority to launch a three-month exercise to gather public opinion.
FactWire alleged yesterday that the authority had tried to perform ground investigation (GI) works at the future museum site in the West Kowloon Cultural District in early September.