Views heard: Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Michael Suen tells the media he is aware of people's aspirations to preserve the old Star Ferry pier and clock tower.

The proposed reprovision of the old Star Ferry pier's clock tower on the new waterfront has been built on community consensus, Chief Executive Donald Tsang says, adding that Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Michael Suen will continue dialogue on the issue.

Mr Tsang told reporters today urban planning and development has to take into account environmental and heritage preservation, as well as public demand for transport and social facilities. The current proposal offers a balance.

He also called on the public to be fair and to abide by the law when expressing their views.

Way forward

Mr Suen said all stakeholders have been widely consulted on the demolition of the old Star Ferry pier and clock tower, and the way forward is to find a suitable location for reprovisioning the tower on the new waterfront.

He told lawmakers this afternoon that due to technical problems, it is impossible to have the tower reprovisioned at the same location or transport the whole tower to another place.

The Government's proposal is to demolish the old tower and rebuild it in a suitable location on the new waterfront.

Understanding the public aspiration for heritage conversation, Mr Suen promised that the Government will consult all stakeholders on the location for reprovisioning the tower.

The secretary this morning said the Government has been garnering feedback on the demolition plan and Central reclamation for years. While there was demand for preserving the tower, there were no objections to the demolition plan.

Views sought

A study will be launched to see how to incorporate the special features of the old Star Ferry pier and clock tower into the design of the new Central harbourfront. Views will be gauged during the study.

Detailed features of the old Star Ferry pier and clock tower have been stored as 3D images through an advanced laser-scanning technology.

This afternoon, police removed 13 protestors, including 11 men and two women, who entered the construction site at the Star Ferry Pier yesterday.

Among them, a 41-year-old woman was arrested and was taken to the Waterfront Police Station for further enquiries.