The demolition of the old Star Ferry pier in Central will not harm the balance between urban development and preservation of heritage structures, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said yesterday.

The community had already reached a consensus on the fate of the pier through a five-year consultation before the government decided to demolish it, he added.

"I myself and my colleagues listened to various views on the pier's clock tower. We have to understand that the SAR government needs to maintain a balance between environmental and heritage protection and public demands for transport and community facilities while deciding on its urban plans," he said.

"We have already spent five years to widely consult the Legislative Council (LegCo), district councils, the Antiquities Advisory Board and other community stakeholders. I hope you will appreciate that the new clock tower to be built on the Central waterfront will integrate the design (and feel) of the old tower. This is the consensus we have reached through the five-year consultation," he said.

The Star Ferry pier in Central opened in 1957. The pier and its clock tower symbolized Hong Kong of the old days. It, along with the Queen's Pier, is being demolished to create space for a six-lane Central-Wan Chai Bypass and a low-rise shopping mall.

At an adjournment debate called by LegCo yesterday, Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen said that the demolition of the pier was part of the Central reclamation project, and it was difficult to change the plan to preserve just one building.

"We understand that of late there has been a demand for the preserving the clock tower. During recent negotiations and discussions in LegCo, we have said that we do not rule out the possibility of rebuilding the clock tower, following the same design, at a suitable site on the new Central waterfront," he said.

He told reporters that latest technology had been used to record the details and measurement of the clock, and it was possible to reconstruct it.

Suen said that if objections to the piers' demolition had been raised even one year ago, the government would have tried to be a bit more flexible with its design.

But legislators said the community should be given more time to discuss the issue.

LegCo President Rita Fan approved the adjournment debate raised by social welfare sector legislator Fernando Cheung as an urgent issue.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Choy So-yuk said the demolition could be postponed for two months.

"I'm not saying that you should not demolish the pier. But we need to discuss. I just hope that we will not be regretting (the demolition) in the future," she said.

Liberal Party legislator Howard Young said the government should halt the demolition, and charged that Hong Kong's heritage conservation policies were backward.

Unionist legislator Wong Kwok-hing felt the pier was part of Hong Kong's history, especially the 1966 riot that broke out after ferry fares were raised.