ENG-2010 — Page 284

234 | Infrastructure Development and Heritage Conservation

In the public domain:

(a) The six non-profit-making organisations selected under Batch of the 'Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme' (Revitalisation Scheme) to revitalise six government-owned historic buildings, namely the Old Tai O Police Station, the Fong Yuen Study Hall, the former Lai Chi Kok Hospital, Lui Seng Chun, Mei Ho House and the former North Kowloon Magistracy, pressed ahead with their respective revitalisation projects. Renovation works at the former North Kowloon Magistracy to transform it into the Savannah College of Art and Design Hong Kong Campus were completed and the school term started in September 2010. The revitalisation work of the other five projects will be completed in 2011 and 2012;

(b) Three non-profit-making organisations were selected in September 2010 to revitalise three historic buildings under Batch II of the Revitalisation Scheme. The buildings are the Old Tai Po Police Station, the Blue House Cluster and Stone Houses;

(c) Starting in September 2009, a new requirement is in place, where all new capital works projects are subject to the Heritage Impact Assessment requirement to avoid damage to heritage sites or if damage is unavoidable, to explore ways of reducing impairment;

(d) Gradings of 1086 historic buildings in the territory were confirmed by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) under a comprehensive grading exercise to provide an objective basis to guide future conservation efforts;

(e) Three privately-owned historic buildings, namely Tung Wah Museum, Man Mo Temple Compound and Tang Kwong U Ancestral Hall and one government-owned historic building namely Kom Tong Hall, which currently houses the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, were declared monuments in November 2010 for permanent protection under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance; and

(f) Government and the Hong Kong Jockey Club are taking forward the conservation and revitalisation of the Central Police Station Compound into a centre for heritage, art and leisure in partnership. A revised design of the project was announced in October 2010. The project's construction works are expected to be completed by end of 2014.

In the private domain:

(a) In collaboration with Buildings Department, Lands Department, Planning Department and District Offices, CHO and the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) continued to closely monitor any works or development proposed by the private owners of declared monuments and graded buildings under an internal alert mechanism. To encourage preservation of graded buildings, CHO and AMO proactively engaged the owners to discuss possible preservation options commensurate with the heritage value