From news.gov.hk:
Graham St to become 'Old Shop St' (http://news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/070223/features/html/4ef59d45-34da-4486-93e5-eebde0b2fee9.htm)

Press Release from the Urban Renewal Authority (http://ura.org.hk/html/c1002071e209e.html)

市建局冀將嘉咸街打造成全港首條老店街
【18:12】2007年02月26日

【on.cc 專訊】市區重建局公布上環卑利街及嘉咸街的重建設計藍圖，並計劃將嘉咸街打造成全港首條「老店街」，以及保留三座戰前唐樓，預計受影響住戶達1100人。市建局希望老店街能匯聚本土百年老店及金牌老字號，而重建藍圖亦於上月底提交城規會；市建局行政總監林中麟指出，是次重建計劃共涉及38億元，當中18至20億為賠償住戶金額，而建築成本則為12億元。

URA looks to past for shops scheme
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Urban Renewal Authority has come up with a HK$3.8 billion redevelopment plan to turn a century-old wet market and its surroundings in Sheung Wan into Hong Kong's first "Old Shops Street," with an area for hawkers.

"We hope to retain as much as possible ... We will see if we can create an old shops street in the area to bring back old names that are familiar to Hong Kong people," authority managing director Billy Lam Chung-lun said.

The Peel Street and Graham Street project is bounded by Gage, Cochrane and Wellington streets and Kin Sau Lane.

The 57,000-square-foot site will be turned into two residential buildings, a hotel and an office tower, all of which will be between 26 and 33 stories.

The project will affect 37 blocks, 360 vendors and shops, and 1,120 residents.

Four of the buildings were built before World War II while most of the others were built between the mid 50s and the late 60s.

Lam said the aim was to bring back the old charm and streetscapes.

He said three prewar shop houses will be preserved and put to adaptive re-use while the facade of Wing Woo Grocery will be conserved, subject to a structural engineering feasibility study.

The plan also incorporates a variety of hawking activities in Graham Street, Peel Street and Gage Street.

It is expected that about HK$1.8 billion to HK$2 billion of the HK$3.8 billion cost will be used to relocate and reclaim land from property owners and residents. However, the authority did not reveal how much it was offering per square foot.

According to the authority's standard policy, compensation would be aligned to other properties in the same area with a background of at least seven years, which would put compensation between HK$6,000 and HK$7,000 per square foot.

A store owner said she would not settle for anything less than HK$7,000 as rent levels in the area have always been high and relocation costs are steep.

Others said they were not too keen to move away because of either emotional attachment or the possible loss of old customers.

The project was one of 25 announced but not started by the former Land Development Corporation in 1998. The authority said it would maintain talks with residents and the district council on the plan.

1. Background

Peel Street/Graham Street project was one of the 25 projects announced but not commenced by the former Land Development Corporation in 1998. The area comprises three sites bounded by Gage Street, Cochrane Street, Wellington Street and Kin Sau Lane in Sheung Wan.
Total site area : about 5,320 m2 (57, 240 sq ft)
No of buildings : 37 blocks (four pre-war and most are built in mid 50s and late 60s)
Property interests : 360
Affected households : about 470 (some 1,120 people)

Because of the dilapidated conditions of most of buildings and the poor living environment within the redevelopment site, the affected residents, Central & Western District Council, political groups and the community at large have voiced support for redevelopment and called on the URA to implement the project as soon as possible.


After two years of public consultation and community engagement exercises, the URA has drafted a Master Layout Plan for the project and submitted it to the Town Planning Board in late January this year for consideration.
2. Consultation process in project planning

The URA attaches much importance to the project which is sited at a busy location and full of interesting historical features.


Over the past two years, a bottom-up approach has been adopted to solicit community views on the way forward for the project. These included:
- commissioning a survey team of the HKU in 2005 to survey public views and aspirations on the project;

- briefing the Central & Western District Council on the initial design concept of the project in early 2006;

- Holding an exhibition survey in June 2006;

- Holding a community workshop together with the Central & Western District Council on 24 June 2006;

- commissioning a survey team of the HKU in June and July of 2006 to solicit public views at the exhibition and the workshop; and

- consulting the Central & Western DC on the layout plan in October 2006 which passed a resolution asking the URA to submit the MLP to TPB for consideration.

3. A design responsive to the community needs

Response to the above mentioned consultation exercises is encouraging. The essential sentiments of the community expressed to URA during the various consultation exercises have been reflected in the Master Layout Plan. These include:
(a) As a key feature of the design concept, three prewar shop houses at 26A-26C Graham Street will be preserved and put to adaptive re-use. Also, in view of its unique architectural design, the façade of Wing Woo Grocery will also be conserved subject to structural engineering feasibility study, as this building is structurally unsafe.

(b) preserving the local physical street character and its atmosphere at Graham Street

(c) preserving a variety of hawking activities at Graham Street, Peel Street and Gage Street

(d) creating an Old Shop Street;

(e) improving pedestrian flow and facilities;

(f) providing an east/west pedestrian linkage walkway;

(g) providing community facilities, public open space and greening facilities;

(h) provision of transport facilities and parking spaces and

(i) the proposed redevelopment will blend in well with the existing environment and will not give rise to unacceptable visual impact.


4. Theme of project design

Because of urbanization, old shops are being pushed away from the area during the years. Our design concept aims to redevelop the area in a holistic and coherent manner, so that the existing traditional streetscape and local cultural character may be preserved, the old area revitalized with synergy and vibrancy and the old shops are given an opportunity to come back.


Our theme is Nostalgia in Vibrancy: Bringing back Old Charms and Streetscape


One of the unique design elements is to create Graham Street as Hong Kong¡¦s first Old Shop Street where Hong Kong¡¦s renowned old specialty shops would be attracted to do businesses there.


The open market at Graham Street and Peel Street, being one of the local features, would be retained.

5. Design Features

Recreate the architectural style and streetscape
- Preserving the three building blocks at nos. 26A ¡VC, Graham Street;

- Other new buildings along Graham Street would be constructed after the architectural style of the existing low-rise buildings;

- Other new buildings in the site would be set back to improve air ventilation and more open space for street shopping.


Provision of an "Old Shop Street"
- The low-rise along Graham Street would be dedicated for famous old shops and trade. This would be the first "old shop street" in Hong Kong.


Public open space and green walking corridor

- A brand-new public open space would be provided linking up the three development sites of the project.

- An additional green walking corridor will pass through Cochrane Street, the three development sites, Graham Street, Peel street, Stavele Street, Gage Street and then extend to the "Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail"

- Hawkers' stalls can be set up in the public open space.


Careful transport planning

- Adequate loading/unloading areas would be provided to the future residents and avoid the creation of additional demand on the parking space in the nearby areas.

- The loading/unloading areas would be located in the L/G of the new buildings.
6. Development Impact Assessment

Various kinds of assessment have been conducted by professional consultants appointed by the URA with satisfactory results:

- Visual impact assessment

- Traffic impact assessment

- Construction impact assessment

- Environmental assessment

- Air ventilation assessment
7. Continuous public consultation

Formation of a conservation panel under the URA Central & Western District Advisory Committee to study and recommend measures to promote heritage conservation of the project.


Continuous dialogues with the local residents and district council.

