Hong Kong Urban Renewal Authority project targeting run-down buildings falls flat
Statutory body’s director admits receiving only one application, which failed, as concern arises that the threshold is too high
Only one application to an Urban Renewal Authority project, targeting dilapidated buildings, met the basic requirements in the last year – but even that one ultimately failed in its bid.
But the project, which allowed building owners to jointly apply to sell their flats to the authority, was to continue this year without relaxing any substantive rules, and owners were invited to apply in the three-month period from February 18.
Michael Ma, the authority’s director of planning and design, revealed that more than 80 per cent of the applications did not cover a whole building and that most applications were from the owner of a single flat within a building.
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Delivering the result of the fourth round of the demand-led redevelopment project yesterday, Ma said that just one of the 77 applications fulfilled the basic requirements, but it failed to proceed because the authority felt it was not cost-effective to pay for its redevelopment.
Ma declined to say whether the application threshold was too high for owners to meet.
The demand-led redevelopment project was launched in 2011. Despite receiving 189 applications, the authority only selected 11 sites for further consideration.
Before the authority could consider an application to redevelop a building in poor condition, the applicant must fulfil requirements including securing the consent of 80 per cent of the building’s owners. In addition, the total area of the site must not comprise less than 700 square metres.
According to development minister Paul Chan Mo-po, at the end of 2013, there were 9,900 privately-owned buildings aged 40 years or older in the city, concentrated in districts like Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City and Sham Shui Po.
In response, Kowloon City district councillor Kwan Ho-yeung, representing the constituency of Ma Tau Kok, said the authority’s application threshold was too stringent, even though he regularly received inquiries from residents in the area about redevelopment.
“Many residents either had assigned agents to look after their flats or were too old [to deal with the application],” said Kwan. “It’s very hard for a single flat owner to run around and seek consent from other flat owners.
He added that some private developers were already acquiring property for ownership in the area, meaning there was “almost no incentive for the individual owners to act themselves”.
Unable to envision the project fully taking off, Kwan said the authority must be more proactive in providing information to residents rather than waiting for applications to arrive.
