Government Clears Illegal Structures on Bishop Hill, Adds Recreational Facilities
RTHK · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
The Sham Shui Po District Office is implementing a two-phase plan to clear illegal structures on Bishop Hill, a hillside area between Shek Kip Mei and Sham Shui Po that is home to the Grade 1 historic former Sham Shui Po Reservoir with its distinctive Roman-style architecture. The operation targets approximately 50 unauthorized constructions, including over ten self-made ping-pong tables and multiple deity statues that residents erected over the years due to insufficient community recreational facilities in the area .
Key Points
- Bishop Hill contains around 50 illegal structures, mostly self-built by residents, including more than ten ping-pong tables and several deity statues .
- The unauthorized constructions are located on slopes with aging structures, posing safety hazards and risking soil erosion during heavy rainfall .
- The hill will be divided into two sections for construction, with each section closed for approximately three days .
- Religious ceremonies will be arranged for the relocation of deity statues, and the Water Supplies Department will keep the reservoir open during the demolition process .
- The government will install recreational facilities including ping-pong tables at safe locations on the hill as part of the optimization plan .
Why It Matters
Bishop Hill serves residents from several aging public housing estates—Nam Shan Estate, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Pak Tin Estate, and Tai Hang Tung Estate—with high proportions of elderly inhabitants. This pilot project, led by the Sham Shui Po District Office with inter-departmental coordination and community engagement, could serve as a model for addressing similar unauthorized hilltop facilities in other Kowloon districts such as Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin .
Bishop Hill serves residents from several aging public housing estates—Nam Shan Estate, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Pak Tin Estate, and Tai Hang Tung Estate—with high proportions of elderly inhabitants. This pilot project, led by the Sham Shui Po District Office with inter-departmental coordination and community engagement, could serve as a model for addressing similar unauthorized hilltop facilities in other Kowloon districts such as Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin .