Evaluating the substantive effectiveness of heritage impact assessment (HIA) : a case study of the HIA for St. Paul's Co-educational College (phase 2) by means of the implementation of the proposed mitigation measures

Abstract

Since its introduction in January 2008 in response to public protest in the demolition of the Queen’s Pier in Central, 30 Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) reports have been produced in Hong Kong. As a tool aimed at protecting heritage significance amidst development, the mechanism has been under scrutiny for its effectiveness. However, due to the lack of a transparent evaluation system to assess the effectiveness of the HIA, improvements to the mechanism is not derived from the perspective of its users. By evaluating the substantive effectiveness of the HIA for Phase 2 of the redevelopment of St. Paul’s Co-educational College, this study aims to kick off the discussion about a suitable evaluation methodology for the HIA and to uncover the potential weaknesses of the mechanism, and, subsequently, to provide suggestions for future improvements to the outcome of the mechanism.

Findings have revealed that although public consultation was one of the main reasons for the introduction of the HIA and is written down as a requirement for the process, stakeholders are not always comprehensively consulted in practice. While the regulatory framework of the HIA allows the HIA to have an influence on the development project in the early stages, its presence has waned following the Antiquities Advisory Board’s (AAB) acceptance. Compound by a lack of monitor, the executions of certain measures proposed by the HIA are poorly implemented during and beyond the construction stage of the project. It points to the importance of a monitoring system and a potential introduction of a monitoring and advisory role for the heritage consultant. The difficulties the users encountered during the implementation of the HIA also showed that the inter-departmental cooperation between the Antiquities and Monument Office (AMO) and other governmental departments have left a lot to be desired. Concerns also arise since the AAB’s acceptance of the HIA carries no statutory implications; the effectiveness of the HIA depends heavily on the attitude of the project proponents. All in all, a better understanding of the importance of the HIA for all parties, the establishment of a monitoring system during the construction and an effectiveness evaluation after the project completion are policies towards a more effective HIA mechanism. The enactment of the HIA ordinance will give statutory power to the government bodies to exercise these policies effectively.