Creative proposals selected to revitalise historic buildings

Six creative and quality projects proposed by non-profit-making organisations (NPOs) have been selected to preserve and revitalise the first batch of historic buildings under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme.

These projects are:

Old Tai O Police Station

Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation Limited will turn the former police station into a boutique hotel with nine suites, a roof top cafe, a library and an exhibition area to display the history of the former police station.

Fong Yuen Study Hall

The Social Service Department of Yuen Yuen Institute will set up a tourist and education centre with a fishermen's museum and a multi-purpose room for classes and activities. It will run eco-tours and Chinese cultural and arts courses.

Lai Chi Kok Hospital

Hong Kong Institution for Promotion of Chinese Culture will set up a centre for the promotion of Chinese culture and national education, with 19 classrooms, exhibition halls, a hostel of 85 guest rooms and landscaped gardens.

Lui Seng Chun

Hong Kong Baptist University will turn the building into a Chinese medical healthcare centre with five consultation rooms, a shop selling Chinese herbs and herb tea, an exhibition area on the history of the building (on the verandah) and a roof-top herbal garden.

North Kowloon Magistracy

SCAD Foundation (Hong Kong) Limited will turn the former Magistracy into an art and design school with approximately 40 classrooms, providing 1,500 full-time student places for local and overseas students for the study of various courses related to digital media. SCAD represents the Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States.

Mei Ho House

The Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association was selected to turn the building into a youth hostel with 124 hostel rooms of varying sizes, a cafe and a convenience store, function rooms and a museum on the history of public housing in Hong Kong.

Old Tai Po Police Station

As no suitable proposal is recommended, the building will be put into the second batch of the Revitalisation Scheme.

Announcing the selection results at a press conference today (February 17), the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, said all the projects selected were able to deliver the dual objectives of the revitalisation scheme, i.e. preserving those historic buildings and at the same time putting them for use in the best interest of the community. Additionally, they are making significant contributions to the development of arts and culture, tourism, creative industries and traditional Chinese medicine.  

"The Government will allocate $490 million for renovating the historic buildings, except the North Kowloon Magistracy, which will be renovated at the applicant's own cost. Funding of $11 million will also be reserved for the operation of the four social enterprises in initial years.

"These revitalisation projects will create about 1,000 jobs during the construction period, and about 500 full-time and part-time jobs upon commissioning.

"Heritage conservation is an important and long-lasting endeavour. Despite the financial tsunami, the Government is determined to implement the heritage conservation policy, and to allocate more resources to take forward various heritage conservation measures," she said.

Mrs Lam also announced the historic buildings to be included in the second batch of the Revitalisation Scheme. They are the Old Tai Po Police Station; the Blue House Cluster in Wan Chai; the Stone Houses in Kowloon City; the Old House at Wong Uk Village, Sha Tin, and the Former Fanling Magistracy.

"Although formal invitation will only be launched by middle of the year upon completion of the conservation guidelines, early announcement will enable interested organisations to start preparing their proposal," Mrs Lam said.

She expressed gratitude to all members of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings for their devotion and professionalism in selecting the most suitable proposals. The committee, chaired by Mr Bernard Chan, had spent more than 90 hours in 16 meetings to access 114 applications submitted by 102 NPOs.

Mr Chan said at the press conference that apart from the encouraging number of applications, the quality of the applicants was in general very high. 

He said that all the applications were scrutinised in accordance with a marking scheme comprising the following five aspects:

- reflection of historical value and significance;
- heritage preservation;
- social enterprise operation;
- financial viability; and
- other factors, such as the applicant's management capabilities and past experience

"The selected projects have a different variety of themes including tourism, education, medical service, as well as creative industry. Some of the selected applicants are well-established welfare organisations while some are newly formed organisations with support from the commercial sector.

"Although these proposals have different characteristics and serving different client groups, they can all achieve the objectives of making full use of the historic buildings and promoting social enterprises," Mr Chan said.  

The Development Bureau will promote the projects to the community through a series of roving exhibitions. It will also work closely with the selected applicants in taking forward the funding proposals and render necessary assistance in complying with the various required administrative and statutory procedures.

Details about the selected projects and the roving exhibitions can be obtained from (www.heritage.gov.hk).

Ends/Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:00

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Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, announces the selection results of the buildings included under Batch I of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme at a press conference on February 17. Looking on is Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings, Mr Bernard  Chan (left). Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, unveils the selection results of the buildings included under Batch I of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme with Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings, Mr Bernard Chan, at a press conference on February 17. Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Revitalisation of Historic Buildings, Mr Bernard Chan, take a group photo with successful applicants of the buildings included under Batch I of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme and members of the Advisory Committee at the press conference on February 17.

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