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嘉咸街重建打造老店街 尋著名老店後人 游說進駐經營

【明報專訊】王老吉涼茶、陳意齋糕點、誠濟堂藥材這些在中上環盛極一時的百年商店，隨城市變遷已被湮沒或搬離原區。市區重建 局正式動用約38億元展開重建上環卑利街和嘉咸街項目，計劃廣尋百年老店的後人，游說他們重新經營，把該區打造混雜著名老店和大眾化雜貨檔販的「老店街」，重塑昔日街頭風貌。

市建局上月正式向城市規劃委員會遞交嘉咸街項目規劃申請，計劃興建兩座住宅、一座酒店及一座商業大廈，總樓面面積是6.8萬方米，住宅和商業項目的地積比分別為8倍和15倍。城規會預計在3個月內審批。

建3層高「裙樓」

市建局行政總監林中麟表示，新建樓宇將會移後，面向嘉咸街的兩旁地面則會參照昔日唐樓，興建一列3層高的「裙樓」，落成後會邀請不同老字號進駐經營，打造成香港首條「老店街」，重塑往日街道形態。

林指出，昔日王老吉涼茶、高陞茶樓等著名老店在上環享負盛名，但部分已湮沒。稍後會成立由居民、商戶和專家組成的保育小組，尋找各老店後人，遊說他們重操故業。

永和雜貨外牆成入口標誌

現時在市集內經營的雜貨攤檔和露天檔販，可返回原來街道經營，使市集歷史得以保留。林中麟指出，市建局會重新替市集鋪設水電和排污等設施，並設計較美觀的木檔結構，改善市集環境。但他拒絕透露日後會否向檔販收取租金或管理費等。

有近80年歷史的永和雜貨舖由於結構殘破，天花有倒塌危險，相信日後只會保留外牆，作為老店街的入口標誌。另外3棟戰前舊樓，則會保留翻作其他用途。永和雜貨舖老闆關先生表示，對永和極之有感情，日後要清拆，如失去一位親人般，感到很可惜。

整個重建項目的發展成本達38億元，其中收購賠償成本便達18至20億元。林中麟承認，樓市復蘇令收購成本上升，為項目帶來風險，但不擔心血本無歸。

市建局38億打造「老店街」
(星島) 02月 27日 星期二 03:30AM
(綜合報道)

廣 告


(星島日報報道)香港早期的生活點滴，日後可望於中環卑利街和嘉咸街一帶重現。市建局計畫動用三十八億元，重建上環卑利街一帶的舊樓，位於重建範圍的八十年歷史永和雜貨鋪及三棟戰前舊樓均會保留，局方亦會嘗試邀請一些已絕上環的金牌老字號商鋪「進駐」，期望將嘉咸街打造成全港首條「老店街」。

　　經過為期兩年「由下而上」的規劃過程，市建局於上月底向城規會提交卑利街/嘉咸街發展藍圖，正等候批准。項目最獨特的設計概念，在於重塑嘉咸街的老區風貌，嘉咸街及結志街交界的三座戰前舊樓將會保留，新建的大廈亦會採用仿唐樓設計﹔日後更會邀請本土百年老店及金牌老字號於街內開設分店，打造成全港首條「老店街」，營造成行成市的效果。

　　至於被視為全港現存歷史最悠久雜貨店的「永和號」，市建局亦屬意保留，作為「老店街」日後的入口店鋪，但由於市建局考慮到該建築物已日久失修，加上部分木結構已塌下，認為只能盡可能保留其外貌，現已展開工程勘察，了解實際可保留範圍。為了重塑傳統市集氣氛，市建局亦會保留嘉咸街、卑利街和結志街的街頭攤檔，而在重建嘉咸街樓宇時，亦會特意將鋪面後移，使行人通道更為寬敞暢通。

　　項目在重建後，會興建兩座住宅、一座酒店及一座商業大廈，總樓面面積達六萬八千平方米。市建局亦在設計樓宇布局時，特意將原來南北座向的樓宇「開」，提供一條東西向的行人連接通道，藉此改善區內空氣流動。市建局行政總監林中麟表示，局方初步預計動用三十八億元重建上環卑利街和嘉咸街，其中十八至二十億用作賠償安置。他承認，推展項目存有風險，但相信不至於會蝕本，會小心處理，「我們不是普通地產商，普通地產商計算賺蝕，賺錢就做，蝕錢就不做。」 邀老字號重返開店

　　他又稱，局方稍後會成立一個文化保育小組，嘗試尋回或邀請昔日曾於上環開業的老店，如王老吉、皇上皇、春和堂、陳意齋、順記等，返回上環開設分店，重振老店街聲威。他表示，明白到社會開始講求集體回憶，因而會在發展和保育之間尋求平衡。

　　嘉咸街的老牌店鋪及附近的攤檔東主普遍迎老店街的概念，認為有助帶旺生意。其中年屆逾七十歲的「永和號」老闆關釗表示坦言，倘若店鋪只能局部保留，日後難以遷回繼續開業，只好選擇結業。他說﹕「我對永和極之有感情，如果要拆，我好像自己少了位親人，會很懷念這裏。」

19 July 2007
URA commences Peel Street/Graham Street project
URA Press Release

Renderings : http://www.ura.org.hk/html/c1002073e230e.html

The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) announced the commencement of the Peel Street/Graham Street redevelopment project, estimated at a total development cost of $3.8 billion, by conducting an occupancy survey.

Measuring a total site area of about 57,240 square feet, the project is bounded by Peel Street, Graham Street, Gage Street, Wellington Street, Cochrane Street, Gutzlaff Street, Staveley Street and Kin Sau Lane in the Central and Western district. Some 360 property interests in 37 old buildings are expected to be affected. Four of the blocks were built pre-war, while the remainder were built mostly in the mid-50¡¦s and early 60's.

Speaking at today's media briefing to announce details of the occupancy survey, District Development Director of the URA, Mr Joseph Lee, said: "It is estimated that some 470 households involving approximately 1,120 people are residing within the site area. We are deploying some 90 staff members to ascertain the exact number of those affected and the occupancy status of the properties involved, aiming to complete the survey within three days."

Depending on the work progress, the URA intends to issue purchase offers to the owners for acquiring the 360 affected property interests in about three months. Upon completion of the property acquisition exercise, the URA will make compensation or rehousing arrangements for the tenants concerned. The estimated cost of cash compensation and rehousing is about $1.8 billion.

The Peel Street/Graham Street project is one of the projects announced but not yet commenced by the former Land Development Corporation in 1998. Over the past years, the affected residents have repeatedly petitioned the Legislative Council, the Government, Central & Western District Council and the URA urging for early implementation of the project to improve their living environment.

Also speaking at the briefing, Mr Michael Ma, Director, Planning & Design said: "In moving this project forward, the URA will not only bring tangible benefits to those directly affected, but will also provide a multi-purpose community hall with a floor space of 13,500 square feet and some 17,000 square feet of quality open space for the enjoyment of the community."

Central & Western District is a place full of interesting historical and cultural elements. Over the past two years, the URA has spared no efforts in engaging the community in a bottom-up approach on the design and other aspects of the project. The URA, after giving due consideration to all views expressed, has incorporated a lot of the suggestions in the final plan and design which has recently been approved by the Town Planning Board.

Mr Ma said: "One of the unique design elements is to create Graham Street as Hong Kong¡¦s first 'Old Shop Street' where Hong Kong's renowned old specialty shops would be attracted to do businesses there. The entrance of the 'Old Shop Street' will be located at the present Wing Woo Grocery whose façade will be preserved, subject to structural feasibility study. At the other end are the three prewar shop houses at 26A-26C Graham Street which likewise will be preserved and put to adaptive re-use. The rest are three-storey structures to be built for the specialty old shops; the design of these structures will be based on that of traditional shop houses in Hong Kong."

"The URA is keenly aware that we will be faced with a daunting task. Hence, a heritage advisory panel under the Central and Western District Advisory Committee, comprising district council members, local community figures, conservation experts, as well as hawker and resident representatives, has been set up to advise on our various conservation proposals. The panel and experts have started work and have initially obtained a very positive response from operators or descendents of the once vibrant specialty old shops."

"The project is also unique in that it is one of the earliest open markets in Hong Kong. Hawkers still operate in the area. Although strictly speaking they fall outside the project boundaries, we fully encourage these hawkers to continue with their activities upon completion of the project. Indeed we have been in close touch for months with government departments concerned and hawker representatives; we hope to put in place the best possible mutually-acceptable arrangements, be they interim or permanent," Mr Ma added.

