Press Releases
Year 2005
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26 Jan 2005
URA widens rehab schemes for 165 buildings
A total of 165 more residential buildings became eligible for assistance under the Urban Renewal Authority's two rehabilitation schemes as the URA today (Wednesday) announced an extension to cover 20-year-old buildings in the urban area. The announcement came as the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr. Michael Suen, visited the URA's rehabilitation and redevelopment projects in Tai Kok Tsui and listened to the views of small owners and residents. In April last year the URA started two schemes, an extended rehabilitation incentives trial scheme and a rehabilitation loan and grant scheme, that offer assistance to an estimated 540 buildings of 30 years old and above in five years' time. So far 82 buildings comprising 8,170 units either have joined the schemes or are in the proces
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25 Jan 2005
Langham Place kick-starts regeneration of Mongkok
The $11 billion urban renewal project Langham Place which is expected to kick-start a sustained regeneration process in Mongkok and become a model for future urban redevelopment projects was officially opened by the Chief Executive of HKSAR, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, today (Tuesday). Redeveloped from what was known as the Mongkok Six Streets, Langham Place stands as a flagship redevelopment project and a milestone in Hong Kong's history of urban renewal. It boosts 1.8 million square feet of floor area comprising an intelligent office tower, a 665-room five-star hotel and a 15-level shopping mall, all held together by a glass atrium with a "digital sky roof." The project is a joint venture between the Urban Renewal Authority and local developer Great Eagle Holdings Limited. The flagship proje
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12 Jan 2005
Response Statement by URA Chairman to CE's Policy Address
The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority, Mr Edward Cheng, makes the following remarks in response to the Policy Address of the SAR Chief Executive: The Urban Renewal Authority is much encouraged by the policy on urban renewal announced by the Chief Executive in his Policy Address today. The URA welcomes the policy and will work to the best of its ability to support the implementation of his policy. The URA particularly welcomes the Chief Executive's announcement that the Hong Kong Housing Society would join hands with the URA in the prevention of urban decay by launching a 10-year, $3 billion Assisted Building Management and Maintenance Scheme. With an estimated 11,000 buildings lacking owners' corporation or any other form of proper management, the urban decay problem is acute a
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8 Jan 2005
Insurance Subsidy for URA's Rehabilitated Buildings
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today introduced a new subsidy to owners of buildings that have completed comprehensive rehabilitation works under URA's voluntary schemes to help them secure public liability insurance (PLI) for their buildings. Announcing the subsidy as the latest in a series of initiatives to promote building rehabilitation, the Chairman of the URA's Planning, Development and Conservation Committee, Professor David Lung, said today (Saturday) that there has been widespread concern among property owners about their liability for neglecting building management and maintenance following a recent court case involving the Albert House in Aberdeen, in which all the building owners had to jointly shoulder the burden of a $25 million compensation in a fatal building accident.