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Editorial | Wave of change at Hong Kong harbourfront land welcome
- By focusing on design, not just cash, in the sale of the ‘last strategic business site in Central’, the government is adopting a long overdue approach
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Prime waterfront sites challenge developers and architects. If a building design is not worthy of a location it can detract from the beauty of the city’s famed harbour.
But this is not the main concern when harbourfront land is auctioned. The government focuses on price, since it relies on premiums paid by developers for a significant part of its revenue.
An exception to the rule will be the 4.76-hectare New Central Harbourfront Site 3, next to the International Finance Centre. It is described as “the last strategic business site in Central”. The government is making a rare departure from its usual “show us your money” approach. It wants developers to also submit design proposals so the government can assess both price and design, instead of awarding sites based on the highest bid alone.
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How welcome and overdue! The harbour, after all, belongs to the people. Development should complement and enhance the city’s biggest asset.
Secretary for Development Wong Wai-lun says the last comparable example of price-and-design assessment was in 2002, when the former Marine Police Headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui was sold as a business and hotel site, now known as 1881 Heritage.
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