TNAG-0774-FCO40-978-Redevelopment-of-the-former-Kowloon-Canton-Railway-Station-1978 — Page 52

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n)

and Monuments Advisory Board (whose members include architects and historians) was that the historical and cultural merits of the building DO warrant its preservation. The Board only modi- fied its recommendation that the whole building be kept because of the untrue Government claim that the plans for the Cultural Complex were too 'advanced'.

It ignores the fact, emphasised in the Society's petition, that a strong body of opinion exists in Hong Kong which favours the preservation of the KCR building. The Society reiterates now - that despite its own limited human, financial, and organisatio- nal resources, it has collected over 15,000 (genuine) signatures petitioning for the preservation of the KCR building. This is more than double the turnout of voters at the last Urban Council election. Does the Urban Council therefore have a greater man- date to push through its present plan for the area than the Heritage Society to dispute it?

The vast majority of these 15,000 signatures (collected by a few concerned volunteers) belong to wage earning Hong Kong people of the lower, the lower middle income groups - shopkeepers, tailor shop workers, restaurant and hotel workers, clerks etc.

The Tsimshatsui Kaifong Association and the Heung Yee Kuk have separately petitioned for the retention of the old building.

o) It ignores the Heritage Society's request for an interview with

Your Excellency to discuss the points raised in the petition. A meeting between the Heritage Society and the Government could have anticipated and explained all the misconceptions and mis- understandings criticised in this letter. It would have saved this unnecessary correspondence and wastage of a great deal of civil service time.

together

The Heritage Society's formal request to meet Your Excellency with the several other concerned groups - still stands. We respectfully submit that it is in the public interest that there should be such a meeting.

To

We would respectfully inform you that we are now appealing to Her Majesty the Queen for preservation of the railway station buildings and reconsi- deration of the total plan for the adjacent areas of Tsimshatsui. this end we are sending background correspondence and our original peti- tion to Her Majesty.

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