The Antiquities Advisory Committee approved the recommendations of the Antiquities and Monuments Office last Thursday (8th) and confirmed the grading of a total of 16 historical items, Tai Long Village and Ham Tin Village, the century-old Sai Kung villages.
However, the two ancient villages designated as "Ham Tin Archaeological Sites" were uncovered last year, and many ancient houses in the villages have been demolished without approval.
The local research society criticized that the Antiquities Office did not mention the incident at last week's meeting, but instead pointed out that "the value and condition of the cultural relics of individual buildings in these two villages may be different." The village's rating was changed to "Cut-off rating". It was worried that the buildings in the village would be demolished more quickly, and the village was described as "in danger". The value of protecting monuments has been lost, and it is described as highlighting the current conservation policy problems.
"Hong Kong 01" has made enquiries to the AMO and the Town Planning Board in this regard, and is waiting for a reply.
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Tai Lang Village, with a history of 250 years, was designated as "Ham Tin Archaeological Site" by the Antiquities Office in the early years. In 2009, the Historic Building Evaluation Panel of the Antiquities Office suggested that the "proposed grading scope of the two ancient villages covers the entire village", and proposed Graded as a Grade II historic building, it shows that the area around the village has high archaeological value. Any modification, reconstruction or new development of existing buildings must be approved by the Town Planning Board and consulted with the Antiquities Committee in advance.
In August last year, it was found that many construction vehicles were haunted by dredgers and destroyed the forest
However, in the Ham Tin Wan Beach within the Sai Kung East Country Park, it was revealed in August last year that many construction vehicles were infested and a lot of construction materials were stored, suspected of violating the "Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations". Indigenous residents plan to rebuild or build several small houses, and dredgers also destroy the forest.
Xingshan Information's Facebook page "Tianxing Footprint" also discovered in November last year that many ancient houses in Dalang Village, an ancient village with a history of more than 100 years, had been demolished and reduced to rubble, and the entire row of village houses had been demolished. The gate walls are left, and the old houses No. 23 to 26 were originally intact and could not escape demolition. He bluntly said that the incident was "sad" and questioned the construction of the village after the developer's acquisition. However, the Town Planning Board replied at the time that the past three No application for development in the "Big Wave Bay Outline Zoning Plan" has been received every year, that is, any alteration in the village is illegal.
Xue Hanzong, a senior official of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, applied for the construction of 5 small houses in Ham Tin, Big Wave Bay, and was conditionally approved by the Town Planning Board
Looking through the information, Xue Hanzong, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and his family had “passed through” with the Town Planning Board in 2015 and 2016, and applied for the construction of five small houses in Ham Tin Village, Big Wave Bay, which is adjacent to a “site of special scientific interest ( SSSI)”, the application was initially rejected by the Town Planning Board due to over 10,000 objections and the “lockdown” of various government departments.
The Xue Hanzong family subsequently revised the application several times and submitted nearly 10,000 supporting opinions.
The local research agency said that when the ancient council met last week to confirm the rating of 16 historical building projects, it did not mention the incident that many buildings in the village had been illegally demolished by "sneak steps", and described it as "abandoned and remnant." , questioning the authorities' attempt to "attribute the destruction of the ancient house to the collapse of natural weathering".
Our Research Institute: "Ratings will change to memorial services"
This research agency also criticized the authorities for delaying the grading for more than a year after the incident. Some village houses have already been demolished and then re-evaluated. However, the authorities have not investigated the relevant illegal issues. Lose the original intent of reviewing ratings to protect monuments.
This research agency also quoted the proposed grading document of the Antiquities Office, stating that the authorities described that "the cultural relic value and condition of individual buildings in these two villages may be different", and suggested that the entire village be "graded in pieces", so that the protected units From the whole village down to individual village houses.
This research institute criticized the practice of "making the remaining village houses less protected", and worried that it would speed up the "demolition" of historical buildings in Dalang Village, a century-old village. It is the policy flaws in conservation of the only surviving century-old villages, and it is also a "deadly disease" in the conservation of heritage sites in Hong Kong.
The underground public toilet at Wellington Street is proposed to be graded as a Grade II historic building. The oldest existing building in the first century will be included in the redevelopment area of Kowloon City. The AMO does not recommend that it be graded by the Lee Kee Memorial Medical Bureau for over 70 years of history. Ho Kui-yip: Conservation must be balanced, but also the operation of the Antiquities Council is in favor of the promotion of Gray Shengchun, which is expected to become the first statutory monument. post rating