The public consultation on the controversial Hong Kong Palace Museum has been extended for two weeks until March 8. More design details for the project have also been revealed for the first time.
The consultation and an exhibition on the project at the City Gallery in Central were initially scheduled to last for six weeks until February 22, but they were extended by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) on Tuesday.
The exhibition has received nearly 15,000 visitors and its online version has registered over 14,000 page views, according to the WKCDA.
Two more consultation sessions, with the arts and culture sector and the architectural sector, will take place on Thursday and next week.
The HK$3.5 billion project, led by former chief secretary Carrie Lam – now a chief executive contender – met with public opposition as an agreement was signed without any public consultation.
Hong Kong Palace Museum designs by HKFP on Scribd
Under the pressure, the WKCDA made a u-turn and launched a public engagement exercise on the museum’s design and operation, but it did not ask the public whether the museum should be built.
Another controversy involved the museum’s architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee, who was appointed without an open competition, a departure from past WKCDA practice.
Meanwhile, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the WKCDA Wong Sau-ying has resigned. She started working at the authority in April last year.
Her resignation was reportedly related to the handling of the Hong Kong Palace Museum project.
