【明報專訊】ALL SHOP TENANTS of Sheung Wan's Western Market are moving out to give way to renovation at the declared monument this year. Despite its convenient location and easy access, Western Market has had a poor flow of patrons over the years, given an unsatisfactory combination of shops in the building and a lack of connection with peripheral attractions. The authorities should take the chance to rethink the positioning of Western Market and how to revitalise the monument again.
Originally the North Block of the old Western Market, the 120-year-old building was declared a monument in 1990. Taken over by the Land Development Corporation, the predecessor of the Urban Renewal Authority, it was refurbished and revitalised into a shopping mall named "Western Market". Coincidentally, Wing On Street of Central District, nicknamed "Cloth Alley", was earmarked for redevelopment in the early 1990s. Around a dozen time-honoured fabric vendors were finally relocated to the first floor of Western Market to continue their businesses.
Now the fabric merchants face again the question of where to go, given Western Market's major renovation later this year. The renovation is expected to take two years and all shop tenants must move out. Some fabric merchants have expressed their wish to return to do business after the renovation. Legal considerations, reasoning and compassion should all be taken into account when the authorities handle the matter.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong lacked a mature understanding of revitalising historic buildings. The "revitalisation" of Western Market as a shopping centre was undoubtedly an example of failure. At first, the authorities thought that it was the best of both worlds to revitalise the building and relocate the fabric vendors at the same time. Yet as time went by, it turned out to be falling between two stools, because the authorities lacked a strategy, and failed to leverage the premise's advantages as well as resolve fundamental problems, such as the positioning of Western Market, early enough.
Western Market is well-located and easily accessible by public transport. There are also many streets full of character and famous attractions in its proximity, such as Lascar Row, Dried Seafood Street [i.e. a section of Des Voeux Road West] and Hollywood Road. Compared to many remote declared monuments, Western Market enjoys fairly advantageous qualities in revitalisation. It would be very suitable to connect the place with its surrounding neighbourhood for collaborations and publicity. Regretfully, there has been no such action, and Western Market has become a down-at-heel shopping arcade. Now that the authorities are determined to give it a facelift, they should take this opportunity to rethink the overall positioning of the building.
These years, the government has made more efforts in revitalising historic buildings. There are indeed some more successful examples, like the Blue House in Wan Chai. [At the former Central Police Station compound,] Tai Kwun operated by the Jockey Club also attracts many visitors. However, there are actually far more examples of unsatisfactory outcomes. For operators, the most common hurdle is the balance between conservation and commercialisation. Both the public and private sectors should learn a lesson from these cases.
The SAR government's work in historic building conservation mainly suffers from two longstanding issues: slow progress and "preserving without nurturing". More than a decade since its rollout, the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme has only included some 20 buildings, merely half of which are in operation; some have neither made the most of their value, nor attracted visitors. The authorities must "revitalise" its policy of heritage conservation. At the same time, they should invite broad participation from the non-governmental sector and the community to bring in more new ideas.
明報社評2025.04.25：西港城重新定位 再活化須新思維
上環法定古蹟西港城今年將進行維修翻新，所有商戶均需遷出。西港城地理位置和交通也方便，卻是長期人流疏落，場內商舖組合不理想，與周邊亦缺乏協同聯動。當局應趁機會重新思考西港城的定位，以及如何再活化。
西港城原為舊上環街市北座，已有120年歷史，於1990年列為法定古蹟，由市建局前身的土地發展公司接手活化為商場，修葺後易名為西港城。適逢上世紀90年代初，俗稱「花布街」的中環永安街重建，十多家「老字號」布販最終獲重置到西港城1樓繼續經營。
今年稍後西港城將進行大型維修翻新工程，布販們又得面對何去何從的問題。工程預料需時兩年，所有商戶均需遷出。有布販表示，希望翻新後可繼續原址經營。當局應本着兼顧法、理、情的原則，處理有關問題。
上世紀80、90年代，香港社會對於活化歷史建築的觀念有欠成熟，西港城「活化」為商場，無疑是一個失敗的例子。當局最初以為，活化建築與重置布販是「兩全其美」，一路發展下來，卻是兩頭不到岸，箇中原因是當局缺乏策略，沒有善用賣點，也沒有及早解決西港城定位等根本問題。
西港城不僅地理位置好，交通也便利，附近還有不少特色街道及知名景點，例如摩羅街、海味街及荷里活道等。比起很多偏遠的法定古蹟建築，西港城活化條件相當優越，很適合跟周邊社區串連起來，一起合作推廣，可惜現實卻缺乏協同，西港城漸漸淪為一個破落的商場。當局下定決心將西港城大翻新，就應該趁此機會，重新思考整個定位。
這些年來，政府在活化歷史建築方面，無疑下過一些工夫，亦有一些較為成功的例子，灣仔「藍屋」正是一例，由馬會負責的大館，亦吸引到不少遊人，可是成效不彰者其實更多。對營運者來說，最常遇到的問題，是如何在保育與商業化之間尋求平衡。無論官民都要汲取經驗教訓。
特區政府的歷史建築保育工作，向來存在兩大問題，一是進度緩慢，二是「保而不育」。「活化歷史建築伙伴計劃」推出10多年，僅涵蓋了20多幢建築，當中只有一半已投入營運。部分歷史建築未有地盡其用，未能吸引人流。當局有必要「活化」文物保育政策，同時廣邀民間及社區參與，注入更多新思維。
■ Glossary 生字 /
fall between two stools : to fail to be or to get either of two choices, both of which would have been acceptable
down-at-heel : looking less attractive and fashionable than before, usually because of a lack of money
facelift : changes made to a building or place to make it look more attractive