Declaration on the
Preservation of Central Police Station Compound And Government Policy on Cultural Heritage

The Central Police Station Compound, the Victoria Prison and the former Central Magistracy (abbv. CPS in below) are of great historical and cultural value. These historical buildings are part of the remarkable heritage of Hong Kong. They symbolize the transformation of Hong Kong from a British colony to a Special Administrative Region. Concerning the development of CPS, the Hong Kong Federation of Students holds the stance that:

1.) the Hong Kong SAR Government is responsible for protecting historical and cultural heritage for Hong Kong citizens. CPS is an important heritage of Hong Kong, and thus must be preserved as our public asset;

2.) the preservation of CPS must be an overriding principle in assessing any tender proposals for the future development of the compound;

3.) the future development of CPS should focus on the continuation of the historical meaning of the locale and the preservation of cultural atmosphere of the compound, instead of the protection of individual buildings only;

4.) the tender exercise must be conducted coincide the comprehensive involvement of the general public, especially at District level;

5.) the Government must proceed the tender exercise for future development of CPS, only, after the publicity of the Review on Heritage Preservation Policy and the corresponding amendments of related laws;

Withstanding the above stance, the Hong Kong Federation of Students demands:

1.) the Government to take proper conservation of CPS as an overriding factor for assessing the tender proposals for the future development project;

2.) to include district representatives in the assessment committee of the tender exercises; and the tender assessment process must be transparent and subject to public scrutiny.

Hong Kong Federation of Students
5th November 2004

(Contact person: FUNG Yinglun Allen)