The government received more than 1,000 requests for the historic pier to be returned to its Edinburgh Place site
ALLEN.AUYEUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Wednesday, 25 May, 2016, 9:00am
Queen’s Pier before it was dismantled in 2007. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A fresh round of opposition has emerged to the government’s plan to restore Queen’s Pier to a space between Pier 9 and 10 in Central, as it received more than 1,000 submissions calling for it to be restored to its original location.
The government received 1,058 comments from the public, of which more than 99 per cent were calls for the restoration of the pier at its original location in front of Edinburgh Place.
The public consultation by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), which ended Tuesday last week, focused on the designs for the Queen’s Pier restoration, with costs ranging from HK$230 million to HK$303 million.
CEDD also polled 1,955 people, with results showing 52 per cent of the respondents preferred a HK$230 million plan to restore the pier between Piers 9 and 10 in Central with minimal modification to existing structures.
Concluding the consultation, the Development Bureau did not indicate which restoration plan it would proceed with in its report to the Harbourfront Commission, saying it would “analyse and consider carefully the views received” and work out a plan.
The government will report the findings of the consultation to the Harbourfront Commission on Wednesday afternoon.
The consultation did not offer any alternative to the Central location and some community activists called for a cheaper alternative to restore the Queen’s Pier at its original location to reflect its history.
In reply to Post inquiries last month, a CEDD spokesman had said “the location for reassembling Queen’s Pier was widely deliberated” in earlier consultations held by the Planning Department.
The spokesman added results from earlier consultations showed majority support for the restoration of the pier at the harbour to restore its function.
Dating back to 1953, Queen’s Pier served as a public pier, and as a ceremonial location for the arrival and departure of Hong Kong’s governors from the then British enclave.
The original dismantling of the pier in 2007 for reclamation works angered community activists in the city.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1953391/fresh-calls-restore-queens-pier-original-location
