2 UNDERSTANDING This page has been left blank 14 Central Government Offices 2 UNDERSTANDING 2.1 Ownership and Management the decision and an announcement must be published in the Government Gazette. The The Central Government Offices are currently Antiquities Authority then has the power to used to house various governmental prevent or place conditions on alterations to departments, including the offices of many the protected buildings. senior government officials. Most of the site is fenced off and only accessible to those who The CGO Complex is not a Declared Monument. work there and their visitors. However, the However, St. John’s Cathedral, Government north-eastern part of the Study Site around House and the French Mission Building, the Cathedral is accessible to the public and is all of which are adjacent to the CGO, are. used as a thoroughfare from Garden Road to Additionally, the Duddell Street Steps and Battery Path. Gas Lamps on Ice House Street is a Declared Monument. These are shown in blue on the plan The Central Government Offices are owned on page 8. These structures contribute to the and managed by the HKSAR Government. The setting of the CGO and therefore their status CGO site is held under a Government Land as Declared Monuments is important. There Allocation granted to the Administration Wing are 86 Declared Monuments in Hong Kong, in the Chief Secretary for Administration’s 28 of which are located on Hong Kong Island. Office. The day to day running of the building The four Monuments near the CGO comprise services and maintenance of CGO is handled a significant group of heritage buildings which by the Departmental Administration Unit (DAU) are set within the oldest part of the city. of the Administration Wing, which is led by the Principal Executive Officer, PEO (Adm). The Antiquities Advisory Board also classify The PEO is assisted by various executive and historic buildings (other than Declared clerical grade officers to oversee the daily Monuments) into a grading system. Buildings management of the building. Some other are given a grade of either I, II or III depending departments also assist the DAU with the on their significance. The system is an internal maintenance of the building; the maintenance means for the Advisory Board to assess the of the building’s structure is entrusted to the heritage value of historic buildings. However, Architectural Services Department (ASD), Grading does not confer any statutory while the maintenance of building equipment, protection on a building. There are no Graded such as lift, air-conditioning and electronic Buildings on the CGO site or in the immediate equipment, is entrusted to the Electrical and vicinity. However, in the wider vicinity there Mechanical Services Department.1 are several Graded buildings. To the west is the Bishop’s House at No.1 Lower Albert Road, 2.2 Statutory Designations a former school building from 1848 which is listed Grade I and now the official residence 2.2.1 Declared Monuments and Graded of the Anglican Bishop of Victoria. The 1930s Buildings old S.K.H. Kei Yan Primary School is Grade II. Also to the west is the Grade II Old Dairy Farm Important historic buildings are protected under Depot at No. 2 Lower Albert Road. To the east, the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance the Hong Kong Park contains several former (Cap.53). This Ordinance established the army Barracks Block from the Old Victoria Antiquities Authority, with the executive arms Barracks, constructed between the 1840s and of the Antiquities and Monuments Office 1874 and all listed Grade II. The AMO are (AMO) and the Antiquities Advisory Board who currently carrying out an assessment exercise ensure appropriate protection for Hong Kong’s to re-grade many of these buildings and to add heritage. The Secretary for Development further buildings to the list. is currently the Antiquities Authority. The Ordinance gave the Antiquities Authority the power to declare a place, which then becomes known as a ‘Declared Monument’. The Advisory Board and the Chief Executive must approve 1 E-mail correspondence with Mr Harris Liu, Building Manager of the CGO, on 06/04/2009 Historic and Architectural Appraisal, September 2009 15 Plan showing five of the protected trees on the CGO complex (©Google 2009) Plan showing Hong Kong with the CGO marked in red (©Google 2009) 16 Central Government Offices 2.2.2 Register of Old and Valuable There is also one protected tree on the Trees Government Home land: In 2004 the Hong Kong Government established ◊ In the Government House gardens; LCSD a Register of Old and Valuable Trees. It was CW/76, Brownea Grandiceps (Rose of set up to “ensure that the trees can be well Venezuela); Precious or rare species preserved and maintained”2 and is maintained and updated by the LCSD. Over 500 trees are 2.2.3 Outline Zoning Plan on the register, including