A Hong Kong migrant workers’ group has urged authorities to expand a pedestrian area in Central on Sundays, as a section of a landmark garden that serves as a popular gathering spot for domestic helpers will temporarily close for the construction of a pedestrian underpass.
The subway is part of the tender requirements for a Central harbourfront site secured by developer Henderson Land Development.
It will run below Statue Square Gardens and connect the Central MTR station at Chater Road to the project site.
According to a paper submitted to the Central and Western District Council last December, the developer proposed temporarily closing part of the garden during the construction of the underpass, citing the complexity and risks involved.
The works, which will also improve the garden’s facilities – including accessible passageways and public toilets – are expected to start early next year at the latest and be completed in four years.
The Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body said on Wednesday that the closure would significantly affect domestic helpers, for whom the garden was a vital social hub on Sundays, their typical rest day.
“A temporary or multi-year closure [of the Statue Square Gardens] would significantly impact the weekend or holiday routines of migrant domestic workers, who have historically used these public spaces as social and cultural hubs and vital Sunday breaks,” the group said.
It called on the government to expand the temporary pedestrian zone at Chater Road, where a section is closed to traffic on Sundays, and open new public spaces nearby for the helpers.
The group added that the partial closure of Statue Square had already made the remaining space cramped.
Statue Square, next to the garden, has been partially closed since early May for a HK$3.4 million (US$434,090) renovation, including wall refurbishment, tile replacement, and the installation of guiding paths and signs.
The works are expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year, according to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Both the square and its garden hosted the Hong Kong WinterFest last December and January, organised by the Tourism Board.
An audiovisual light show was a highlight, featuring projections on eight buildings surrounding the open space.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said in February that her bureau and the board aimed to roll out new festival-themed light shows at traditional tourist spots in the latter half of the year.
In a response to the South China Morning Post, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said that construction for the underpass would begin in early 2027.
WinterFest, scheduled to take place at the garden at the end of this year, would not be affected, a spokesman said.
The Development Bureau said on Wednesday it was “actively working with the developer to further compress the construction timeline” and would strive to accelerate progress and to complete the project in about four years.
The bureau also noted that the construction, in the heart of Central, was difficult to an extent, given the risk of land subsidence.
It added that the government and the developer would report the project’s progress to the district council in the middle of this year.
The paving tile refurbishment works currently under way at the southern side of Statue Square were routine maintenance and a short-term project unrelated to the subway construction, it added.
In the district council paper last year, Henderson Land pledged to minimise the impact on traffic and pedestrians, including by relocating the affected Chater Road bus stop about 10 metres (32 feet) east and providing a temporary passageway to Connaught Road Central.
The paper said the developer was discussing the garden’s design and the future management arrangement for the underground walkway with the government. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
