XN000022-1978-06-05 — Page 3

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MONDAY, JUNE 5, 1978

REPLY TO HONG KONG HERITAGE SOCIETY'S PETITION TO THE QUEEN

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THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, MR. DEREK JONES, ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT AND ON THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, REPLIED TODAY (MONDAY) TO THE PETITION THE HONG KONG HERITAGE SOCIETY SENT IN MARCH TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN CONCERNING PRESERVATION OF THE FORMER KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY BUILDING AT TSIM SHA TSUI.

MR. JONES WROTE: +1 AM COMMANDED BY HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN TO REPLY TO YOUR UNDATED PETITION SEEKING THE PRESERVATION OF THE OLD KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY TERMINUS IN TSIM SHA TSUI.

+AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO ALL THE POINTS IN YOUR PETITION, THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS WAS UNABLE TO ADVISE HER MAJESTY THAT THE PETITION SHOULD BE GRANTED. THE SECRETARY OF STATE ACCEPTED THAT CONCERN OVER THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF THE TERMINUS HAD BEEN EXPRESSED BY A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, BUT HE ALSO REALISED THAT THERE WAS AN URGENT NEED FOR THE NEW CULTURAL COMPLEX THAT WILL PROVIDE FACILITIES THAT WILL BENEFIT THE ENTIRE HONG KONG POPULATION.

+TO ALTER THE PLANS FOR THE COMPLEX IN ORDER TO RETAIN THE ENTIRE TERMINUS BUILDING WOULD INEVITABLY CREATE UNWELCOME DELAY AND LEAD TO A LOWER STANDARD OF FACILITIES. THE SECRETARY OF STATE THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS NOT IN THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG FOR THE PLANS TO BE SO AMENDED. HOWEVER, HE WELCOMED THE DECISION TO RETAIN THE CLOCK TOWER AND TO INTEGRATE IT AS AN ESSENTIAL VERTICAL FEATURE IN THE DESIGN OF THE NEW CULTURAL COMPLEX.

+HER MAJESTY HAS ACCEPTED THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S ADVICE AND HAS COMMANDED ME TO INFORM YOU THEREFORE THAT YOUR PETITION CANNOT BE ENTERTAINED+.

THE HONG KONG HERITAGE SOCIETY PETITIONED THE GOVERNOR IN JULY LAST YEAR, BUT THIS WAS TURNED DOWN AT THE END OF DECEMBER ON THE ADVICE OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, ON THAT OCCASION, MR. JONES WROTE THAT THE DECISION NOT TO PRESERVE THE BUILDING SHOULD BE VIEWED AGAINST THE URGENT DEMONSTRABLE PUBLIC NEED FOR ADDITIONAL AND BETTER CULTURAL FACILITIES, PARTICULARLY IN KOWLOON+.

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