Quote Originally Posted by empeebee View Post
As I understand it, the interest of the developers was to create a congenial environment for residents rather than the general public, but concessions have been fought for and won, and the refurbished gardens - which will only be a part of the original site - will be a public park.
The part of the Festival Gardens that is being revamped is actually rather less than half of the original area. Many of the original features are too far gone to rescue and hardly any of the pavilions remain. The exception is the Oriental Garden, where the quality of materials and workmanship - brought in from Shanghai, I think - have allowed them to survive, despite attempts at vandalism.