The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has failed to ensure that a property that is listed as a heritage site – Lok Kok Restaurant in the city centre – is protected, and a major part of the building’s outer walls has already been demolished, local urban planner Rhino Lam Iek Chit said yesterday.
Lam, a member of the government-appointed Urban Planning Council, made the remarks during a group interview yesterday outside the former tea house, at the corner of Rua de Cinco de Outubro and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.The restaurant, constructed in the early 20th century, was once one of the city’s most iconic tea houses. Its interior collapsed about a decade ago. It was listed as a heritage site under the category of “buildings with architectural interest” in 1984.
A bus yesterday drives past the long-defunct Lok Kok Restaurant at the corner of Rua de Cinco de Outubro and Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro. Photos: Tony Wong
Local urban planner Rhino Lam Iek Chit speaks to reporters outside the listed Lok Kok Restaurant property yesterday.