The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) announced plans yesterday to relocate the David Trench Rehabilitation Centre on Bonham Road to a nearby site.

The move will make way for the new West Island Line's Sai Ying Pun Station.

As a result, the rehab center will be moved to High Street, where the former Upper Levels Police Station will cater to patients, rather than criminals.

Together with a new annex building, the five-story building will be revitalized to provide a full range of rehabilitation services, including psychiatric day-patient, out-patient and occupational therapy services.

The former regional headquarters of the Hong Kong Island Crime Wing of the Hong Kong Police Force has been classified as a Grade III historic building and it has been left vacant since 2005.

"We undertake to retain the architectural features of the former police station - the design of which was influenced by Stripped Classical, Art Deco and Streamline Modern styles," Robert Seddon, senior design management architect of the MTRC, told a press conference.

Features including the columns, window frames and balconies, as well as the curves and patterns of the external walls of the establishment have been attracting overwhelming attention.

The 4,000 sq m building will be fitted with new facilities to cater to the needs of the rehab center.

In addition, a new external glass lift will provide barrier-free access to the building and enable the mobility impaired to move from floor to floor.

Meanwhile, the new annex will be a simple design that ties in with the architectural style of the historic building. The two buildings will be connected by a covered weather-proof walkway on the ground floor.

A camphor tree in the patio and banyan trees inside the former police station will be preserved.

Revitalization of the ex-police station will commence next year and will be completed by 2010.

The rehabilitation center will be relocated only after the revitalization is completed so that services provided by the center will not be affected.

(HK Edition 07/30/2008 page1)