Site up for sale on Wong Chuk Hang Road to include arts area in development plan, but legislators say devil is in the detail
VIVIENNE.CHOW@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Friday, 13 November, 2015, 12:23pm
UPDATED : Friday, 13 November, 2015, 1:20pm
ADC Artspace in Wong Chuk Hang. A similar area for artists is planned for Aberdeen. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Lawmakers have said they support in principle a government plan to include a new arts space offering affordable studios in the development plan for an area of land up for sale in Aberdeen, but they said they held concerns about the details, in particular the selection process for artists who would use the facilities.
At the Legislative Council’s panel on home affairs this morning, lawmakers questioned the government’s definition of “affordable” rent and what criteria artists would be required to meet to rent space in the area.
Winsome Chow, chief executive of the Arts Development Council, said the council would take reference from ADC Artspace and the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in deciding rent levels.
She said a selection committee comprised of people from outside the council would be formed to choose eligible artists. Places would be allocated to established artists as well as those who graduated from university no more than three years ago, she added. Young artists would pay half the price.
The Aberdeen site, in a budding arts neighbourhood on the south side of Hong Kong Island, is slated to offer a construction floor area of 6,440 square metres at the junction of Wong Chuk Hang Road and Tong Bin Lane. The space will cost HK$348.6 million.
The site was previously home to Aberdeen Fire Station.
The provision for the arts space has been included in the government’s land sale programme this year as a condition of sale for developers.
The idea of reserving floor area to build an arts and culture facility was raised in Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s policy address earlier this year following the development of ADC Artspace, the first project of its kind under the Arts Development Council which was backed by the government and a private developer.
The Aberdeen site is near ADC Artspace as well as a burgeoning art gallery scene and increasingly popular restaurant area in Southern district.
The space is set to include 28 studios that would be leased to artists at a concessionary rate, along with an exhibition gallery available for hire, an arts information centre, and a permanent office space for the council.
The development is expected to be completed by 2022.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1878445/hong-kong-lawmakers-question-whether-arts-space
