My Take | Has the URA returned to its old tricks?
A ‘revised’ plan for the mega-redevelopment project in Kwun Tong has either ditched or significantly altered the design that largely won people over with its open spaces and public amenities. It now looks like the balance has shifted in favour of commercial operators and developers
Is the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) being sneaky again? The new and improved URA is supposed to be more people-oriented, caring and responsive to local needs, and to stop being overly-friendly to big developers.
But its recent submission on its mega-redevelopment project in Kwun Tong to the Town Planning Board has again raised questions about whether it is back to its old tricks again. After several public consultations in the past 10 years, it has done a reasonably good job arriving at a consensus on how to redevelop the centre core of the district.
People have been won over largely because the original design promises greater wide-open spaces and public amenities in proportion to commercial developments:
● A kaifong-style (neighbourly) street and bazaar
● Restrictions on building height to free up public open space on the ground
● An oval-shaped multi-purpose civic centre
● Green coverage of almost 30 per cent of the site area