|
7th September, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: City Hall has assured that the more than a century old Atkinson Clock Tower will not be relocated elsewhere nor in anyway affected by a proposed mixed development project in the vicinity.
The project is being jointly undertaken by the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (LPPB) and a private company.
“We have rejected the original plan (submitted by the developer) earlier which involves the relocation of the tower because as it is a heritage building gazetted in 1983. We are very strict on this. There’s no way that we are going to allow someone to demolish or relocate it elsewhere,” said City Hall’s director of city planning, Alijus Sipil.
Of late, there have been talks that the clock tower might be relocated elsewhere to pave way for the said project.
Alijus added that in view of the sensitivity of the site, the developer involved was also required to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, which is currently still pending approval.
And, he also disclosed that a plan is underway to upgrade and beautify the surrounding area to give the historical clock tower better prominence as a heritage building.
This includes the upgrading of the walk path leading to the adjacent observatory tower.
The 14-storey mixed development aptly dubbed The Atkinson Tower comprises a luxury hotel, shopping mall, and a museum gallery among others.
A posting on this issue – fear of the Clock Tower being relocated – on Facebook yesterday received overwhelming feedbacks with majority of the respondents against the relocation idea.
Standing prominently on a small hill along Signal Hill Road adjacent to the downtown police station, this all-wood, no-nails structure was built in 1903 in memory of Francis George Atkinson – the first district officer of Jesselton during the British North Borneo Chartered Company administration, who succumbed to a tropical disease at the young age of 28.
The Atkinson Clock Tower is managed by the Sabah Museum under its Antiquity and History section.
|
