XN000022-1989-03-29 — Page 5

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 1989

WAN CHAI PRE-WAR BUILDINGS DECLARED DANGEROUS

THE BUILDING AUTHORITY YESTERDAY (TUESDAY) DECLARED NOS. 5 AND

7 LI CHIT STREET IN WAN CHAI TO BE IN A DANGEROUS CONDITION.

NOS. 1, 3, 18 AND 20 OF THE SAME STREET, AS WELL AS THE ILLEGAL STRUCTURES AT THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR LEVELS OF NO. 16, WERE DECLARED LIABLE TO BECOME DANGEROUS.

IN A STATEMENT, THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT BUILDING SURVEYOR SAID THAT THESE THREE STOREY PRE-WAR BUILDINGS WERE CONSTRUCTED OF TIMBER UPPER FLOORS AND ROOFS ON LOAD-BEARING BRICK WALLS WITH REINFORCED CONCRETE END BEAMS AT THE FRONT AND REAR. THE ROOF OF NO. 20 WAS RE-CONSTRUCTED OF REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB.

MAJORITY OF THE

GENERALLY, VERTICAL CRACKS WERE FOUND AT THE WALLS AND CONCRETE SPALLING WAS NOTED AT THE SLABS OF THE KITCHEN BLOCKS, THE BALCONIES AND THE CONCRETE BEAMS.

THE TIMBER FLOOR JOISTS AND BOARDING HAD REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE OF DECAY.

PART OF THE ROOF OF NO. 7 HAD ALREADY COLLAPSED AND FURTHER COLLAPSE WAS IMMINENT.

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THE SECOND

NOS. 1 3 AND 5 WERE IN A SIMILAR CONDITION,

FLOOR OF NO. 5 WAS UNOCCUPIED, PRESUMABLY DUE TO THE ADVERSE CONDITION OF THE ROOF AND NOS. 1 AND 3 WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SAFELY WITHSTAND THE EFFECT OF DEMOLITION OF NOS. 5 AND 7.

NUMEROUS FRACTURES WERE FOUND ON THE PARTY WALL BETWEEN NOS.

18 AND 20 EXTENDING FROM THE SECOND FLOOR DOWN TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ARCH OPENING OVER THE COMMON STAIRCASE AT THE FIRST FLOOR LEVEL.

THERE WAS A POTENTIAL DANGER OF COLLAPSE DUE ΤΟ FURTHER MOVEMENT OF THE PARTY WALL.

AS FOR THE ILLEGAL STRUCTURES AT THE LEVELS OF NO. 16, THEY WOULD BE DEPRIVED OF WALL BETWEEN NOS. 16 AND 18.

FIRST AND SECOND SUPPORT FROM THE

FLOOR

PARTY

THESE

OWING TO THE AGE AND THE ADVANCED STAGE OF DILAPIDATION, BUILDINGS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE BEYOND REASONABLE REPAIR. IT WAS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO CLOSE THEM FOR DEMOLITION,

NOTICES OF INTENTION TO APPLY FOR CLOSURE ORDERS IN HONG KONG DISTRICT COURT ON JUNE 27 THIS YEAR WERE POSTED ON ALL THE AFFECTED BUILDINGS EXCEPT NOS. 1 AND 5 WHICH HAD REVERTED TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THEREFORE NOTICES TO QUIT WOULD BE SERVED.

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