District councillors have urged officials to think of ways to keep alive the heritage and collective memory of Choi Hung Estate, which is set to be redeveloped in three phases over about two decades. The first phase of the facelift for the rainbow-themed housing complex, built in the 1960s and famous for its colourful exterior wall and photogenic basketball court, involves three blocks and two vacant school sites. In a Wong Tai Sin district council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the redevelopment plan, councillor Godfrey Ngai said the exterior wall and the basketball court should be preserved. “We propose setting up a Choi Hung museum in the new [Choi Hung] estate, which would include the estate's existing iconic signage, retro vending machines and nostalgic items... This would help preserve the unique features and collective memory of Choi Hung Estate,” he said. Another councillor, Deannie Yew, said she is worried about the wall effect, after Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho revealed earlier that the blocks at the future estate will be over 50-storey high. "If each building is going to be 50 storeys high, it would be like a 'giant' in the district because many buildings in the area aren't that tall. In such a densely populated area, wouldn't this potentially create the wall effect?" she questioned. In response, chief architect Tim Li from the Housing Department said a study has already taken the wall effect into consideration, and 50-storey designs are not new. Li added that each redevelopment cycle of Choi Hung Estate would take about seven years, which includes moving residents out, tearing down old buildings and building new foundations.
