立志報道：Officials duty-bound to save historic pier, says Winston Chu

Officials duty-bound to save historic pier, says Winston Chu

South China Morning Post 2007-05-11 CITY1

The government insists Queen's Pier must be pulled down. Harbour protection activist Winston Chu Ka-sun says he will take the government to court if it tries to.

Authorities had a duty to protect it now that the Antiquities Advisory Board had accorded it Grade I historic-building status, he said yesterday.

Mr Chu, also a lawyer, said: The antiquities board has made the pier a Grade I building; under normal government practice it can become a monument, which will give it legal protection against demolition.

It has the duty to protect it; otherwise it will have to explain to the public. It will be illogical to demolish it. Now the government is consulting the people on the design of the Central waterfront, they should not pull it down before the people speak out.

Mr Chu, founder and adviser of the Society for Protection of the Harbour, said he would seek an injunction or apply for a judicial review to stop the government pulling down the pier.

The society has already taken the Town Planning Board to court for violating the Harbour Protection Ordinance over the Wan Chai reclamation. It also took the government to court over reclamation in Central.

Mr Chu was speaking after Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping - who is also the Antiquities Authority and, as such, responsible for asking the chief executive to declare a building a monument - reiterated the pier must be pulled down.

Dr Ho said: We respect the board's decision to make the pier a Grade I historic building. But at this stage, we have no plan to declare it a monument. We will consider reconstructing it at the present location.

The government had no comment about Mr Chu's threat.

Its antiquities advisers decided to accord the pier Grade I historic status on Wednesday, but officials were quick to play down the consequences of the decision.

The government faced renewed calls yesterday to declare the pier a monument.

The Institute of Architects voiced hope the pier would be granted such status, and urged the antiquities board to also grant historic status to City Hall and Edinburgh Place.

Democratic Party legislator Lee Wing-tat told Dr Ho that the party would oppose a government request for funding to pull the pier down.