He said: "We will take into consideration the views and needs of hawkers in our design for the future stalls so as to give added emphasis to the original district feature."

Mr Joseph Lee added: "Upon completion of the survey, we will arrange a series of briefings for the affected residents and shop operators to explain to them the acquisition and compensation and rehousing arrangements. Meanwhile, we have appointed the urban renewal social service team of the St James' Settlement to provide professional and practical services alongside our frontline staff for the affected residents, in particular the elderly, physically handicapped, new arrivals and single-parent families. The telephone number of the social service team is 2857 1606.

The URA will also set up a district office at 27A Gage Street to address public enquiries on the project. Members of the public are also welcomed to call the URA hotline at 2588 2333 for general enquiries about the project.

嘉咸街收購呎價料達7000
市建局花18億 勢破紀錄 2007年7月20日


【明報專訊】市區重建局宣布斥資38億元重建中上環嘉咸街項目，將原來百年市集翻新成全港首條老店街，兩旁舊樓則清拆重建成4座住宅和商業大廈。市建局計劃在3個月後向業主出價收購，總收購成本達18億元，有地產界人士預計，該區樓價在未來兩年收購期有望攀升至每方呎7000元，超越市建局去年收購灣仔項目所需的每呎6351元，勢打破市建局收購價紀錄。

近年市建局收購成本持續急升，04年出價收購利東街項目時，住宅收購呎價只須4079元，但到06年8月收購鄰近的茂羅街項目，收購價已急升至每呎6351 元，兩年來升幅逾五成。

收購價兩年升逾五成

嘉咸街附近的住宅市道較淡靜，主要以服務式單位為主，缺乏合適參考的7年樓齡屋苑，但地舖則有交投，其中一間地舖最近易手，呎價約達1萬元。中原地產高級區域聯席董事盧民偉表示，該區可供參考的5至6年樓齡住宅呎價介乎5000至6000元，但新開售的樓花如聚賢居等，呎價卻達7000至1萬元，顯示該區的市值在未來2年的市建局收購期內，會進一步攀升，局方出價勢直逼每呎7000元，但最終估值仍須聘請獨立測量師評定。

重建工作將影響約1100名區內居民，居民曾經自行參考同區樓價，期望市建局每呎出價達7000元，才可在同區物色合適單位。

城市規劃委員會早前通過市建局提交的嘉咸街重建規劃大綱，市建局隨即宣布展開一連3天的人口凍結調查，調查重建區實際業權數目。稍後市建局將聘請7名測量師獨立估值，在3個月後正式出價收購，預計整個收購期約需2年。

涉37幢50年舊樓 千人受影響

重建計劃佔地5.7萬平方呎，涉及37幢逾50年樓齡的舊樓，共470個住戶，另外商舖有78間。市建局計劃在地盤興建兩座30層高住宅大廈，共提供293個單位。另外，在靠近半山自動扶梯的閣麟街地盤另建1座設182客房的酒店，及1座33層高的寫字樓。嘉咸街市集及永和號老店外牆亦會保存。項目預計於2013年完成。

市建局地區發展總監李敬志表示，會按獨立測量師估值「貼市」出價及作出安置賠償。他承認，由於項目涉及不少市值較高的地舖，因此總收購成本亦較高，增加重建局財政風險，但項目周期達6年，難預計未來市道和項目盈利，而市建局按一貫重建政策，須如期開展計劃。

難捨永和60年緣分

【明報專訊】市區重建局約3個月後便正式收購嘉咸街物業，有80年歷史的永和雜貨舖預料在2年後便要清拆。自小在永和打工，後來從僱主接手經營逾60載的第二代老闆關伯說，永和號結業如失去一位親人般感到可惜，坦言一班街坊就像「衣食父母」一樣。也有商販擔心，重建後舖租大幅上升，商戶難以負擔返回原址經營的成本。

在結志街居住了19年的李太說，居住大廈的設施十分殘舊，她希望居民可獲每呎7000元的賠償，購買同區7年樓齡的住宅，附近市集的衛生問題很嚴重，李太期望市建局盡快改善。她說，市集路面狹窄濕滑，不時有貨車出入或在路中央上落貨，人車爭路，「我自己買也跣倒了3次，現時到街市要改穿運動鞋。」

市建局規劃及設計總監馬昭智表示，嘉咸街市集攤檔佈局雜亂，從大廈拖至檔口的電線橫飛，地上亦缺乏排污設施，衛生環境惡劣。市建局開展重建計劃時，將重鋪地面和拓闊路面，並替攤檔加設水電排污等，改善區內環境。

保留老舖 建老店街


【明報專訊】市建局計劃將嘉咸街打造成全港首條老店街，現時在市集內經營的雜貨攤檔和露天檔販，在地盤重建期間將暫時遷移至附近街道，至新市集設施啟用後會返回原來街道經營。逾80年歷史的永和號雜貨店則保留外牆作文物展覽及日後老店街正門，旅客穿過永和號便可到兩旁的傳統店舖觀光購物。

市建局經過初步調查，發現區內有不少「百年老店」，包括現位於上環蘇杭街、自清代道光年間賣甘和茶的源吉林涼茶舖，還有上個世紀20年代開業，售賣杏仁餅、燕窩糕等糕餅的陳意齋等。

市建局已成立文物保育小組研究老店街的保育措施，小組主席甘乃威表示，初步建議在街頭和廣場豎立塑像，反映昔日民生，以及將永和號改作文化文物展覽。他表示，距離落成還有數年，未來會就如何吸引老店進駐訂定具體措施。

但市建局規劃及設計總監馬昭智表示，永和號結構殘破，天花有倒塌危險，日後只會保留外牆，另外3幢戰前舊樓，則會保留翻新作其他用途。他又指，市建局會與食環署協調，在地盤施工期間，將露天攤檔遷移至附近街市，但承諾項目完工後會讓全部攤檔返回原來地方。

All the street vendors should stop whining and shut up shop.

URA begins resuming Central plots
Authority moves on redevelopment despite opposition of residents, heritage groups
20 July 2007
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority pushed ahead yesterday with its plan to knock down the city's oldest wet market despite strong opposition from heritage and residents' concern groups.

The authority took the first step in the resumption process for a half-hectare site in Central - which includes the 140-year-old market - by launching a population survey of about 1,120 residents in the area.

It did so in the face of continued opposition by critics who said the development would wipe out a rich and dynamic part of the district's history and that residents and traders did not want to move out.

In the HK$3.8 billion plan for the area bounded by Cochrane, Gage and Wellington streets, two residential blocks of 30 and 32 storeys over a four-storey podium are planned, as well as a 33-storey office tower and a 26-storey hotel on top of two more four-storey podiums.

Central and Western Concern Group spokeswoman Katty Law Ngar-ning said the development would destroy the market, which runs through Peel, Graham and Gage streets, and bring its rich and dynamic history to an end.

"The market is a vibrant place. It attracts a lot of tourists and is a favourite shopping place for the neighbourhood," said Ms Law, whose group conducted its own survey of people in the area.

"When we did the survey and chatted with the vendors and shop owners, many of them said they did not want to go.

"We have to express our view of preserving the market or keeping the effect on it to the minimum when the area is redeveloped."

The group will hold a signature campaign tomorrow and a website will be launched soon to give information about the project.

District development director Joseph Lee King-chi said the authority hoped to complete acquisition of affected properties within two years, with a budget of about HK$1.9 billion, which he said catered for possible fluctuations of the property market.

"But honestly, we can't predict what the market will be like during the period," he said. The compensation rate would be close to the prices of nearby private buildings, he said.

The authority's director of planning and design, Michael Ma Chiu-chi, said the project would preserve the external walls of the nearly 100-year-old Wing Woo Ho grocery store and three pre-war buildings in Graham Street.

