Press Releases
Year 2005
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27 May 2005
Expression of Interest for URA's First Street/Second Street Project
In response to media enquiries on the result of the expression of interest exercise for the First Street/Second Street joint development project in Sai Ying Pun, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) issued the following statement: A total of 20 submissions have been received expressing an interest in the joint development of the First Street/Second Street project site. A tender review panel under the URA Board will shortlist the qualified parties and invite them to submit a formal tender for the development. It is expected that the tender exercise will take place in the near future. The project covers a site area of about 38,000 square feet and upon completion, is expected to deliver a gross floor area of about 425,000 square feet for residential and commercial use. In
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19 May 2005
Invitation for Expression of Interest for First Street/Second Street Project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will invite real estate developers to submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the joint development of the First Street/Second Street redevelopment project in Sai Ying Pun tomorrow (Friday). The project covers a site area of about 38,000 square feet and upon completion, is expected to deliver a gross floor area of about 425,000 square feet for residential and commercial use. In addition, an 11,800-square foot residential care home for the elderly and about 7,500 square feet of landscaped open space will be provided. Parties interested in the project are requested to indicate their professional competence and financial capability to undertake the development in accordance with the requirements and criteria set by the Authority. Submissions should
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13 May 2005
URA updates tenant records by survey
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) conducts a survey to update its records of domestic tenants in five "ex-LDC" projects, in preparation for changes arising from the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 ("The Ordinance"). The URA has commenced 19 of the 25 projects announced by its predecessor, the Land Development Corporation (LDC). Among the remaining six, five of them are residential sites with tenants, namely the Kwun Tong Town Centre, Kwun Tong; Peel Street/Graham Street, Sheung Wan; Sai Yee Street, Mongkok; Sai Wan Ho Street, Shau Kei Wan; and Nga Tsin Wai Village, Wong Tai Sin. An estimated 2,400 domestic households are involved. The sixth is the MacPherson Stadium, Mongkok that has no domestic tenants. The main purpose of the survey is t
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2 May 2005
Social Service Teams to Help Residents in Urban Renewal
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has appointed the Salvation Army and St James' Settlement for the setting up of two urban renewal social service teams to provide assistance for residents affected by urban renewal projects in Kowloon West and on Hong Kong Island respectively from May 2005. "Social service teams play a very important part in our people-oriented approach during the implementation of urban renewal projects," said Mr. Maurice Lee, Chairman of the URA's Community Affairs and Public Relations Committee that scrutinized and approved the appointment of the two teams. "The redevelopment of an old residential area inevitably causes changes to the everyday life of the residents affected. Some of them, in particular the elderly, the handicapped, single parents and new immigrants
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22 Apr 2005
URA Welcomes New Appointments to the Board
The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), Mr Edward Cheng Wai-sun, today (Friday) welcomes the appointment of the Hon Alan Leong Kah-kit and the Hon Howard Young as non-executive directors of the URA Board. "With their profound expertise and experience, Mr Leong and Mr Young will certainly be able to make significant contributions to the work of the URA in fulfilling its mission of achieving a sustainable urban renewal programme - one that will not only improve the livelihood of residents living in the old districts but also provide a continuous driving force for Hong Kong's economic development," Mr Cheng said. "We look forward to working closely together as a team with our stakeholders in the community in taking forward our initiatives to achieve our goal," he added. Mr Chen
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18 Mar 2005
URA launches $100m project for cultural and creative industries
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) announces today (Friday) a $100 million project, the Mallory Street revitalisation project, to help foster Hong Kong's development of cultural and creative industries. The project calls for the acquisition of two rows of 10 early twentieth century shop-houses in Mallory Street and Burrows Street, Wan Chai. Upon completion of the planning and acquisition procedures, the URA will refurbish some of the buildings and turn them into a haven for operators of cultural and creative industries. The URA project is inspired by the Government's Policy Address in January which highlights the "the importance of rejuvenating old districts in cities to create a cultural atmosphere, thereby attracting talents, fostering cultural and creative industries and developing
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15 Mar 2005
URA issues acquisition offers for two Tai Kok Tsui projects
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Tuesday) issued offer letters to owners of 370 property interests in Tai Kok Tsui to acquire their properties within the boundaries of the Larch Street/Fir Street and Pine Street/Anchor Street redevelopment projects. The total acquisition and rehousing cost is estimated to be about $1.13 billion. Affected owner-occupiers of domestic properties will be offered $4,038 per square foot on a saleable area basis. Built in the 60's, most of the properties are in a dilapidated condition. As a whole, their open market value is estimated to be about $1,300 per square foot of saleable area. The URA acquires property interests by private agreements with individual owners. The acquisition offers are based on the Government's Home Purchase Allowance (HPA) po
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11 Mar 2005
URA commences planning for two new projects in Sham Shui Po
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) commences application for the statutory planning approval of two new redevelopment projects in Sham Shui Po to improve the living environment of about 800 residents and further prevent urban decay in the district. Due to their proximity to each other and that one of them is relatively small in size, the URA proposes to merge the two projects at Lai Chi Kok Road / Kweilin Street and Yee Kuk Street into a Comprehensive Development Area scheme for better planning and land utilization including much needed open space for public enjoyment. The URA has to obtain consent of the Town Planning Board (TPB) and approval by the Chief Executive in Council for the scheme plan before it proceeds with acquisition of the 160 property interests involved
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8 Mar 2005
Press Statement by the Urban Renewal Authority
In response to media enquiries on a case of the District Court today (Tuesday) in connection with URA projects, a spokesman of the Urban Renewal Authority issues the following statement :- "The Urban Renewal Authority attaches great importance to the honesty of its staff, the integrity of its operation procedure and the need to protect sensitive information in order to safeguard against any abuse of its compensation policy. The Authority commends the ICAC for its success in this investigation and hopes that the verdict today would pose a deterrent to those who intend to conspire in abusing the Authority's compensation policy. The Authority is seeking further assistance from the Corruption Prevention Department of the ICAC in reviewing its operation procedures in order to minimise oppor
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31 Jan 2005
URA announces appointments to District Advisory Committees
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Monday) announced new appointments to its four existing District Advisory Committees that reflect views and aspirations of the local community and provide advice on urban renewal concerns at the district level. The appointments altogether comprise 61 people from different walks of life ranging from flat owners, tenants, district leaders and social workers to professionals, academics and businessmen. The committees which were first set up in January 2002 cover Wan Chai, Central and Western, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po districts where the URA has commenced most of its urban renewal projects. The committees are chaired by URA Board members, Miss Maria Tam, Mr. Barry Cheung, Mrs. Peggy Lam and Professor Cecilia Chan respectively so as to provide