(Demolished) Queen's Pier, Hong Kong

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From Wikipedia @ 23-Apr-07
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Pier

Queen's Pier (皇后碼頭), named after Queen Elizabeth II, is a pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong.

History

The pier is steeped in history[1]. Built in 1957 on reclaimed land, to replace a pier adjacent to the Mandarin Hotel, which was then near the waterfront.

The structure consist of tiled concrete base and pillars and model after previous piers in the area. Stairs are located on the northside to allow ferry passengers to board and disembark.

It was formerly a ceremonial landing area for the British Royal Family visiting Hong Kong and for the Governor of Hong Kong landing or leaving Hong Kong. Her Majesty Quenn Elizabeth II landed there in 1975, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales landed there in November 1989.

The pier is also a public pier, where pleasure craft were allowed to dock. Tour boats offering a view of the Kowloon side of the harbour use the pier for passenger boarding. Up to 1978, it was the winning line for the annual cross-harbour swimming race.

Currently, this is the pier for the ferry service to and from The Sea Ranch.

The Pier's Future

The pier's role diminished with most visitors coming by air. Today, the pier serves as a meeting point for people strolling the area, and some for fishing.

Following the controversy following the demolition of the Star Ferry Pier in Edinburgh Place, activists made Queen's Pier the next battle-ground against the conservation policy of the Government of Hong Kong.

At the end of January 2007, the government postponed the demolition of Queen's Pier until a consensus could be reached on the course of action. To that end, the Government held consultations with the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, and the Conservancy Association, which were in favour of keeping Queen's Pier at the original site[2].

Following Donald Tsang's re-election of as Chief Executive, on 26th March, the Government proposed to dismantle and moving the entire pier to the location in front of City Hall. [1] Environmental groups angrily criticised the Government of "playing up the technical aspects to confuse the public". It was also criticised for inflating the costs and technical difficulties of keeping the pier at the original site[2].

The plans will have to be put before Legco and the Finance Committee.