Update | Conservation chief’s plan to move Queen’s Pier to Lantau Island mocked
Dr Lau Chi-pang, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation argued that Queen’s Pier should be restored in “more spacious” locations which are “more frequented by the public”, such as Tung Chung.
The head of a government advisory committee on heritage conservation has floated the possibility of relocating the now-dismantled Queen’s Pier to Lantau Island, attracting instant condemnation and ridicule.
As a public consultation on the restoration project drew to a close yesterday, Dr Lau Chi-pang, chairman of the newly formed Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation, questioned the functional purpose of reassembling the historic structure between ferry piers 9 and 10 in Central. The location is the only option the government has set out in the consultation document, with an estimated cost of between HK$230 million and HK$303 million.
Instead, Lau, also a Lingnan University history scholar, argued Queen’s Pier should be restored in “more spacious” locations which were “more frequented by the public”, such as Tung Chung.
“The look of the Central harbourfront now is very different from when Queen’s Pier appeared,” Lau said. “We squeeze Queen’s Pier in between two piers, is that a good way? I have reservations.”
Lau added: “Are you in a rush to use the pier or exhibit something? Apparently not.
“Can we have more time to consider? Today’s society has changed and we have other spaces ... putting it on Lantau Island is a better option, isn’t it?”
Lau cited the relocation of Blake Pier and Murray House in Central to Stanley, which he described as “good examples”.
