ALLEN AU-YEUNG
ALLEN.AUYEUNG@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 20 October, 2015, 5:53pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 20 October, 2015, 5:59pm
The remains of the old buildings near the Mid-Levels escalator. Photo: Nora Tam
A group of community activists is calling on the government to assess and protect the remains of old buildings hidden near the Mid-Levels escalator.
Covered in weeds and bushes, the area of No 27 to 35 Cochrane Street in Central at first sight looks abandoned. But after walking through a narrow alley accessible only from nearby Wellington Street, a row of old brick walls becomes visible.
READ MORE: Historic Hong Kong shops and cafes close to make way for redevelopment
Central and Western Concern Group consulted a heritage restoration expert, Wong Hung-keung, who said the walls may be structural remains of old tenement houses that could have been built between the 1830s and 1911.
The area around the walls is designated for redevelopment by the Urban Renewal Authority as part of a plan to revamp the Graham Street market. Construction work has already begun nearby, but the area where the walls are located has not been sealed off. The walls still stand.
Part of the area inside the walls is being occupied by restaurant kitchen staff for cleaning food and storage.
Central and Western Concern Group convenor Katty Law Ngar-ning said: “The Urban Renewal Authority said they have done a heritage assessment of the area but they never mentioned this area. Do they even know the walls exist and why they are there?”
Law said she hoped the government could assess the historical significance of the walls and make plans to preserve them after consulting the public.
“My fear is that the Urban Renewal Authority will damage the walls before any assessment is done,” Law said.
The Graham Street bazaar is one of the oldest wet markets in Hong Kong. Vendors have been selling fresh food like vegetables and seafood for over 140 years, attracting both local residents and tourists.
In 2007, the Urban Renewal Authority unveiled a plan to replace the street market and surrounding sites with housing, retail space, offices and a hotel at a cost of HK$3.8 billion.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1870048/activists-urge-preservation-ruined-hong-kong
