Site Circulation To/From the Project Site

The revitalised CPS will not provide any car parking spaces within the Site, partly as a result of physical site constraints, and partly an effort to discourage private mode of transport at this part of the Central District where traffic congestion is sometimes observed.  To provide convenient access for pedestrians from different attraction points, such as Lan Kwai Fong, Soho, the Mid-Levels residential area, MTR station, and the bus corridor along Queen’s Road Central and Des Veoux Road Central, the design of the CPS revitalisation intends to maximise permeability by providing pedestrian access in a number of locations. 

To improve accessibility to the Site, new openings and a footbridge extension linking between mid-levels escalator and the CPS will be needed.  With the proposed footbridge connection, visitors to the CPS can directly access the Mid-Levels Escalator and minimise the usage of the at-grade pedestrian crossing at the junction of Hollywood Road and Old Bailey Street and the footpath along Hollywood Road.  The footbridge extension forms one of the key entrance to the Site as the mid-levels escalator is the key pedestrian route in the vicinity of the Site.

Footbridge Design

From the existing junction of where the escalator-bridge turns the corner at Hollywood Road, the proposed footbridge would extend diagonally over the street intersection and directly into the CPS Parade Ground.  From a distance, the new footbridge will not only prominently mark a new circulation route but become a distinctive feature redefining the nature of the CPS site.  The study of the footbridge design is currently on-going.  However, the architectural idea of an open footbridge is the extension of the Parade Ground, which means a simple, minimal slab or platform reaching out to the existing mid-level escalator.  The only thing needed in addition to the slab is the handrails on both sides to provide safety.  It is also essential to carry through the same hard-paved open-ground character of the Parade Ground.  The footbridge design as it is now only provides the minimum width necessary for the public flow to keep the whole structure as simple and as light as possible to minimise potential visual impact.  It is worth to note that the design will be subject to review and approval under the ACABAS as open footbridges require special approval under the current policy.

Site Circulation Within the Project Site

The Site is divided into several terraces and variously interrupted by barriers such as walls, gates and stairs.  The success of revitalising the CPS will also rely on convenient access to the Site and good circulation within the Site.  To improve the site circulation within the Site, it will require modification and new addition of stairs and walkways between buildings.  Within the CPS, a stairway passage provided with disabled access will be constructed to link up the lower courtyard and the upper courtyard, via A Hall and B Hall.  The stairway passage is complemented with a historical path, which winds through the side and back of the Barrack Blocks and the prison halls.  The stairway passage provides direct access to all the main public spaces of the Site (exterior and interior, old and new).  Although modification to the interior and part of the exterior of B Hall will be required, the construction of the stairway passage will minimise the need of adding new staircases and walkway between the buildings thus minimising exterior building modification works at the CPS.