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Club announces HK$1.8 billion "gift for Hong Kong" that will conserve Central Police Station site as new cultural icon

11 October 2007

The Hong Kong Jockey Club today (11 October) announced more details of its innovative revitalisation proposal to conserve and refurbish the historic Central Police Station compound, as outlined by Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang in his Policy Address yesterday.

Through The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Club will fund the HK$1.8 billion capital cost of renovating the disused 19th-century compound and transforming it into a heritage, arts, cultural, and tourism hub that will become a new iconic destination for Hong Kong.

Club Chairman John C C Chan said the Club was proud to present this "as a gift to the people of Hong Kong in celebration of the HKSAR's 10th Anniversary".

In order to create a landmark attraction for local residents and overseas visitors alike, the conservation plan will consist of a balanced mix of cultural, heritage and commercial elements. The buildings will be restored for adaptive re-use, commercially as well as for cultural and heritage purposes to display and interpret the site's unique history. A connection between Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo will be created to enhance pedestrian circulation, with open public spaces and landscaping forming an important part of the restoration work.

A new iconic structure will be erected on the upper platform area to create a cultural complex that will include a 500-seat auditorium, a 500-seat theatre, two art cinemas, a gallery, a multipurpose exhibition space and supporting facilities.

Conversion work is expected to begin in January 2009 and it is envisaged that the entire site will be opened to the public in mid 2012.

Welcoming the proposal to revitalise the Central Police Station compound for adaptive re-use, the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, expressed gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club for donating $1.8 billion for the renovation and development cost.

"The Hong Kong Jockey Club's proposal fully realises the spirit of the adaptive re-use scheme for historic buildings, so as to transform these buildings into local cultural icons. The proposal is also in line with the vision of the Chief Executive on heritage conservation," Mrs Lam said.

The Government will make the site available to the Club under a lease and an agreement setting out specific terms and conditions. All restoration, conservation and development work of the historic buildings will be in line with guidelines laid down by the Antiquities & Monuments Office.

"As stated in the Vienna Memorandum on World Heritage and Contemporary Architecture, the central challenge of contemporary architecture in the historic urban landscape is to respond to development dynamics on the one hand, so as to facilitate socio-economic changes and growth, while simultaneously respecting the inherited townscape and its landscape setting on the other," Mr Chan said.

"Our planned mixture of commercial and cultural usage will ensure the vibrancy of the entire area, transforming a heritage site into a family destination for locals and visitors," Mr Chan added. "We believe such a redevelopment will successfully integrate the community's valuable heritage with contemporary architecture, creating a new cultural landmark for Hong Kong."

The Club has commissioned internationally renowned architects from Switzerland, Herzog & de Meuron, as design architects for the project.

Executive Director, Charities, William Y Yiu, said the Club would work closely with the design architects, relevant consultants and Government departments to conduct a detailed assessment, in order to ensure that the project complied with all statutory planning, traffic and environmental requirements.

"Our plan is to retain the site's historic value and extend its physical life, at the same time taking into account its cultural significance and protecting its heritage value through preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and integration. We intend to share detailed plans with the public in December through an exhibition at the Hong Kong Racing Museum, together with a series of symposiums, to gather more views from the community before the work starts," he said.

The Club has already conducted a survey in mid-2006 to gauge the public's views on how they would like to see the Central Police Station conserved and developed. It found that the majority of respondents expected the compound could offer them enough variety and potential to spend an entire day with families. The survey also found that over 90% of respondents would like to see retail and food and beverage outlets on the site, 90% were receptive to turning the compound into a cultural complex and 79% felt that the complex should become an icon of Hong Kong.

Besides bearing the HK$1.8 billion capital cost for renovation and development of the compound, the Club will fund recurrent deficits for its initial years of operation until it becomes financially self-sustaining. The Club intends to reinvest surplus cash flow from the project into other heritage conservation projects in Hong Kong.

This planned mode of operation follows the successful example of other major Club-supported community projects such as Ocean Park and the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course, for which the Club has provided funding to cover the capital expenditure and initial operating costs, prior to the project becoming self-sustainable.  Ocean Park is now a highly successful operation that continuously reinvests its surpluses in the further expansion and development of new attractions.  Surpluses from the first two golf courses at Kau Sai Chau, meanwhile, have contributed almost half the cost of a third public course now under construction.  In turn, the eventual surpluses from the third course will be put towards establishing Hong Kong's first Golf Academy.

The Club has proposed to Government that the Central Police Station Compound project be managed by a limited company operating under the direction of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and supported by a Heritage Advisory Committee.


Photo 1:
Photo 1 and 2:
Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman Mr John C C Chan delivers a speech at the media briefing.


Photo 2


Photo 3:
Secretary for Development Mrs Carrie Lam says the innovative revitalisation proposal is in line with the vision of the Chief Executive on heritage conservation.


Photo 4:
(From left) Hong Kong Jockey Club Executive Director of Charities Mr William Y Yiu, Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Secretary for Development Mrs Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman Mr John C C Chan, Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward Dr Donald Li and Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward Mr Anthony Chow.


Photo 5:
Existing Central Police Station Compound.


Photo 6:
New Complex featuring contemporary architecture in the historic urban landscape.


Photo 7:
Design of the New Complex features Hong Kong's unique scaffolding technique and includes an observation deck.


Photo 8:
The New Complex will include an auditorium, a theatre, two art cinemas, a gallery, a multipurpose exhibition space and food and beverage outlets.


Photo 9:
Artist's impression of existing historic buildings after conservation and refurbishment.

 

 

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