A heritage advisory panel would work out ways to run a row of old-style shops the authority plans to build in Graham Street and the planned open market, he said.

The old-shop street would house century-old brand names and shops selling traditional products and handicrafts, he said, but he gave no details of what brand names would be invited or when the finalised plans would be submitted.

Ms Law complained that the heritage panel lacked transparency and excluded the public from its meetings.

"The panel comprises district councillors, historians as well as representatives of the affected vendors and residents.

"But they turned down our request to sit in on the meeting, saying that we have to express our opinion through the members instead," she said.

Roger Ho Yiu-sang, a heritage writer who recently wrote a book on the wet markets of Hong Kong, said the Central project focused more on making profits from the high-rise buildings rather than preserving the wet market tradition and heritage.

"The wet market in Central has a rich sense of interpersonal connections and community feeling," he said.

"Once it is knocked down and with its operation moved into commercial buildings, the whole feeling will be gone."

Coalition to fight `old-style shops' plan
23 July 2007
Hong Kong Standard

Graham Street in the central Mid- Levels does not need artificial ``old- style shops'' that would take years of construction work as there is already a 140-year-old open market, which is to be redeveloped under a HK$3.8 billion facelift, according to a concern group.

The Central and Western Concern Group _ a coalition of more than 10 community organizations _ said yesterday it will launch a signature campaign as part of efforts to prevent the government from turning a vibrant market into a ``decorated stage'' that would take at least five years to build.

Under the massive facelift announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, a 57,240-square-foot area in the district housing Hong Kong's oldest wet market will make way for an avenue of shophouses, multistory residential blocks, a hotel and an office complex.

The area, bounded by Peel Street, Graham Street, Gage Street, Gutzlaff Street and Staveley Street, now has 37 old buildings with about 470 households and almost 80 shops.

The coalition said it has carried out a survey in the district and found there has not been adequate consultation with the residents and shopowners on the redevelopment plan. It said only half of the shop operators said the URA had sought their views.

Sixty-four percent of the operators said they believed the market should be preserved, while more than one-third said the district's historical values should be left intact and that they have developed a close relationship with the neighborhood.

Nineteen percent of the respondents vowed not to leave, and 17 percent said they will stay until the last moment.

John Batten, a coalition co-convener who lives in the area, said the campaign is meant to be political to some extent.

``We'll send questionnaires to all the nominees or candidates in the forthcoming district council elections to get their views on the heritage issue. We'll then publicize the results to let the voters decide at the ballot box,'' he said.

Katty Law Ngar-ning, another convener of the group, said more than half of the shop operators are against the renewal plan. ``Although the Town Planning Board has approved the URA plan, it's still not too late to opt for a better one and have a re-plan,'' she said.

The group urged the government to have review its policy on open markets.

Tanya Chan Shuk-chong of the Civic Party said: ``We don't need an artificial old-shop street. Tourists can't be bothered visiting it in Central if we already have something like the Ngong Ping 360 market. I hope the government will understand what's real and what's not.''

Yau Luk Chiu-wing, a fruit store owner who has been doing business in the open market for 35 years, said she was worried about the uncertainty.

``The URA has explained the renewal project to me briefly. Yet, no one has told me where my new shop will be,'' Yau said.

:(

I love that market. The urban renewal authority have no idea what they're doing. =(

Wet market strikes back with fest
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Graham Street Market in Central - Hong Kong's oldest wet market - is turning the heat up at a community festival as part of its battle with the government.

The market's cultural treasures and unique features will be showcased to the public during a three-week community festival to be launched on Saturday.

People will get a chance to cook with TVB celebrity chef Chow Chung after shopping for ingredients in the market.

Chow has thrown his support behind efforts to save the market from development, in which seven streets would be affected and 37 buildings demolished. "This market is a symbol for Hong Kong," Chow said.

"It represents the essence of Hong Kong. People have been buying from this market for a long time and they have become attached to it. There's a strong sentiment and relationship unlike a supermarket which is very weak."

The festival is expected to attract thousands of visitors from November 3 to 24, and will feature a fashion show, cultural talks, craft shows and art exhibitions. Poets, academics, writers, artists and conservationists will steer the individual events.

"We want to celebrate our street market and raise public awareness about the cultural significance of this market so the government may be able to rethink its town planning policy," said one of the organizers, Katty Law of the Central and Western Concern Group.

Sentiment in the community has been stirred up since the government's redevelopment announcement.

Lau Chun, a chef at Yellow Door Kitchen - a restaurant near the market - whose kitchen will be used for the cooking sessions, is determined to save the market.

"Before we had fancy supermarkets in the IFC, and the Hang Seng Index, this market was already here. Our ancestors used to buy their food here. This is the real Central so how can we forget this?" Lau asked.

He said the market depicted a very traditional Chinese way of life.

"These people have nowhere to go to. This is their world - this is all they have."

Lau said he could buy ingredients like certain Chinese herbs, basil and fresh lotus picked from Lamma Island, which are difficult to find elsewhere.

The organizers of the event include SEE Network and the Conservancy Association.

Somehow the area has to be cleaned up and refurbished even without the URA project. The area is rather tatty.

嘉咸街重建擬活化街市
04/11/2007

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【本報訊】市區重建局收購嘉咸街，市建局主席張震遠昨日表示收購反應良好，局方正研究如何活化及強化嘉咸街市集，不排除重建後的攤檔數目比現時更多。

張震遠昨日出席嘉咸街活動時表示，保留露天市集是嘉咸街重建項目重點，又稱嘉咸街市集是全港最老的露天街市，應該保留，會考慮讓商戶重返街市，更不排除商戶會較現時增加。他說，保留市集未必代表會發出新的小販牌，市建局正研究如何活化及強化市集，會一併考慮民間就街市商戶發牌制度提出的建議，並向政府反映。他指現時離收購完結尚有兩年時間，尚有時間慢慢研究。

在嘉咸街賣蛋二十六年的黃太說，希望日後留在嘉咸街擺賣，以保生計。但她不滿意嘉咸街住宅的賠償金額，「賠得雞碎咁少，都唔知點算。」魚檔東主何先生希望市建局遵守承諾，照顧商戶，讓他們留低繼續經營，但他擔心日後租金更加昂貴。

中西區關注組等團體由昨起至本月二十四日舉辦嘉咸街市節，昨舉行街市時裝展，設計師利用街市的水靴、魚網、藤籃等材料設計時裝，理工大學一班師生更扮摩天大街及小販攤檔，反映重建問題。

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責重建打擊 200人瀕失業
嘉咸街商戶聲討市建局
25/11/2007

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【本報訊】受中環嘉咸街及卑利街重建影響的一批商戶及居民，昨日在結志街舉行聲討大會及簽名行動，抗議市區重建局的重建計劃無顧及居民需要，打擊商戶經營，估計區內至少有七十間商舖及小販檔受重建計劃影響，未來兩年將有二百人面臨失業。關注團體亦批評市建局近日要求部分業主將租約由每兩至三年續租一次，改為按月續租，以方便收購交易。

嘉咸街業主潘先生表示，早前有市建局職員曾勸喻他，將與租客的租約縮短為每月續租，由於他擔心若不答應，會影響日後賠償，故向租客提出要求。租用該舖位的魚檔負責人郭太表示，縮短租約會影響經營及欠缺保障，擔心會隨時失業，她嘆謂：「收購後我疉好難再搵到禝做，其他舖租又貴，注定要失業！」

市建局發言人回應稱，為推行重建時間表，當局會詢問業主，能否與租客縮短合約，否則將於收購後再處理租客問題。市建局強調，業主及租客的賠償額與租約年期無直接關係。思網絡總監鄭敏華促請市建局盡量採取復修法，分階段重建，將對商戶及居民的影響減至最低，及保障商戶及租客的收購賠償權益。 http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

70pc of households accept compensation
29 December 2007
South China Morning Post

More than half of the shops and households affected by the Graham Street and Peel Street redevelopments had accepted the compensation option offered by the Urban Renewal Authority, its managing director, Billy Lam Chung-lun, said yesterday.

