Hong Kong land sale at former Kowloon airport receives muted response from developers
- Lands Department says the tender for the largest residential site at the former airport attracted only four bids from developers
- Lukewarm response follows economic downgrade on city’s outlook by Standard Chartered on Thursday
The biggest housing site on offer at Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak airport received a cold shoulder on Friday as property developers took a more cautious stance on the local property market following recent downgrades to the city’s economic outlook.
The plot designated Area 4A Site 1, located on the former runway with a gross floor area of 1.08 million square feet, received just four bids, according to the Lands Department.
Property analysts said they had expected the site to attract from five to seven bids, and that Friday’s result could be the weakest turnout in the six years since the government started selling the former airport land to developers.
“It should be the worst response in Kai Tak area since the government offered the first lot for tender in 2013,” said Vincent Cheung, managing director of Vincorn Consulting and Appraisal.
“Some developers prefer giving up as this large site could involve total investment of more than HK$20 billion (US$2.56 billion). It may not be worth taking on such a high-risk investment at a time when the environment is surrounded by uncertainties.”
The bidding parties included CK Asset Holdings, Sun Hung Kai Properties, a consortium comprised of Wheelock Properties, K Wah International and China Overseas Land & Investment and another alliance formed by Sino Land.
