The Secretary for Home Affairs has initiated action to declare the Morrison Building in Tuen Mun a monument under the Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance.
A notice was served on the HK Council of the Church of Christ in China, the building's owner, as a statutory requirement to declare the building a monument for permanent protection.
A breeding ground for scholars
The building, part of the Hoh Fuk Tong Centre, bears witness to the unique role played by Hong Kong in the history of modern China and the establishment of the People's Republic.
The building was originally part of a villa built in 1936 by General Cai Tingjie (1892-1968), who led the Nineteenth Corps against the Japanese invasion. It was used for tertiary education by the Dade Institute, founded under the directive of Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai and Dong Biwu from 1946 to 1949. Many eminent Chinese scholars had lectured there, nurturing a group of young intellectuals.
It was declared a proposed monument on April 11, a move that protected it for 12 months against the owner's demolition plan, which was submitted to the Building Authority earlier this year. The declaration of a proposed monument is not renewable on private land.
The Government has been negotiating with the owner on the preservation of the Morrison Building. However, no agreement could be reached.
It was necessary to consider declaring the building a monument because the owner may apply again for a demolition permit once the proposed monument status expires.
Failing to save the building from demolition would mean an irrevocable loss of our cherished heritage, the Home Affairs Bureau said.
Preservation will not affect ownership
As the statutory procedures to declare the building a monument will require several months to complete, the Government has to start the declaration process now.
It will not affect the owner's appeal against the earlier declaration of a proposed monument.
The Antiquities Advisory Board has been consulted and supports the declaration.
The owner can object by petition to the Chief Executive against the intended declaration.
If a declaration of monument is eventually made, it will be vetted by the Legislative Council as subsidiary legislation. There is a compensation provision under the ordinance.
The Government is willing to bear the conservation and maintenance costs of the building after the declaration, provided it will be open for public visits.
The ownership of the property will not be affected by the declaration. The owner can use, and pursue redevelopment of the Hoh Fuk Tong site provided that the declared monument is preserved in-situ.
The area intended for declaration covers only a very small portion of the owner's previously proposed redevelopment site.
Go To Top
|