Mr Lam, who steps down as URA chief on Monday, said he had never felt disappointed or unhappy about the public protests staged against the authority's redevelopment projects.

"While preserving our history, we have to protect the interest of the silent majority," he said. Efforts had been made to retain characteristics of redeveloped districts, he said, adding preserving the old market along Graham Street was an example.

According to the authority's latest figures, 33 per cent of the 78 shops and 70 per cent of 470 households affected by the Graham and Peel street projects had already accepted compensation.

嘉咸街活化增建零售中心

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(星島)7月29日 星期二 05:30
(綜合報道)

(星島日報 報道)中環 嘉咸街重建在即，為保留市集特色，市建局 昨提出新活化方案，計畫興建一幢兩層高的零售中心，讓現時嘉咸街街市市集的十四個濕貨商鋪，優先以市值租金租用，繼續經營。預料重建項目成本將增加二億元至超過四十億元，發展期亦會延長年半至兩年。但有商戶表示，寧願留在現有鋪位經營，又擔心日後新鋪位的租金較高，令經營困難。

　　記者：張建業

　　市建局董事會昨公布有關嘉咸街街市市集的新活化方案，未來在重建項目中，會興建一幢兩層高的零售中心，提供十六個以濕貨為主的檔位，目前在市集內經營的十四個濕貨檔，日後可獲優先以市值租金遷入。至於現時五十三個小販攤檔，亦會保留位置以供經營，但由於政府發牌制度下，小販牌照不容轉讓，令市集難以延續，目前有關問題仍有待食環署 進行研究。

　　重建項目成本增二億元

　　市建局主席張震 遠表示，新方案會令重建項目成本增加二億元，發展期亦會延長年半至兩年。他指出，成本增加的原因，是由於工程必須分階段進行，以減少對販商及市民的影響。

　　按現時計畫，兩層高的零售中心將設於嘉咸街近結志街，零售中心面積不少於四百平方米，另外再預留約三百平方米地方，租予商販儲存貨物之用。為確保市集如常運作，市建局容許商鋪暫緩交吉，直至地盤正式施工為止。在工程進行期間，亦會避免在嘉咸街及卑利街兩旁同時豎立地盤圍板，阻礙小販生意，並會為受影響的攤檔加建上蓋，提供水電供應。

　　團體指破壞市集多元化

　　對於新方案，商販的反應並不一致。在嘉咸街經營菜檔超過三十年的陳太 表示，寧願留在現有鋪位經營，亦不願遷到新零售中心。「我請了好多工人，到時不知道環境怎樣，加上市值租金都一定比現在的租金貴，聽講到時存貨位置又要同鋪位分開，走來走去攞貨都好麻煩啦。」

　　有魚檔商販表示，會考 慮遷往新零售中心經營。「要看到時租金要幾多，做得過就做，做唔過就唔做囉。」

　　另外，中西區關注組發言人羅雅寧認為，新方案由市建局及發展商壟斷市集商鋪業權，破壞市集多元化。該團體今日將向城規會申請修訂西營盤 及上環分區計畫大綱圖，建議將市集規劃成「特別設計區」，限制樓宇高度於十二層以下。

Somewhat appreciate the idea but practically, who would want to shop with construction noise all around? It's probably very dusty as well.

Rezone Graham Street, say activists
14 August 2008
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority's redevelopment project in Graham Street has been challenged by an activist group that has urged town planners to rezone the area as a market street to preserve the area's vibrant and historic bazaar.

To protect the surrounding streetscape of what it terms "Hong Kong's historic Old City", the Central and Western Concern Group also suggests rezoning the adjacent Soho area as a "special design area", with a maximum plot ratio of five and a 12-storey height limit.

In an application submitted to the Town Planning Board this week, the group asked that the authority's office and retail development scheme for Graham and Peel streets be removed, saying it was incompatible with the street market and would overload the saturated street system.

"The community's diverse and multilayered fabric will be difficult to sustain," it said.

It said Graham Street and the surrounding area included sites relating to Sun Yat-sen and his revolutionary movement. These spots should be sensitively zoned and managed to maintain the area's integrity, it suggested.

The market streets would be retained to allow for cooked-food stalls and alfresco dining, while vehicle access would be limited. It criticised the authority's scheme as a "planning blight" that discouraged property owners from taking the initiative to repair their own homes.

An authority spokesman said the proposal was being studied and it would summit comments to the Town Planning Board soon.

By chunwan from dchome :

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ahhh, Ga Ham Gai...home sweet home for 2 wonderful years.

ahhh, Ga Ham Gai...home sweet home for 2 wonderful years.

You can make it longer in future:)

Market stall shuffle at Central site
29 July 2008
The Standard

The Urban Renewal Authority plans to spend an extra HK$200 million to build a two-story wet market in the Graham street redevelopment project in Central.

The idea is to retain characteristics of the original market. But it will mean sacrificing a 100-space car park and the revenue it would generate in addition to trimming the value of the property . It will also extend the development period by up to two years, taking the completion date to 2014 at the earliest.

The arrangement will increase the budget of the project from HK$3.8 billion to HK$4 billion.

Authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said yesterday the market is actually outside the boundary of the project but the authority hoped to save the market from further shrinkage.

``Quite a number of old market stalls have been replaced by trendy shops, and the number of hawker stalls is decreasing due to the hawker licensing policy,'' Cheung said.

He said adjustments to the original plan were made after discussions with the conservation advisory panel, which is made up of district councilors, hawkers and residents.

The two-story building could accommodate 16 shops, he added, and the existing 14 wet- provision street stalls would have priority.

He said there would be 300 square meters of storage space, but stall operators would need to rent additional space.

``The additional development cost will be about HK$200 million,'' Cheung said. That will cover the extra expense for the longer redevelopment period of up to 18 to 24 months and relocation of the wet stalls.

He added that he realized returns on the project would be reduced without the sale of parking spaces and the overall value affected. But it was worthwhile to go ahead with the changes.

Cheung said affected shop operators would be allowed to continue operations up to the point of actual demolition.

Also, safety hoardings and protective walls will only be erected on one side of the street at any one time during the construction stage.

Temporary areas within the development area for the wet-provision shops will also be arranged.

The authority will hold a public forum early next month to collect views on the proposal.

Opinion : Do our old streets need more protection?
27 August 2008
South China Morning Post

The protection of old streets makes sense only if the surrounding buildings - in fact the entire neighbourhood and community - are conserved with care and sensitivity.

The old streets that we enjoy are those with naturally-aged buildings, close-knit communities, vibrant human interaction and an interesting range of activities for us to explore.

Take the Graham Street market as an example. It is the oldest street market in Hong Kong and is extremely vibrant.

The buildings along Graham and Peel streets may be old and in need of a facelift, but the whole environment forms a unique cultural landscape which cannot be found elsewhere in Hong Kong. It is indeed an important part of Hong Kong's original old city.

In one of the Urban Renewal Authority's earlier press statements, it said: "Peel and Graham streets in Central will be revamped to create Hong Kong's first 'old-shop street' resembling historic open markets."

The way that the mechanism works, all the existing old shops and buildings along these streets are to be pulled down.

The entire community will be dispersed, a big podium and four high-rise towers will be built and a new "old-shop street" reinstated.

The authority may say it is protecting the old streets, but do we want "fake" old streets and four towers?

Sadly, this kind of redevelopment logic prevails in our city as we add the names of Graham, Peel, Gutzlaff and Staveley to the list of 300 lost streets, including Lee Tung Street as one of the newly deceased.

