Wall and roof collapse at historic former Central Police Station raises safety and heritage preservation fears
Ted Hui Chi-fung says incident at site of heritage revitalisation project ‘shows failure of government’s conservation policy’
The historic building that partially collapsed in the former Central Police Station compound on Sunday night had been flagged two weeks ago as a vulnerable structure that was in “relatively poor condition”, it emerged yesterday.
Emergency crews combed the rubble with sniffer dogs yesterday, even though they did not expect to find anyone.
The accident, just over a week after the collapse of a green roof at City University, has raised public concerns about safety as well as government heritage conservation efforts.
No one was injured in the collapse on Hollywood Road within a fenced-off construction site, where the Jockey Club is leading a HK$1.8 billion project to revitalise the 150-year-old compound. It was fully decommissioned in 2006.
After a wall and part of the roof of the former married inspectors’ quarters came crashing down, it was revealed that it was in the worst condition, due to poor-quality bricks, among the 16 historic buildings in the compound.
Experts believe unstable foundations may also be to blame.
According to a document submitted by the Development Bureau to the Central and Western district council for a meeting on May 19, the married quarters and the former Central Magistracy had “a complex configuration” and might require “more time for restoration”.
