Hong Kong government almost flattened former explosives storeroom in process of being listed as a historic building
Man who lived in Ma On Shan structure was away for medical treatment when the mistake happened
The government last week almost flattened a house in a remote village proposed for grading as a historic building, in an apparent mistake.
Workers from the Lands Department’s squatter control office removed almost all the windows and doors and knocked down part of the wall of the former explosives storeroom inside of the forgotten Ma On Shan iron mine complex, according to RTHK.
The mine began life in 1906, and was operated by the Hong Kong Iron Mining Company. It expanded rapidly in 1949 when it was taken over by the Mutual Mining and Trade Company, which extended it underground. In its heyday, miners dug up 98,000 tonnes of iron ore annually, but it closed down in 1976.
A man surnamed Lam had lived in the single-storey former storeroom for more than 20 years with the villagers’ consent.
On March 7, the department sent Lam a demolition order, claiming he had been illegally occupying the structure on government land.
