In recent months, the University of Hong Kong applied to the Town Planning Board to rezone a green area on Sassoon Road into a new teaching building. The building is mainly equipped with teaching facilities, laboratories for chemical substance research and animal testing. However, the residents found out after checking the documents. , More than half of the new building is a laboratory, which is inconsistent with Hong Kong University’s claim that it is mainly used for teaching purposes.
Moreover, the location was only 29 meters away from the nearest residential building. As soon as the news came out, it attracted the attention of nearby residents. In June this year, the University of Hong Kong held a briefing session with residents on the rezoning application. However, residents believed that the response of the University of Hong Kong on-site failed to relieve them. Doubts.
Some residents stated that they had asked the University of Hong Kong in writing about the construction of the new building after the meeting, but no positive response has been received so far.
There are also residents who understand the necessity of expanding the new teaching building, but believe that it should not be located near residential buildings. They are worried that if a leakage accident occurs, it will threaten the safety of residents. Hope that the University of Hong Kong can consider other safer locations to carry out related projects.
Photography: Cai Zhengbang
The new teaching building is planned to have 4 buildings, the tallest building is 9 floors, and the building is equipped with teaching facilities, teaching laboratories, research laboratories, offices and storage space.
What worries residents most about the new building is the laboratory, which occupies nearly half of the area. According to the documents submitted by the Hong Kong University to the Town Planning Board, the laboratory will be used for the third level of biological safety level of microorganisms, macromolecular complexes, stem cells, wet chemistry, Soft tissue and animal testing, etc.
As of the expiry of the consultation period of the Town Planning Board (August 20), more than 800 citizens have participated in the online co-signature, opposing the construction of a building in the green zone by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong.
Earlier, the University of Hong Kong applied to the Town Planning Board for the rezoning of a green area on Sassoon Road (indicated in red frame).
(Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Low-rise residents lament being surrounded by hospitals and laboratories and dare not open windows
Ms. Liang, a low-rise resident of Haofeng Phase II, is one of the affected residents.
When she first learned that the University of Hong Kong had applied for rezoning the site, she was shocked, "Because this slope is very sloping and there are many trees, we don't understand why we chose to build a new building here."
She pointed out that there are many medical buildings on Pokfulam Road, and it feels like they are completely surrounded by them. "The front is the laboratory, and the back is the Queen Mary Hospital. How do we open the windows?"
Ms. Liang, a low-rise resident of Haofeng Phase II, is one of the affected residents.
When she first learned that the University of Hong Kong had applied for rezoning the site, she was shocked, "Because this slope is very sloping and there are many trees, we don't understand why we chose to build a new building here."
(Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
As the distance between the new building and the residential building was only 29 meters recently, residents were most concerned about whether there would be leakage in the laboratory. Therefore, at the briefing session, someone asked the University of Hong Kong whether there had been any leakage accidents in the past. The representative of the University of Hong Kong responded at that time: There has never been a major leak, which immediately caused an uproar. The residents believed that the University of Hong Kong had indirectly admitted that there had been leaks in the past, and the representatives on the scene did not explicitly deny this statement. Ms. Liang felt very helpless about this. Leak, but not let the media and the public know?"
As the distance between the new building and the residential building was only 29 meters recently, residents were most concerned about whether there would be leakage in the laboratory. Therefore, at the briefing session, someone asked the University of Hong Kong whether there had been any leakage accidents in the past. The representative of the University of Hong Kong responded at that time: There has never been a major leak.
(Respondents provide pictures)
Later, the residents asked how the Hong Kong Congress would control and deal with the leakage in case of leakage. The representatives on the spot only stated that the laboratory had safety guidelines and the university would strictly abide by it.
Ms. Leung questioned: "In many cases, leaks are invisible, or they may be colorless and tasteless. What about our safety? Most residents felt that there was no protection. But apart from the official reply, the University of Hong Kong did not even say how to evacuate the residents. clear".
After the completion of the new building, it will block the views of the residents of Phase II of Haofeng, and will also hinder the natural wind from diluting the pollutants on the road, resulting in a screen effect.
(Respondents provide pictures)
After the new building is completed, it may cause a screen effect
Ms. Leung, who is engaged in the interior construction industry, pointed out that to build a building on a slope, a lot of extra costs are needed to stabilize the structure.
