Luen Wo Market: Luen Wo Market - House of Urban and Rural Living

• Selected applicant: Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, LC-HKS
• Capital cost: About HK$57.52 million (as at Nov 2016 price level)
• Government subsidy required for operation of social enterprise: About HK$4.11 million

General Project Description

• To revitalise the market as Luen Wo Market – House of Urban and Rural Living, with stalls to collaborate with local farmers to sell local vegetables and agricultural products. It will also set up community stalls to sell daily necessities and handicrafts, and organise weekend outdoor bazaar to sell traditional foods and crafts.
• To facilitate urban and rural interaction through exhibition and public space, as a continuation of the essence of the original market.

Historical Significance

The historical significance of the building will be demonstrated and maintained by:

• Reviving the indoor market stalls for selling wet and dry goods produced by the local community. It tallies with and extends the original use of the building;
• Introducing weekend outdoor bazaar with stalls and wooden carts. It conserves the tradition of outdoor bazaar of the sites, and encourages the stall owners to sell products with local characteristics;
• Displaying rural-urban transformation, agricultural history, urbanisation of Fanling, local culture etc., in the exhibition area. It allows visitors to understand the history of the market and the North district; and
• Conducting historical research, oral history interview, photographic and cartographic records etc., to preserve the history of the building and document the whole revitalisation process. Site visits may be arranged during the revitalisation process.

Technical Aspects

• Complying with modern day requirements;
• Preserving most of the original layout and partitions of the market;
• Exploring the possibility of environmental friendly elements, such as natural ventilation, skylight reflectors, green roof system, water feature etc.;
• Constructing basements to accommodate the building requirements, thus avoiding the obstruction of historic building facades and facilitating better use of indoor space of the historic building; and
• Constructing a new building as bicycle store and repair spot. It caters for the bicycle tours that sustain the project and facilitates rural-urban understandings.

Social Benefits

The project will benefit the society by:

• Collaborating with accredited local farms to sell quality vegetables to local community, promoting local agricultural products and providing steady income to local farmers;
• Providing a fair-trade platform, building up a sense of neighbourhood in the community and boosting the local economy by setting up community stalls;
• Inviting retired skilled workers and family care-takers to be volunteers to contribute to the community. It enhances their self-identity;
• Providing job opportunities to local residents and the underprivileged. It establishes community cohesion and strengthens the sense of belonging; and
• Presenting a variety of programmes and guided tours, to foster understanding on the life, culture and custom between the rural and the urban area.

Selected Organisation

Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, LC-HKS (HKLSS) aims to provide innovative and holistic social welfare services. First founded in 1949 as Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod, it provides a wide service spectrum covering social services, education and community development for children, youth, family, elderly and disabilities. Today, HKLSS supervises over 50 service units.

Way Forward

• The selected organisation has to:
  • complete the detailed project design;
  • complete the required administrative procedures;
  • seek planning permission (where applicable) from the Town Planning Board on the intended usage;
  • seek formal funding approval from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council;
  • carry out the renovation work (anticipated renovation period: around 16 months);
  • apply for licences (where applicable) for intended operations; and
  • sign with the Government on agreements on operations of the social enterprise and preservation of the historic building.
• Anticipated Project Commissioning Time: 2022
• Anticipated Breakeven Time: Year 3