Sai Yee Street, commonly known as "Sneaker Street", will soon follow. This destructive trend has to be stopped.

What we need is a more holistic approach in protecting our old neighborhoods.

These delicate areas, like the Graham Street market, should be zoned as heritage areas with a system of planning controls set up to preserve their character.

This includes restrictions on the scale, size, height, style and construction of buildings as well as preservation of urban patterns as defined by lots and streets. An organic regeneration of these areas should be encouraged.

This approach provides incentives for individual owners to renovate their own properties under well-defined guidelines without having the whole area "redeveloped" by a broad-brush demolition and reconstruction approach now adopted by the authority.

Please save what we have today for the sake of our future generations. It is time to stop further destruction of our precious old neighbourhoods.

Katty Law, Central

Opinion : Officials must change the way they look at urban planning
6 September 2008
South China Morning Post

I would like to add a comment to Lee Ho-yin's letter ("We can keep our old streets and still redevelop", September 3) asking that the government, politicians and pressure groups look more carefully into the conservation of all existing urban streets.

True, but it is fundamental change in official thinking about urban planning, heritage conservation and the way we live that is needed.

Over the past 10 years there has been, for example, a planned strategy to increase the concentration of development throughout Kowloon and along Hong Kong Island's harbourfront.

This strategy has hardly been explained nor debated by the public. Who decided that high-rise buildings on the new West Kowloon reclamation area and in the older areas of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom and Tai Kok Tsui should block views and harbourside air flow? Certainly not the public.

In contrast, the Urban Renewal Authority's planned six-year project to build four large high-rise buildings and a three-level shopping podium on the Graham Street market has seen much media coverage and public debate. Information is a powerful tool. There has consequently been universal and deafening condemnation of a development that will overwhelm this much-loved, practical and historic street market, but - and the public realises this - do nothing to improve the day-to-day life of the average person living in this part of Hong Kong Island.

Government, statutory and big-business structures dealing with urban planning decision-making bamboozle the public and allow little opportunity for outside or clear-headed ideas to be entertained. Being unable to be involved in these decisions is potentially and seriously divisive for a public with heightened expectations of all its decision-makers.

We may have 60 per cent of our population living in public housing, but having no equity in that housing should not - as it has been seen for so long by officials - be equated with having no interest in "the way we live". The public's plummeting approval ratings for the government are and will continue to be proof of this.

Opinion : Hawkers back Graham Street market revamp
11 September 2008
South China Morning Post

John Batten ("Officials must change the way they look at public planning", September 6) is right to say that the Urban Renewal Authority's (URA) Graham Street project has seen much media coverage and public debate. But he neglected the fact that the project is supported by many of the directly-affected residents and stakeholders.

Over the years the URA has been urged to implement the project to improve the living environment of residents.

A majority of the relevant property owners have already taken our offers and the hawkers are generally supportive of our plan to preserve the Graham Street market. As early as 2005, we actively engaged the community and stakeholders in planning for the project through a wide range of consultative activities such as an exhibition, workshop, forum and residents' meetings.

The URA even took the initiative to set up a conservation advisory panel comprising local district council members, residents and hawker representatives, historians and other experts to advise on heritage and hawker-related issues.

As a result of all these consultative efforts a comprehensive plan has been worked out to address the needs of the hawkers and related wet trade shop operators so that they can continue their business during and after the redevelopment process.

We remain open to public views and are willing to undertake the package of measures to revitalise the market even though it will cost us an extra HK$200 million and take 18 to 24 months longer to complete than the usual period of about six years for such projects.

Redevelopment in the district proceeds strictly according to the existing statutory process and regulations.

The project not only helps more than 800 residents living in dilapidated dwellings improve their living condition, but also provides a golden opportunity for us to preserve the market which otherwise may disappear due to natural gentrification as has happened in nearby areas.

Angela Tang, general manager, external relations, Urban Renewal Authority

Source : http://www.pbase.com/fatalframe/graham_street

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Opinion : Behind the URA's smokescreen on damaging Graham Street
15 September 2008
South China Morning Post

I refer to the letter by the Urban Renewal Authority's (URA) Angela Tang ("Hawkers back Graham Street market revamp", September 11).

I wish to make this very clear: what the URA is actually doing in the Graham/Peel streets area is building two residential towers, each more than 30 storeys high on a four-level podium. They will have a total of 293 flats, one 26-storey hotel above a four-level podium with 182 guestrooms, and a 33-storey office tower above a four-level podium with a plot ratio of 15. This is what everyone should visualise, and what will put our street market, if any of it is left, in a shadow in a few years' time.

The URA apparently wants to use a smokescreen, talking about "revitalising" the market while dancing around the issue of development intensity. However, clear-headed members of the public have not been fooled. In a forum organised by the URA on August 7, the majority of the attendees - including planners, architects and nearby residents - rejected this gargantuan development.

Some correctly said such insensitive redevelopment would damage the environment of this pleasant, low-rise buffer zone between the Central business district and uphill residential area.

The URA has set up a "conservation advisory panel" to look at heritage and hawker-related matters. But nothing close to a heritage impact assessment or social impact assessment has ever been produced and made available for public comment. The URA can never justify how it can erase old streets, pull down old buildings, build big towers and still maintain the heritage of our century-old street market.

Experience from other world-class cities tells us that such a heritage area should never be redeveloped in this manner. It needs tender loving care by the government and the community to gradually and organically regenerate the delicate environment, rebuilding when necessary - but subject to a well-defined heritage protection policy and planning control. The URA's redevelopment is out of step with current conservation ideals.

We need a change in the government mindset: our neighbourhood is in the utmost danger.

Katty Law, Central

Celebrating Graham Street before it changes
16 November 2008
South China Morning Post

A street festival featuring arts performances and cultural tours opened yesterday near the hip area of SoHo in Central, aimed at drumming up support for the preservation of a historic market and its neighbourhood.

The Graham Street Market Festival, organised by the Central and Western Concern Group, is intended to raise public awareness on the redevelopment plans for the area.

John Batten, convenor of the conservationist group, hoped that with increased awareness would come greater pressure on the government to make concessions in its redevelopment plans.

Conservationist groups have long been battling the Urban Renewal Authority over its plans to redevelop the 160-year-old Graham Street open market. The group has urged town planners to rezone the area as a market street to preserve its vibrant and historic bazaar. Mr Batten said that although the Town Planning Board had already approved the authority's redevelopment plans last year and the authority had made some changes to include a market area, he hoped that increased public pressure would ensure that the new buildings would not be high rise.

The group had earlier suggested a 12-storey height limit.

Mr Batten said that the group already had more than 12,000 letters of support. "Realistically, things will only change if the government interferes," he said. "This is an ongoing campaign and we hope to force the change."

The festival, which is in its second year, opened at 3pm yesterday at Gage Street with the distribution of a map of Graham Street market to the public. It was followed by a forum featuring discussions involving architects, planners and activists on urban planning and renewal. A short film about the market stallholders called Graham Darlings was shown.

The festival also featured magicians, acrobats, performances by students from the University of Hong Kong, a flea market and cultural tours.

A flea market at the Hoi Wan Cafe on Gage Street will open at 2pm today and a guided cultural tour, which requires pre-registration, will occur this afternoon. The festival ends on Saturday.

Source : http://www.pbase.com/tasminip/graham08

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Opinion : Tower blocks will overwhelm street market
18 September 2008
South China Morning Post

Angela Tang, of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) misses the point ("Hawkers back Graham Street market revamp", September 11) of my own letter about decision-makers failing to come to grips with urban planning and the way we live in Hong Kong ("Officials must change the way they look at public planning", September 6).

The public knows the link between tall buildings, the road canyons they create, the air pollution trapped at ground level, the air we breathe and its respiratory consequences. It also knows of the detrimental effects of high-rise living, lack of green open space, traffic congestion and pavement crowding that the nearby Graham Street public and those in Central and Mid-Levels must endure.

