As Hong Kong began to expand over the years, the presence of the barracks proved to be problematic. This was because it divided Central and Wan Chai, since development on the site of the barracks was not permitted. This forced developers to construct commercial and residential complexes solely to the east of the barracks in Queen's Road East. As a result, the Government of Hong Kong repeatedly attempted to obtain the site from the military to unite the two districts, but to no avail.