In recent years, the Government has been proactively incorporating into the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme (Revitalisation Scheme) suitable government-owned historic buildings for adaptive re-use, of which the Green Hub (the Old Tai Po Police Station) earlier received Honourable Mention in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. It is undoubtedly a great encouragement to the Hong Kong community and our stakeholders in heritage conservation. It also demonstrates the significant achievements of the partnership between the Government and non-profit-making organisations in revitalising government-owned historic buildings. Conservation and development is a highly controversial issue in the community, as land resources are precious in Hong Kong and it is not easy to strike the right balance. However, we will continue with our work earnestly and draw on collective wisdom to explore the suitable way to select, protect, preserve and revitalise precious historic and cultural heritage in Hong Kong……

Hong Kong is a dense and compact city, where people and trees have become more interrelated. Over the years, the Government has been striving to enrich and enhance the city’s landscape and strengthen our tree management. To create a more liveable and sustainable cityscape, we need to integrate the concepts and principles of urban forestry into our urban design and development projects so as to promote greening in a more holistic manner. We also need to formulate, plan and monitor landscape works and tree management measures in a pragmatic way. As such, the Development Bureau (DEVB) established the Urban Forestry Advisory Panel (UFAP) in January 2017 to replace the former Expert Panel on Tree Management (EPTM) to assist us in performing our work and to carry out consultation in a more extensive and effective manner……

Looking back, 2016 was an extraordinary year for Hong Kong. Issues concerning land, housing, planning, conservation and public works expenditure had often become the focus of public opinion and highlighted the enormous responsibility of the Development Bureau. I would like to thank my colleagues of various departments for their concerted efforts to withstand the pressure in the face of overwhelming public aspirations. Thanks to their unrelenting efforts, we have managed to make substantial progress in our work. Looking ahead to 2017, although the current term of government will soon end, we will not be a mere custodian government which avoids the imminent, difficult problems and lacks long-term planning. Instead, we will continue to take on the challenges ahead and listen earnestly to the views of different stakeholders in the hope that our work will soon bear fruits and benefit the community......