New historical sites proposed
AN expert panel has proposed listing the Fan Ling golf course's clubhouse and the Fan Ling Lodge as historical sites – a move that will prevent them from being demolished for muchneeded housing.The proposal comes as the government pushes ahead with its plan to develop the Northeastern New Territories .A paper submitted to members of the Antiquities Advisory Board says the Antiquities and Monuments Office wants to list the Fan Ling golf course as a Grade 2 historical
site and Fan Ling Lodge as a Grade 1 historical building.A Grade 1 listing means the building has outstanding merit and that every effort should be made to preserve it if possible.A Grade 2 building should be preserved if
possible.A one-month public consultation will be conducted to seek citizens’ views.“The Antiquities and Monuments Offi ce will also write to the owners of the privately owned items to inform them of the proposed grading,” the paper asys. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said earlier he was prepared to give up Fan Ling Lodge if the area is needed for development. There have been mounting calls for the government to redevelop Fan Ling Lodge and take back the 170-hectare golf course run by the Hong Kong Golf Club for redevelopment. The Hong Kong Golf Club is a private golf club. It was founded in 1889 as the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club in Happy Valley. Leung said the government needs time to conduct assessments on transport and environment protection before deciding on the development.Critics claim it is unfair for the government to evict villagers and farmers in Fan Ling North and Kwu Tung North without taking back the golf course. Fan Ling Lodge, tucked behind trees and skirting one of the golf courses, has served as a retreat for the city’s governors and chief executives since 1934. The two-storey, five-bedroom country house stands on a 2.3-hectare site and has a swimming pool, a wood-and-stone pergola,a tennis court and guardhouse.