eleven on the CGO Complex. A tree must meet one or more of five The Town Planning Board has prepared Outline criteria to be included on the Register: Zoning Plans for the districts of Hong Kong under the Town Planning Ordinance (Cap.31), ◊ Trees of large size the objective of the plans being “to indicate ◊ Trees of precious or rare species the broad land use zonings and major road ◊ Trees of particularly old age (e.g. aged 100 networks so that development/redevelopment or above) within the Planning Scheme Area can be put ◊ Trees of cultural, historical or memorable under statutory planning control”3. The Study significance Site is covered by the approved Central District ◊ Trees of outstanding form Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H4/12, and the CGO Complex is zoned “Government Institution or A list of the trees on the CGO Complex is given Community”. Within the zone a wide range below and they are discussed further in section of uses are permitted which are mainly for 2.3.15. Their full Register entries are included public, leisure or government use. Examples of as Appendix B and a plan opposite indicates permitted development include public libraries, the approximate locations of the first five on post offices, exhibition or convention halls, the list: government staff quarters, government offices or religious institutions. Other development ◊ LCSD CW/85; Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese of a more commercial nature or less common Banyan); large size uses are permitted only with the permission of ◊ LCSD CW/86; Pterocarpus Indicus the Town Planning Board, such as restaurants, (Burmese Rosewood); large size, cultural, hotels, shops or zoos, funeral parlours and historical or memorable significance, petrol filling stations. Residential development outstanding form is also allowed only with permission of the ◊ LCSD CW/88; Ficus Virens Var. Town Planning Board. A full list of permitted Sublanceolata (Big-leaved Fig); large size development is provided in Appendix C. ◊ LCSD CW/89; Pterocarpus Indicus (Burmese Rosewood); large size 2.3 Description of the Site ◊ LCSD CW/90; Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese Banyan); large size 2.3.1 Location ◊ LCSD CW/91; Ficus Virens Var. Sublanceolata (Big-leaved Fig); large size The CGO are located in the HKSAR. The Study ◊ LCSD CW/92; Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese Site is situated in the Central District on the Banyan); large size north side of Hong Kong Island. The west end ◊ LCSD CW/93; Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese of the Study Site is bounded by Ice House Banyan); large size Street, a vehicular road. The western end of ◊ LCSD CW/94; Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese the southern boundary of the Study Site is Banyan); large size adjacent to a vegetated slope. This is a long ◊ LCSD CW/95; Ficus Virens Var. thin patch of land set between Ice House Street Sublanceolata (Big-leaved Fig); large size to the north and Lower Albert Road to the south ◊ LCSD CW/96; Heteropanax Fragrans; that slopes steeply down towards the north and precious or rare species is covered in mature trees and plants. 3 Statutory Planning Portal, http://www.ozp.tpb.gov.hk/ 2 Register of Old and Valuable Trees, accessed 24/02/09 pdf/s_h4_12_e.pdf, accessed 24/02/09 Historic and Architectural Appraisal, September 2009 17 To the south the Lower Albert Road bounds was constructed and is set on this slope so that most of this side of the Study Site and winds the west end has thirteen storeys, while the gently downhill to the east. The east end of east end has only seven. To the south of the the Study Site has a short boundary along West Wing the slope and the two elevations of Garden Road, which turns 90° and continues the building form a pit with a steep sloping side westwards with the CGO East Wing to the south – the result of the excavation work. and the Cathedral driveway and community hall to the north. The boundary then turns 90° 2.3.3 Site Context northwards to run along the western boundary of the Cathedral grounds. The CGO are set within the Central District of Hong Kong. To the north of the site are located The northern boundary begins at the French most of the tallest skyscrapers in the region Mission Building, which is located at the north- and some of the most iconic buildings in Hong east corner of the Study Site. The boundary Kong. Immediately to the north, along Queen’s then follows the line of Battery Path downhill to Road Central, is Norman Foster’s HSBC building the west where it meets the junction between (1985) and to the north-east is the Bank of Ice House Street and Queen’s Road Central. China Tower (1990). This densely packed area houses the main business and financial district 2.3.2 Site Description of Hong Kong, as well as some of the main government offices.