FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1983
TEN BUILDINGS TO BE RESUMED FOR MTR WORK
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THE GOVERNMENT IS TO RESUME TEN FIVE-STOREY BUILDINGS IN LOCKHART ROAD AND HENNESSY ROAD FOR THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION, IT IS ANNOUNCED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE TODAY.
THE BUILDINGS INVOLVED ARE 530-540 LOCKHART ROAD AND 493-499 HENNESSY ROAD.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION HAD ESTABLISHED THAT WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES THESE BUILDINGS WOULD BE RENDERED DANGEROUS BY EXCAVATION AND TUNNELLING WORKS RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAUSEWAY BAY STATION AND TUNNELS.
INITIAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE EARLY POST-WAR BUILDINGS ADJACENT TO THE HENNESSY ROAD AND LOCKHART ROAD SITES CONCLUDED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED.
+HOWEVER, INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE EXTRACTION OF TIMBER PILES AND BOREHOLES DRILLED AFTER THE MTR CONTRACTORS OCCUPIED THE CLEARED STATION CONCOURSE SITES IN MAY LAST YEAR LED TO A RE-ASSESSMENT AND THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BUILDINGS WOULD BE MADE DANGEROUS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
BY THEN, MTR CONTRACTORS WERE ALREADY ENGAGED IN WORKS CRITICAL TO THE RAILWAY PROGRAMME.
VARIOUS METHODS OF PROTECTING THE BUILDINGS HAD BEEN EXAMINED BUT REJECTED AS THEY WOULD ALL HAVE RESULTED IN UNACCEPTABLE DELAYS TO THE SCHEDULED OPENING OF THE ADMIRALTY TO CAUSEWAY BAY SECTION OF THE RAILWAY IN MID-1985, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
WHEN RAILWAY WORKS IN THE AREA ARE COMPLETED THE GOVERNMENT WILL OFFER THE SITES BACK TO THE FORMER OWNERS.
A TOTAL OF 454 PEOPLE FROM 161 FAMILIES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE RESUMPTION.
OF THESE, 276 PEOPLE FROM 102 FAMILIES WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR PERMANENT PUBLIC HOUSING WHILE THE REST WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING.
THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT WHERE RESUMPTION POWERS ARE EXERCISED THE OWNERS, IN ADDITION TO STATUTORY COMPENSATION, MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE CERTAIN OTHER EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES PAYABLE WHEN POST-WAR BUILDINGS ARE RESUMED.
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