Head of Hong Kong heritage office sorry for ‘insensitivity’ over plan to demolish striking century-old site, but unanswered questions fuel backlash
- Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang says authorities did not know significance of site and thought there was only an ordinary water tank
- Antiquities office to complete thorough study in a few months’ time after public discovery halts works
While officials claimed they were only aware of a “water tank” on paper when they allowed the demolition to go ahead, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) had clearly documented the existence of the cavernous structure with its huge stone and brick arches on a hilltop in Shek Kip Mei.
A day after the project was halted because of a public outcry, Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang Chi-ho visited the abandoned service reservoir on what is known as Bishop Hill, and admitted that officials should have looked into whether the site should be protected.
He said heritage officials previously decided there was no need to take a closer look at the structure after they were told by waterworks engineers it was just a “tank” at a meeting in 2017.
“We did not know it was a special tank. We thought it was just a normal tank,” Chang said.
Chang and WSD engineers inspected the site after members of the public set social and news media abuzz with striking images of the arches.
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Demolition of Hong Kong old reservoir halted after calls for heritage assessment
WSD workers had started to knock off chunks at the disused site, meant to be handed over to the Lands Department to decide on a new function.