For discussion PWSC(95-96)58
on 8 November 1995

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS
Law and Order - Judiciary
24LJ - Conversion of the French Mission Building into the Court of Final Appeal

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 24LJ to Category A at an estimated cost of $45.5 million in money-of-the-day prices for the conversion of the French Mission Building into the Court of Final Appeal.

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PROBLEM
PROPOSAL
PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE
JUSTIFICATION
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
LAND ACQUISITION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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PROBLEM

We need to provide accommodation for the future Court of Final Appeal (CFA), which will replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as Hong Kong's highest appellate body after 30 June 1997¹.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services, with the support of the Judiciary Administrator, proposes to upgrade 24LJ to Category A at an estimated cost of $45.5 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices for converting the French Mission Building to accommodate the Court of Final Appeal.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The project comprises -

1. the restoration of the three-storey building to its original design and condition. This involves demolition of incompatible partitions and additions² ; repair/restoration of timber doors, windows and shutters; repair of decayed brickworks, plastered mouldings, string-courses, dentils and pilasters; and cleaning of fair-faced brickworks and stoneworks; and
2. the conversion and fitting out of the building into a court building, with a gross floor area of about 3 430 square metres. Fitting out includes the provision of furniture and equipment such as a security system, a telephone system, a lift, fire services installations, air-conditioning installations, trunking and fixtures for computerisation, and a remote control audio-recording system.

4. The gross floor area of the building is approximately 3 430 square metres comprising -

1. 132 square metres for the Court (to be located in the former Chapel location);
2. 56 square metres for ante-chambers of the Court;
3. 238 square metres for the Chambers of the CFA President and four Justices of Appeal;
4. 322 square metres for office space for supporting staff;
5. 92 square metres for consultation rooms and robing rooms for barristers;
6. 1 798 square metres for ancillary facilities such as conference rooms, law libraries, custody areas for defendants, a general registry, a control room for sound recording of court proceedings, computer server rooms, a press room, and storage space;
7. 520 square metres for an entrance hall, a reception area, a lobby, corridors, waiting areas, etc.; and
8. 272 square metres for plant rooms, building services space, etc.

JUSTIFICATION

5. We need to upgrade this project in order to ensure that the Court of Final Appeal will be able to operate in its own premises from 1 July 1997 onwards. We consider it appropriate for the CFA to be housed in the French Mission Building, which previously accommodated the Victoria District Court from 1965 to 1980 and the Supreme Court from 1980 to 1983.

6. The French Mission Building is a gazetted historical building. We last renovated and restored the building in 1987 for use by the Information Services Department (ISD). Operational requirements of the ISD have necessitated partitions and additions which are not entirely compatible with the original design of the building. To accommodate the CFA, we propose to restore the building to its original design by carrying out the works mentioned in paragraph 3(a) above. We will also carry out conversion and fitting out works as mentioned in paragraph 3(b) above to enable the CFA to function efficiently in a properly fitted and furnished environment. The layout of the CFA will be consistent with the original design of the building.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

7. We estimate the capital cost of the project to be $45.5 million in MOD prices (see paragraph 8 below), made up as follows -

8. Subject to approval, we will phase expenditure as follows -

9. We derive the MOD estimate on the basis of the Government’s forecasts of trend labour and construction prices over the period between 1995 and 1999. We will tender the project under a lump-sum contract because we can define clearly the scope of the works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty. The contract will not provide for inflation adjustment because the contract period is less than 21 months.

10. We estimate the annually recurrent expenditure of the project to be $20.4 million.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

11. As the French Mission Building is a gazetted historical building, we consulted the Antiquities Advisory Board on the detailed design of the proposed works in June 1995. The Board supported the proposal.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

12. The Director of Environmental Protection conducted an Environmental Review of the project in August 1994. He concluded that the proposed works would have no long-term environmental impact. For short-term impact, we will control dust, noise and site run-off during construction through the implementation of mitigation measures in the relevant works contract.

LAND ACQUISITION

13. This project does not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

14. We upgraded this project to Category B in September 1994. The existing users of the building will vacate the premises by early 1996. We are finalising the working drawings and tender documents. We plan to start building works in January 1996 for completion in February 1997.

1 -- The Legislative Council passed the Court of Final Appeal Bill on 26 July 1995
2 -- The partitions and additions are for the current users of the French Mission Building. They will no longer be suitable when the Building is used to accomodate the CFA.

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