Press Release
The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) resolved unanimously in its regular meeting in March to grant Grade 1 historic building status to the Bishop Hill (Mission Hill) and Yau Ma Tei service reservoirs. Local cultural tourism enterprise Walk in Hong Kong today (April 13) lodged a written submission expressing its concern over the Bishop Hill service reservoir’s future with the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO).
Walk in Hong Kong agrees to AAB’s decision to list Bishop Hill service reservoir as a Grade 1 historic building. However, it is noted that the notion of “group value” in the heritage appraisal submitted to the AAB by AMO is too narrow and outdated. Rather than grouping it with other waterworks heritage associated with the Kowloon Waterworks Gravitation Scheme (some of which being Declared Monuments), the appraisal instead focused on non-waterworks-related historic buildings adjacent to Bishop Hill.
For the conservation of the service reservoir, Walk in Hong Kong call upon the authorities to start engaging local residents as soon as possible, and pay attention to the social fabric of the community. Given the separation of the heritage site from the built-up area in the surroundings, it is unlikely that any attempt of conserving it through the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme (“R-Scheme”) would bear fruit. For many years Bishop Hill existed as a highly organic community space, and efforts should be made to think of ways that respect and contribute to the tight connection between the heritage site and the local community.
The consultation period of the proposed grading will last until this Thursday (15th April). Walk in Hong Kong encourages those who care about the upcoming conservation of the service reservoir to make their views heard by the AAB, through lodging submissions with the AMO by the deadline. Details of the consultation exercise could be found on the AAB website (https://www.aab.gov.hk/en/news_20210315.php). One may also refer to the Bishop Hill Service Reservoir Heritage Assessment for details.
Full text of the submission (in Chinese only)
致古物諮詢委員會：
擬議評級諮詢公眾意見：九龍深水埗前深水埗配水庫（N367）
前深水埗配水庫因為水務署的工程遭受破壞，卻因此令埋在地下的百年古蹟重見天日。活現香港（Walk in Hong Kong）早前聯同一眾保育人士、專家及學者編纂了《地水重光 — 主教山配水庫文物價值評估報告》，展現了民間集思廣益的力量，讓公眾對主教山配水庫的文物價值有所參考。這份民間報告確立配水庫有極高的文物價值，並理應列為法定古蹟。
因此，古物諮詢委員會（「古諮會」）擬將配水庫評為一級歷史，即最高的級別，我們表示認同。而當評級被確認後，我們懇請古諮會盡快啟動相關程序，將配水庫列為法定古蹟。古諮會主席蘇彰德先生在上一次古諮會會議後回應傳媒時提到，「配水庫列入法定古蹟只是時間問題」，我們對此表示歡迎。
除了評級的事宜，我們還有以下兩點意見：
一．我們細閱了古物古蹟辦事處（古蹟辦）就配水庫撰寫的歷史建築評估報告，在「組合價值」那一部份，報告只交代配水庫鄰近的建築。我們認為，只針對地理範圍，是對「組合價值」過份狹隘及過時的理解。就配水庫而言，它是九龍水塘重力供水系統的其中一個核心部份，理應與這水利工程有更密切的聯繫。可是，當古蹟辦報告在衡量「組合價值」時，仍只是關注附近的建築（美荷樓、前北九龍裁判法院、寶血會女修院等），但其實這些建築本身與配水庫是沒有任何關連。我們認為有需要立即修正對「組合價值」的定義及理解，如果只根據地域劃分，這一類基建或工程系統就會制度性地被貶低其價值。
二．我們亦關注被保留下來的配水庫將來的保育方向，並希望當局可以盡早與當地居民溝通，仔細觀察地區生態，才能制訂最好的保育方案。由於這個配水庫獨處於主教山，與周邊城市居住地域有所隔離，可以說是「自成一角」，因此，若把它納入歷史建築活化計劃，基本上難以找到能夠自負盈虧的方案，可以預見成功機會非常低。而主教山早已被居民每日使用，本身是一個很有機的社區空間，如何把這百年古蹟結合原有的社區脈絡，是未來需要著力思考的方向。
活現香港
2021年4月13日