Process

Smoothening the Process with Advanced Technologies

The three-dimensional (3D) digital map technology in URIS was adopted in the freezing survey and social impact assessments of the To Kwa Wan Road/Wing Kwong Street Project (KC-016) and the Kim Shin Lane/Fuk Wa Street Project (SSP-017). Through automated spatial analysis of household characteristics and social impact of the projects, it enables the URA to expedite its responses to the needs of households affected by redevelopment projects by providing the necessary assistance.

In parallel, we harness new technology to develop tools to facilitate the urban renewal process amidst the pandemic. To safeguard the health of both interviewers and the affected residents during freezing survey when the URA launched redevelopment project, a ‘Health Code’ mobile application was developed in 2020 and thereafter continued to enhance with ungraded functions. The latest upgraded version of ‘Health Code 4.0’ does not only store vaccination records and related QR codes of the interviewers, but also retain the COVID-19 test results, enabling the interviewers to show to the residents before entering into the premise to conduct surveys. The ‘Health Code’ application is instrumental in easing the concerns of residents while facilitating the survey process.

Engaging Stakeholders to Promote Understanding

Launched in 2016, the URA’s Project Engagement Programme strengthens outreach support and establishes relationships with the affected owners and tenants of the properties in our redevelopment projects. In 2021/22, the Programme was conducted for the Shantung Street/Thistle Street Project (YTM-012), the To Kwa Wan Road/ Wing Kwong Street Project (KC-016) and the Kim Shin Lane/Fuk Wa Street Project (SSP-017), with a total of 2,153 owners and residents being engaged over the past year.

In addition, in view of the special needs of the ethnic minority groups including the Thai in the Nga Tsin Wai Road/Carpenter Road Project (KC-017), a series of enhanced supportive measures were implemented to assist them to better understand the redevelopment plan, compensation packages and relocation arrangements. Amongst the measures were the provision of interpretation services and information pamphlets in eight languages. Briefing sessions (including Thai) were conducted via online covering the planning procedures and URA’s prevailing acquisition and compensation arrangements. Meanwhile, we also teamed up with a Thai NGO to form a volunteering team to help the URA to respond to community needs more efficiently. Other initiatives in the pipeline include the publication of a Thai newsletter to keep the affected Thai residents abreast on the project progress.

Co-building Neighbourhood through In-depth Collaboration with Community Members

To enliven the building clusters in the Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street Neighbourhood (H19) with a focus on sustainable community development, the URA has established shared visions on community development with residents and stakeholders through a Community Making Study alongside a series of engagement exercises, for all stakeholders to work on towards co-creating a vibrant neighbourhood with local characteristics. Volunteers from elderly centres and the neighbourhood joined hands with URA staff to manage the Community Farms and organise the ‘Go Green’ campaign in July 2021 to revitalise the environment with plants and decorations.

Assisting Households in Ageing Districts to Relocate for the Better

Redevelopment not just concerns replacing rundown buildings with new stock. It is meant to improve the living standards of displaced households and the built environment. The offers by the URA, including ex-gratia payments under the seven-year rule (market value of a notional seven-year-old flat in the same locality), allow affected domestic owner-occupiers to purchase replacement premises that are in better condition than their existing ones. Over the past year as of 30 June 2022, acquisition offers were made to the owners of 891 property interests in the Shing Tak Street/Ma Tau Chung Road Project (CBS:1-KC), the Shantung Street/Thistle Street Project (YTM-012) and the To Kwa Wan Road/Wing Kwong Street Project (KC-016), who had been living under some very poor conditions in dilapidated buildings. In addition, through the Urban Redevelopment Facilitating Services Company Limited, the URA assisted the ground floor shop operators to locate replacement shops to continue their businesses. An Ombudsman Award was granted to one of the staff members for the caring service rendered.

The URA also places emphasis on enabling residents to retain their social network in the neighbourhood. Since the introduction of the Flat-for-Flat (FFF) Scheme in 2011, the FFF scheme has been offered to a total of 28 redevelopment projects. Domestic owner-occupiers in these projects had the option to purchase in-situ FFF units in the respective redevelopment sites, FFF units in selected nearby URA development projects or FFF units in the completed Kai Tak Development. Up to June 2022, a total of 48 owners took up the FFF offers, comprising 41 units in the Kai Tak Development and seven in-situ units.

In addition, we strive to improve the living conditions of the elderly tenants in the URA projects through the ‘Home Improvement Community Programme’. In 2021/22, four infirm elderly affected tenants in the URA projects were benefitted through partnership with two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in which we provided comprehensive refurbishment for their newly-allocated public rental housing units. The home design and tailor-made furniture provided in their refurbished flats were based on the assessments made according to the elderlies’ physical conditions, so as to address their practical needs for now and in the future while improving their living environment. The Programme received the Certificate of Merit in the Outstanding Partnership Project Award 2021-22 under the Caring Company Scheme from the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in recognition of the collaborative effort of the URA and the partnering NGOs.

Empowering Property Owners to Organise Rehabilitation Works

Proper and timely building rehabilitation and regular maintenance are the key to prolong structural integrity and serviceability of buildings, thereby slowing down the pace of urban decay. Over the years, the URA has devoted substantial resources in facilitating property owners to maintain their building conditions, meanwhile raising their awareness on preventative maintenance through education, financial assistance, as well as support on technical skills and market intelligence on maintenance works through the all-in-one online platform Building Rehabilitation Platform.

In 2021/22, despite the challenges by the pandemic, we reached out to over 200 stakeholders from 18 District Councils, community leaders, local community groups, and participants of various subsidy schemes through conducting briefings to promote understanding on the concepts of building rehabilitation, the relevant subsidy schemes and the concept of preventive maintenance.