After the completion of the new building, in addition to blocking the view of the residence, it will also hinder the natural wind from diluting the pollutants on the road, resulting in a screen effect.
Ms. Leung explained that taking the second phase of Haofeng as an example, the windows behind the residence are the site of Queen Mary Hospital (nurses' quarters and mortuary), and the windows in front are the site of the new building.
It means that after the building is completed, the only place where low-rise residents can open windows will be sealed, making the pollutants in the air trapped in the same place. She can’t help but ask, “We don’t know what will come, and then we dare not. Dare to open the window?"
Ms. Leung lamented that after the building was completed, the only place where the low-rise residents of Phase II of Haofeng could open the windows would be sealed, leaving the pollutants in the air trapped in the same place. She couldn’t help asking, “We don’t know what will come. Will we dare to open the window then?".
(Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Ms. Liang admitted frankly that she was disappointed after hearing the news of the rezoning.
She pointed out that there are many construction projects in the vicinity of Pok Fu Lam. The daily Pok Fu Lam Road has many transport vehicles and dump trucks passing by. The road is very busy. She is worried that if a traffic accident happens unfortunately, it may paralyze the entire southern district. The main arterial road, "If there is an accident, it happens to be an animal carcass transport vehicle for transporting laboratory samples or animal testing. We dare not imagine the consequences, and there will be nowhere to go."
The Chairman of the Owners’ Corporation of Haofeng Phase II, Mr. Wang, learned in May this year that the University of Hong Kong was planning to build a new building on a green land. He was worried about the rezoning of the green land because the building was too close to the residential buildings.
Even though the University of Hong Kong once held a briefing session with residents in June, the comments made by representatives of the University of Hong Kong disappointed the residents. "A lot of residents attended the briefing session. In addition to the owners of Haofeng, residents of Luofu Guojing also participated. There were about 100 people that night. I attended and asked a lot of questions, but most of the representatives of the University of Hong Kong could not answer."
Mr. Wang, Chairman of the Owners’ Corporation of Phase II of Haofeng, described that the new building is very close to the residential buildings. Residents only need to cross a road and reach the location of the proposed new building in about one minute.
(Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Later, some residents sorted out their questions, and then inquired about HKU related matters via email. After repeated inquiries, HKU finally responded with an email to the residents on the eve of formally applying to the Town Planning Board for rezoning. However, Mr. Wang described the email content as having no content. Responding to the site selection problem positively, it only brought up the information of the briefing session, which made residents feel that HKU did not want to communicate with residents. "They (HKU) only said that there is a shortage of doctors in Hong Kong. The number has increased to a few 400, so the teaching facilities have to be enlarged."
Document reveals that research laboratories account for a large proportion of residents describe the rezoning plan as a lie
Residents then studied the relevant documents on their own, and Mr. Wang believed that the entire rezoning plan was the same "big talk."
The University of Hong Kong claimed that the new building was mainly used for teaching purposes, but they found that the building used for teaching purposes was not much, but laboratories accounted for the majority, and the laboratories used for animal testing and research were better than those used for teaching experiments. The room area is even larger. "We think that animal testing should not be carried out in such a location close to residential houses."
Mr. Wang described the safety concerns brought by the laboratory as their most concerned issue.
After checking the information, Mr. Wang found that the laboratory area used for animal testing is larger than the laboratory for teaching purposes. He described the University of Hong Kong’s claim that the new building is mainly used for teaching purposes. It is like a lie. Target version)
It is recommended that the school consider rebuilding the nearby Hong Kong University property as a teaching building
Mr. Wang said that in the past, the University of Hong Kong continued to build new buildings on Sassoon Road. The residents understood the decision of the University of Hong Kong and believed that the expansion of the new building was reasonable, so they have not raised any objections.
However, he believes that this rezoning of green land is different from the past, "because the green belt belongs to the public, it is not the Hong Kong University who wants to build it here, let alone the construction of a laboratory."
He hopes that the University of Hong Kong can consider other options nearby. Some properties that have been left empty for a long time or leased to non-HKU insiders, such as Mingde Village 1 and Rose Village, can be converted into teaching buildings to reduce the environmental impact caused by the large-scale construction of civil engineering. Influence.
"Hong Kong 01" asked the University of Hong Kong about the above issues, but no reply was received before the deadline.
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