Press Releases
Year 2003
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20 Jun 2003
URA makes revitalisation debut in Sheung Wan
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) announced a 'Sheung Wan Fong' project as the first phase of a revitalisation scheme to rejuvenate Sheung Wan - Hong Kong's earliest business district. The project which will cost about $30 million is a joint effort between the URA, Highways Department, Home Affairs Department and the Central & Western District Council. The MTR Corporation, Hong Kong Tramways Limited, Transport Department, Lands Department and Telford Recreation Club, a leisure and sports organiser, have also provided assistance for the project. The project aims to create a new hub for community activities in the Western Market and Morrison Street area. Works will involve: a major refurbishment of the venerable Western Market shopping mall that serves as an anchor to t
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17 Jun 2003
URA issues acquisition offers for Queen's Road East project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issues offer letters to owners affected by the Queen's Road East redevelopment project today (Tuesday) to acquire their properties by private agreement. Affected owner-occupiers of domestic properties will be offered $3,736 per square foot on a saleable area basis. An URA spokesman said that the total redevelopment cost is estimated at about $160 million, including about $80 million for purchasing the 18 property interests and rehousing the affected tenants in the project. According to an URA occupancy survey conducted earlier, the project will affect about 40 households comprising about 120 persons. "The owners will have ample time to consider our offers and to accept them within the next 60 days," he said. Purchase offers of the URA for owner-oc
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4 Apr 2003
Western Market gets go-ahead for revitalisation
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) announced that it has awarded a contract for the management, maintenance and letting of the Western Market to the Telford Recreation Club Limited. Earlier the URA invited 20 interested parties to submit detailed proposals for the operation of the Western Market, a preserved historic building in Edwardian architectural style. Three proposals were received. After careful deliberation, the URA Board accepted the recommendation of an assessment panel to award the contract to the Telford Recreation Club. The proposal by the Telford Recreation Club is to revitalise the Western Market with a judicious mix of cultural entertainment, classical dancing, stylish delicatessens and special interest shopping. Interior redecoration and rearrangement
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21 Mar 2003
URA announces two redevelopment projects
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) submitted its draft development scheme plan for the Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street project to the Town Planning Board for approval. Simultaneously, it also announced the implementation of a development project in Queen's Road East. Subject to the Town Planning Board's approval and a geotechnical site feasibility study afterwards, the URA plans to invest about $1 billion to redevelop the 4,460-square metre Staunton Street site into a residential and retail area. The design plan will adopt a "fong" concept of open space which will enhance the attractiveness of the "SoHo" (South of Hollywood Road) area in the neighbourhood. A Sun Yat-sen Memorial Square will also be built to commemorate the history of the site which forms part of the Sun Ya
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13 Mar 2003
URA issues acquisition offers for First Street/Second Street Project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issues offer letters to owners affected by the First Street/Second Street redevelopment project today (Thursday) to acquire their properties by private agreement. Affected owner-occupiers of domestic properties will be offered $3,137 per square foot on a saleable area basis. The URA Board approved the purchase offers during a regular meeting today. A URA spokesman said that approximately $468 million would be used to acquire all the 293 interests involved in this project. Overall, the project is estimated to cost a total of $1,134 million including costs of acquisition, re-housing, interest and development. According to a URA occupancy survey conducted earlier, the project at Sai Ying Pun, one of the earliest residential districts on Hong Kong Islan
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6 Mar 2003
The following is a speech by Dr. Lau Wah-sum, Chairman of Urban Renewal Authority, delivered at Y' s Men' s Club luncheon
President Ng, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased and feel honoured to have this opportunity to share with you my thoughts on the subject of urban renewal in which I have been involved closely for the past 13 years. Urban decay is an acute problem in Hong Kong and is worsening with time. There are at present over 9,300 buildings of 30 years old or above in the urban areas. In ten years' time, this will go up by 50 per cent. Among them, there is an estimated 2,000 dilapidated buildings that are problematic. These buildings have become dilapidated for two main reasons. One, there is a widespread attitude of neglect among the owners towards proper maintenance and repair. Two, most of these buildings were completed in the 60's when the building standard was quite below what we have toda
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2 Mar 2003
URA web site becomes more informative and user-friendly
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has completed a major enhancement to its web site to make it a richer and more user-friendly source of public information, a spokesman for the Authority announced today (Sunday). The web site has been redesigned and enriched in content, in response to increased public interest in the multi-faceted work of the URA. An important objective of the web site is to make more people understand that urban renewal is not just about demolition of old buildings to make way for new ones. Rehabilitation of buildings, preservation of historic architecture area, local characteristics, and community neighbourhood are also indispensable tools of urban renewal, the spokesman said. The enhanced web site now provides a 6-minute video that explains the '4Rs' concept of t
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23 Jan 2003
Revision of URA re-housing costs
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has reached a preliminary understanding with the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) on a new financial arrangement to reduce the cost of public rental re-housing for tenants affected by urban redevelopment projects. Under the new arrangement, the URA will pay the HA an average of about $113,400 per flat in public rental estates in urban or extended urban areas for re-housing a family. This represents a reduction of about 65% of the current level of payment by the URA. The arrangement is the result of a review between the two organisations on the basis of calculating the notional cost incurred by the HA in providing rental flats to families affected by redevelopment projects. The URA Board today (Thursday) endorsed the new arrangement in principle, subjec
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16 Jan 2003
Western Market Neighbourhood Idea Competition
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) launched the Western Market Neighbourhood Idea Competition inviting ideas and themes for the revitalisation of the area surrounding the Western Market. The revitalisation boundary covers part of Des Voeux Road Central, Morrison Street, Wing Lok Street, Bonham Strand, New Market Street and On Tai Street, aiming at exploring innovative and practical ideas that help draw pedestrians, create activity hubs and improve visual attractiveness. Within the boundary, there are four main items that require improvements: visual improvement to the MTR vent shaft to the south of Western Market; physical improvement to the Des Voeux Road Central tram station near Western Market; pavement improvement and widening works along Morrison Street; and re
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15 Jan 2003
Urban Renewal Social Service Team in Central & Western District
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today signed a service agreement with St James' Settlement (SJS) for the setting up of an urban renewal social service team to provide assistance for residents affected by urban renewal projects in Central & Western District within the next two years. The team, comprising three registered social workers, will focus on providing practical assistance and personal counselling to residents affected by the URA's recently announced redevelopment project at First Street and Second Street. The project is estimated to involve 430 households with about 1,000 residents. "Redevelopment of an old residential area will inevitably give rise to various issues such as re-housing and changes in everyday life for the residents affected. We must therefore ensure that appro