An open-and-shut case? Not for some homebuyers

With ventilation comes the cacophony of traffic - as a homebuyer who has yet to take possession of her flat in Cheung Sha Wan has realised to her dismay.

Beatrice Ho reacted with surprise when told at least three windows in her much-anticipated new marital home, still under construction, were to be noise barriers to satisfy government conditions and were therefore not meant to be opened.

Ho said she had tried hard to wade through the 111-page sales brochure before signing a deal for nearly HK$8 million for the flat in tower one of Trinity Towers with her newly wedded husband in April.

She gave up in the end. "I read only the first few pages and viewed the floor plan. I couldn't really spot anything wrong with it. That was how we made the decision," Ho said, adding that she had also sought advice from an estate-agent friend.

"What a surprise …" she said, on learning from the South China Morning Post that three windows in the living room and two bedrooms would be "fixed" to the frames and, according to developer Cheung Kong, could be opened only with removable handles for maintenance.

The main way to let in some fresh air is through the balconies, but Ho said: "If I have to choose, I think I will keep [the fixed windows] open when I'm home." She said she could only hope for a less noisy environment, as she could not imagine how loud it might get.