Windows ripped out of Hong Kong’s historic Red House despite ongoing preservation talks
Lawmaker calls it a ‘slap in the face’ of development officials and heritage advisers who have been monitoring the building
Any moves to demolish a historic building, believed to be linked to Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China, have been hit by a government order.
The Development Bureau said it would declare the grade one Red House in Tuen Mun a “proposed monument” after parts of its window frames were torn down on Wednesday.
According to the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, the bureau may make such a declaration if a building is under the threat of demolition or renovation works that may affect its heritage value. No work may be carried out at the premises for a year.
“The government is highly concerned about the recent works carried out in and around the Red House. With the support of the Antiquities Advisory Board, the government will gazette its decision to declare the Red House a proposed monument as soon as possible, so that it can obtain immediate legal protection,” a bureau spokesman said.
The declaration was unanimously supported by board members yesterday. “The actions of the owner have clearly crossed the line,” board chairman Andrew Lam Siu-lo said.
The work was carried out despite ongoing discussions between the government and the representatives of the owner over preservation proposals for the two-storey structure.