The URA market redevelopment plans of four bulky high-rise tower blocks, a three-level shopping podium and a construction period of more than six years will overwhelm the hawkers, the historic street market and the available road and pedestrian infrastructure - and destroy Hong Kong's oldest street market.

This is a place the public can call and use as its own precisely because a street market is a special egalitarian space open to all and not competing with sectional interests, for example, the security guards that you may find in, say, Times Square.

Shoppers, residents from adjacent areas and further uphill and people working in Central, visit, shop and use the present market and can see the sun because it is predominantly a low-rise area. And they have the freedom to walk on four totally pedestrian streets (Peel, Graham, Staveley and Gutzlaff) and partially pedestrianised Gage Street. All these people, although they are not themselves hawkers or residents in the URA redevelopment area, are also stakeholders in this project.

There are countless examples of bad urban planning in Hong Kong and the proposed Graham Street market redevelopment is one. The new political reality is that bad urban planning and all its adverse consequences are fundamental issues and because of them, the public will judge our decision-makers.

We want something a lot better than the sad, hackneyed, destructive models that URA officials, but not other people, think is good urban planning.

John Batten, Sheung Wan

Opinion : Renewal strategy is misguided
22 November 2008
South China Morning Post

Renewal strategy is misguided

I refer to the article by Urban Renewal Authority (URA) chairman Barry Cheung Chun-yuen ("The need for a sensible balance in urban renewal", November 18).

One should not confuse urban renewal with a welfare policy. If the latter aims to help people with the greatest needs, the URA has definitely failed the poorest districts of Hong Kong.

The areas it has earmarked for redevelopment are largely those with high development potential, such as Graham Street in Central, Staunton Street in SoHo, or "Wedding Card" [Lee Tung] Street in Wan Chai. These areas could have been regenerated without URA intervention. Very poor people who live in bad conditions in faraway districts with little development potential have not been helped by the URA.

Some buildings in URA-designated renewal areas may be dilapidated, but it is in fact "forced dilapidation" caused by the announcement of urban renewal for the area years ago. Building owners are not willing to pay for refurbishment, anticipating that the URA will one day take away their flats.

Sometimes these flats fall into the hands of investors. Some blocks in Graham Street, for instance, have a single owner and they have more bargaining power to negotiate with the URA to get better compensation. So the URA spends vast sums compensating these investors while small owners are left comparatively worse off in compensation.

Some old couples I know in Graham Street have not been able to buy similar flats in the area with URA compensation and must move to the New Territories.

The Urban Renewal Strategy is indeed very problematic as the URA, since its inception seven years ago, has created numerous problems in the districts that it tried to redevelop - the destruction of community networks (for example, Lee Tung Street), the obliteration of historic areas (Graham Street market) the insensitive construction of high-rise towers in already overcrowded areas. All this damage is sustained using public money.

We need an overhaul of the entire system and public money should be better spent. We must clearly identify the needs of our society and have a more holistic vision of how our urban areas should move forward.

As I said, good urban planning should not be confused with a so-called welfare programme, which is what is happening with the URA.

Katty Law, Central

Tastes of old Hong Kong
JAMES WEBB ventures out of the former British colony's modern air-conditioned shopping malls in search of the authentic side of the intoxicating city
20 June 2010
The Express on Sunday

THE DAY after I left Hong Kong a sandstorm blew in from China, ruining the air quality and generating warnings for tourists to stay indoors. The irony made me smile, as part of the problem with modern Hong Kong is that visitors can spend most of their time undercover, moving from mall to mall via covered walkways and the metro.

In the two decades since I started visiting the former British colony, icons such as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel have been gradually hemmed in by the retail meccas.

Most of the malls are gathered in the main shopping districts in Hong Kong. It would be easy to assume, if you spent all your time in Hong Kong Island's Central district or Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui, linked across the harbour by the famous Star Ferry, that very little of the old city remains. It does.

To get a feel for a less sanitised Hong Kong, catch one of the ludicrously narrow vintage trams to the Sheung Wan district and alight at the Western Market, a listed Edwardian building, alas no longer home to a food market but mainly fabric shops.

From here, head south along Possession Street, where the Union Jack was planted in 1841 to annexe the island and inhale as you pass supermarkets. you'll smell ginseng, salty fish and essence of birds' nest soup, rather refreshing after eau-de-air-conditioning.

Eventually, you'll reach Hollywood Road, famous for its antique shops but now rapidly developing a vibe similar to that of London's Shoreditch as artists take root among the tenements.

ART ATTACK

The hip Cat Street Gallery (222 Hollywood Road) is currently showcasing the very colourful contemporary art by Londoners Rob and Nick Carter until July 31.

Running off it at No 4 Po yan is equally trendy arts organisation Para/Site. a few houses along at No 2 is Lomography, which specialises in the eponymous cheap cameras that are beloved by rock stars. My favourite place to shop is Sin Sin (52 Sai St), a pair of elegant boutiques/art galleries facing each other on a run-down road. They sell lovely, albeit pricey, jewellery you won't find at home.

ANTIQUES AND FORTUNE-TELLERS

Back on Hollywood Road, the antiques come thick and fast. you can, if you wish, bargain-hunt among the tat on Cat Street (aka Upper Lascar Row), although I have always found it to be somewhat disappointing.

Carry on walking along to the atmospheric, incense-dense Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the twin deities of war and literature. The ceiling is covered in enormous pyramidal spirals of incense (watch out for falling ash) and the fortune-teller speaks English. Eighteen years ago he told me my first child would be a "masculine child". Two lovely daughters later, a boy finally came along.

OODLES OF NOODLES

The next stop is an indicator of creeping gentrification. Classified (108 Hollywood Road) is a rarity in Hong Kong, a cheese and wine deli and café (the Chinese aren't fond of dairy). Eat in and you can sit around a large communal table surrounded by wine bottles.

It has a sister restaurant, The Press Room (also at 108 Hollywood Road), a chic Frenchstyle bistro, named after the area's historic links with the printing industry, that serves traditional dishes such as steak frites.

For something less European, cross to Jervois Street and try Wing Hop Shing's (115 Jervois St), which offers quick-fix baked rice dishes, including its delicious signature clay pot rice with wonderful marinated beef and topped with a raw egg.

Thread your way back to Central along Bonham Strand and Wellington Street, where you will find mahjong shops and places making traditional seals. Here stroll the Graham Street food market, with its medicinal herb stores and, just under the raised escalators at Stanley Street, a group of the last dai pai dongs in the city.

These open-air food stalls are now a threatened species, with licences only allowed to pass on within the family. as less young people want to carry on the tradition, there are only 28 left in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Finish off at an authentic drinks stall with a local beverage called yin-yang, a mixture of coffee and red tea that is as odd as it sounds.

THE BIG SLEEP

The Central Park Hotel (dialling from the UK 00 852 2850 8899/www.centralparkhotel.com.hk) offers doubles from £75 per night (two sharing), B&B. It maintains a nice boutique feel, despite its 142 rooms.

Still on Hong Kong island but to the east of Sheung Wan, The Cosmopolitan (852 3552 1111/ www.cosmopolitanhotel.com.hk) offers doubles from £63 per night (two sharing), B&B. It is slightly further away but has charming, friendly service and its shuttle buses run all over town.

GETTING THERE: Kuoni (01306 747 002/www.kuoni.co.uk) offers seven nights at the Mandarin Oriental from £1,788pp (two sharing), room only. Price includes Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow and transfers. Hong Kong Tourism Board: www.discoverhongkong.com

STREET SCENE: find a bargain at a Hollywood Road market TIGHT SQUEEZE: Travel on one of the narrow vintage double-decker trams for a visit to the older parts of the city

Florist in land row loses her shop
29 September 2009
South China Morning Post

A flower shop in Graham Street was demolished yesterday, but the tenant will not receive any compensation because she had been unaware that she was paying rent for a piece of illegally occupied government land.

