Hong Kong

HK$10 million to be spent removing ancient well from future MTR station

Ancient structure in future MTR station to be disassembled and then rebuilt under plan approved by the government yesterday

Timmy Sung

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Published: 1:30am, 9 Dec, 2014

Updated: 4:33pm, 9 Dec, 2014

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Members of the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) visit the construction site of To Kwa Wan Station of the Shatin to Central Link. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The government announced yesterday that it would accept its heritage advisers' recommendation to dismantle, remove and then reassemble an ancient well unearthed at the future To Kwa Wan station on the MTR's Sha Tin to Central rail link, saying it did not want to cause further delay to the project.

The project is already 11 months behind schedule because of the archaeological dig, and as a result the section connecting Tai Wai to Hung Hom will not be able to open by December 2018 as scheduled.

The Development Bureau's announcement came after the Antiquities Advisory Board last week endorsed the cheapest of four options to conserve the ancient well, which dates to the Song (960-1279) or Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties.

Under the HK$10 million plan, the well would first be removed from what will be the roof of the To Kwa Wan station, and then rebuilt nearby. Development Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said authorities would allow flexibility on how to restore it to increase the education value.

"If we can remove the well and dismantle it after a detailed recording, then we can get a better understanding of its structure and the techniques used in building it," Chan said.

Chan's announcement came less than a month after the government proposed preserving seven other archaeological features, including two square wells, where they lay in the site. He insisted the decision was not made hastily and there was enough time for the public to study information available in the past six months.

Development Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said authorities would allow flexibility on how to restore the well to increase the education value. Photo: Sam Tsang

The minister also said it was the best option because it could minimise the engineering risk, the impact on the progress of the rail development and the cost. The most expensive option to preserve the well would cost around HK$1 billion.

The MTR Corporation had estimated preserving the seven features in situ would cost HK$4.1 billion. Some HK$1.7 billion of that money is reserved for contractors to seek compensation for the project's delay, according to a government paper.

But Albert Lai Kwong-tak, policy convenor of The Professional Commons think tank, accused Chan of misleading the public, saying the HK$10 million plan did not include the money for restoring the well in the future. He also slammed the government for not carrying out a public consultation on the proposals. "There were no channels for the government to collect public views. The process deviates from its normal procedure," Lai said, adding that the decision was made in a rush.

As for other stone structures dated to the Song-Yuan period, found in a planned entry tunnel to the station, the government said they would remain for now as an alternative tunnel arrangement was studied.