Govt To Preserve Historic Underground Reservoir

The government has concluded that a century-old underground reservoir in Sham Shui Po that was to be demolished should instead be preserved – a day after a public pressure campaign prompted the authorities to suspend work at the site.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) is launching a study to ascertain the conservation value of the structure, and development secretary Michael Wong said the administration will wait for an assessment before deciding how to proceed.

“We believe the site should be preserved, it should not be further demolished,” Wong said.

“What has been demolished should be restored, and then we should find a purpose which not only reflects the historic value of the site, but should also be able to further the enjoyment of the people of Sham Shui Po and of Hong Kong,” he added.

Parts of the service reservoir on Bishop Hill were already taken down by the time authorities halted the demolition work, exposing a picturesque brick interior featuring Romanesque arches.

Photos of the distinctive structure have been spread widely, with many calling for the disused reservoir to be preserved.

Wong acknowledged that communication issues within the government had left no one aware of the importance of the structure that had been dismissed as an old ‘water tank’ by the Water Supplies Department.

He estimates that it would take the AMO around three months to assess the historic value of the building, but he stressed that it would be preserved even if it were not conferred monument status, since the government has already decided it would not be torn down.

The Commissioner for Heritage, Ivanhoe Chang, apologised for the partial demolition, which he blamed on a lack of sensitivity and miscommunication.

“Based on the information we had at hand at that period of time, it was understood to be a normal water tank, and that’s why [the] decision at that time was that there was no more need for follow up,” he explained.

“We have already conducted a review and will make sure that this will not happen again,” Chang vowed.

He added that the AMO would also study whether four other water service reservoirs at the Peak, Yau Ma Tei, Mount Gough and Albany Road are historically or conservationally significant.

But Sham Shui Po district councillor Kalvin Ho said the work to dismantle the Bishop Hill structure should never have started in the first place.

He accused the WSD of misleading the council when it sought approval for the demolition plan in May, by providing “very dark” photos of limited scope, without showing the entire structure.

The department, Ho said, also provided pictures showing cracks in the building.

“They just mentioned about the potential dangers or structural problem inside the water reservoir,” he said.

Ho said the council would invite representatives of both the WSD and the AMO to a meeting next month to answer queries about exactly what their communications were regarding the reservoir, and if the AMO had conducted a site visit before Tuesday.

The authorities have also appealed to the public to stop visiting the site, saying reinforcement work is now being conducted.

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