The flower shop, on the footpath next to the Wing Woo grocery shop at the intersection of Graham and Wellington streets, had its last morning of business before it was dismantled in a joint operation by the Buildings Department, Lands Department, and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

A Lands Department spokeswoman said it did not plan to follow up on who charged the shop owner rent illegally because it was a "personal dispute". Under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, there was nothing the department could do in such a scenario, she said.

Tenant May Ng, in her 40s, said she had not known the shop was on government land until Urban Renewal Authority staff told her in May last year that she was not eligible for redevelopment compensation.

Because of her illegal occupation of government land, the Lands Department told Ng early last month that if she did not close the shop by last Friday the department would demolish it on September 28.

Ng, the breadwinner of her family, tried defending her shop yesterday before yielding to government officers in the afternoon. Stock was left outside the closed door of the grocery shop, in the rain.

"The government departments do not show any sympathy," Ng said. "They didn't give me enough time. It's impossible for me to find a place to move into in just a month."

She opened the store in September 2006 and said she had paid more than HK$100,000 rent to a middleman - a vegetable hawker who worked opposite her. After noticing she was not paying the legitimate landowner, Ng stopped handing over the rent.

It remains unclear whether the Wing Woo shop, which operated for more than 80 years before it closed in January, had any part in the row. The grocery store's owner, Kwan Moon-chiu, refused to tell the Urban Renewal Authority whether it had accepted any of the rent.

Ng said she would like to claim her rent back through the courts, but that she lacked legal knowledge. She said she would move the remaining stock, mainly orchids and pots, to a field in Tuen Mun. But she had yet to find a place to reopen her shop.

An authority spokesman said it was not in a position to take any action because the shop was on government land and was not within its redevelopment area.

Opinion : Market revamp will ruin a part of HK's past
9 November 2010
South China Morning Post

I urge the government to halt the Graham Street market redevelopment scheme.

This market is part of Hong Kong's traditional cultural heritage. It is of great historical significance. It represents a part of our past, with local people doing their daily shopping for groceries. Also, the redevelopment scheme will bring with it unpleasant side-effects.

The reconstruction project will take some time. During this period there will be a lot of air and noise pollution in the area. This will bring a lot of inconvenience to local residents.

The government has paid little attention to the consultation reports of different groups objecting to the revamp. The views of some relevant professionals from fields such as planning have been overlooked.

Officials should have taken note of their views.

This would have meant that there was less likelihood of them making fundamental mistakes when embarking on this revamp programme.

Supporters of the revamp have said that preserving the site would hinder the city's economic progress.

But I think it is always important for the government to strike the right balance between maintaining prosperity and heritage conservation.

The "Viva Blue House" in Wan Chai is an excellent example of heritage preservation and economic interests coexisting.

The Blue House will have businesses, such as a vegetarian restaurant and a second-hand goods shop.

Jennifer Lee, Wong Tai Sin

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Closed shops in Graham Street Market: the Urban Renewal Authority is slowly killing Hong Kong's oldest and most historic street market (Photo: Stanley Ng)

Stallholders have mixed feelings on market move
21 December 2010
SCMP

Tenants of the Graham Street wet market moved to make way for redevelopment have mixed feelings about the project, which will conserve the city's oldest market.

Some say their businesses are struggling at the temporary site, while others say they are happy and looking forward to moving into a new market when the project is complete.

All 14 stalls and shops selling vegetables and meat in the wet market in Graham Street began moving last month to Gage Street, a few minutes' walk away.

Urban Renewal Authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun-yuen said all affected shopkeepers and stallholders were happy with the arrangement and willing to return to the new two-storey structure to be built on the site of the century-old market.

"The Graham Street market is the city's oldest market, which is something we tremendously treasure," he said.

But May Chan Fung-siu, who has run a vegetable shop in Graham Street for more than 10 years and was moved last month, said her business had dropped by more than half at the new location because some of her customers had not yet found her shop. "The new shop is at the end of the street, which is not an eye-catching prime site and is not easily found," Chan said.

She was also struggling to pay the rent, which had more than doubled from the HK$9,000 charged by her former landlord to HK$20,000.

Chan said whether she moved into the new market, to be completed by about 2014, would depend on how much the authority charged in rent.

Chan Cheuk-chiu, who runs a fresh goods stall, and Wong Tai-Tse, who sells traditional snacks and rice dumplings, painted a different picture. Chan, who had been at the Graham Street market for more than 30 years, said the authority was charging him only half his previous rent. "I am very happy with the arrangement and will surely move to the new market," he said.

Wong, who has run her stall since the 1960s, also liked the new site, which she said had a greater traffic flow. "My stall used to be at a quiet corner on Graham Street and has now moved to the junction of Graham and Gage Streets, which is a better location to attract business."

To attract customers to the temporary market, the authority launched a lucky draw on December 11, with prizes including cash coupons for shoppers buying groceries from the shops and stalls in the area.

The draw, which the authority said had attracted more than 10,000 people in the past nine days, will continue until the end of next month.

Meanwhile, Cheung said it would be important to carry out the Sheung Wan redevelopment in phases to minimise the interruption to businesses there.

Therefore, it was worth delaying the redevelopment for 18 to 24 months, which would cost the authority an extra HK$200 million in interest. But he said he did not believe inflation would pose too serious a threat to the project, which covers 5,320 square metres in Graham Street and Peel Street.

The authority said it had not yet been able to work out a total cost for the project, as land acquisition had not been completed.

The authority announced yesterday that it would issue offer letters to owners of 159 properties in its Kowloon redevelopment project on Mau Tau Wai Road and Chun Tin Street.

卑利街地盤仔僅接8標
2012年04月19日(四)
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新財政年度將有多幅市區靚地排隊登場，削弱昨日截標的市建局中區卑利街/嘉咸街項目B地盤吸引力，項目昨日共收到8份標書，入標財團除新地及信置外，不少為中小型發展商，如泛海國際、中國海外及資本策略合組財團等入標，相信不少大型發展商計劃「留力」競逐其他政府土地。

市建局昨宣布，早前接18份意向書的卑利街/嘉咸街項目B地盤，昨共接獲8份標書，招標遴選小組將評審各標書，並會盡快由董事會決定批出項目發展權。

昨遞交標書的大發展商包括信置及新地等，此外，中國海外、資本策略合組財團及泛海國際等的代表亦先後到場。另消息人士透露，南豐集團旗下的Chen's Holdings Limited昨亦有派出代表遞交標書。

泛海入標 英皇棄投

泛海國際執行董事關堡林指出，中區住宅單位供應罕有，故集團睇好區內發展入標競逐項目，而落成後舖位需交回市建局作回遷，他認為，問題不大。

資本策略執行董事簡士民表示，集團是次夥拍德祥地產以合組財團形式競投嘉咸街項目，兩間公司股權各佔百分之五十，而項目料可發展精品式住宅，切合集團發展策略。至於有份遞交意向書，最終未有入標的英皇國際，該公司執行董事張炳強透露，嘉咸街項目「最值錢」是地舖，惟落成後需交回市建局，故集團決定放棄入標。
發展成本高於預期

另有發展商指出，嘉咸街項目雖具吸引力，不過，由於發展商普遍預期項目以興建迷你或小型單位較切合區內需求，可惜發展條款卻規定需興建約177伙，令項目具一定挑戰性，加上發展商需為整個發展項目興建物業平台，發展成本較預期高，令部分發展商「轉軚」，決定「留力」競逐政府稍後推出的多幅地皮。

美聯測量師行董事林子彬預期，以樓面地價每方呎9,000元推算，估計嘉咸街B地盤市值17.23億元。

另外，市建局將於明日截收土瓜灣馬頭角北帝街/木廠街項目發展意向書。