Press Releases
Year 2007
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19 Jul 2007
URA commences Peel Street/Graham Street project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) announced the commencement of the Peel Street/Graham Street redevelopment project, estimated at a total development cost of $3.8 billion, by conducting an occupancy survey. Measuring a total site area of about 57,240 square feet, the project is bounded by Peel Street, Graham Street, Gage Street, Wellington Street, Cochrane Street, Gutzlaff Street, Staveley Street and Kin Sau Lane in the Central and Western district. Some 360 property interests in 37 old buildings are expected to be affected. Four of the blocks were built pre-war, while the remainder were built mostly in the mid-50's and early 60's. Speaking at today's media briefing to announce details of the occupancy survey, District Development Director of the URA, Mr Joseph L
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11 May 2007
Design model for future Kwun Tong now on display
A design model depicting the future Kwun Tong Town Centre is now on display at the Kwun Tong Office of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) for public inspection. "Occupying a site area of 5.35 hectares, the project has a total of 24 buildings which are over 40 years old. Over the years, residents within the project site have repeatedly called for early redevelopment so as to improve their living environment," a spokesman for the Authority said. The URA has come up with a final design proposal for the project after consolidating and assimilating views of the residents as well as other stakeholders and indeed the community at large in four rounds of bottom-up public consultation exercise over the past two years. "Development scheme plans based on the design proposal have been submitted
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2 May 2007
Heritage Advisory Panel on Peel Street/Graham Street project
A heritage advisory panel newly set up under the Central & Western District Advisory Committee (C&W DAC) of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) met today (Wednesday) to study and recommend ways to promote heritage conservation features in the Peel Street/Graham Street redevelopment project. The URA intends to preserve three pre-war shop houses at 26A-26C Graham Street for adaptive re-use as well as the façade of Wing Woo Grocery within the project site, where structurally feasible. "We attach a great deal of importance to this $3.8 billion project which is sited at a bustling location full of interesting historical features. Over the past two years, a bottom-up approach has been adopted to solicit community views on the way forward for the project. A Master Layout Plan for the project
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24 Apr 2007
Statement by the Urban Renewal Authority: Newly Appointed URA Board
The management of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) welcomes the new appointments announced by government today (Tuesday) to the URA Board, effective 1 May 2007. "The management looks forward to the leadership and guidance of Mr. Barry Cheung, the newly appointed Chairman, and the newly constituted Board in carrying out its mission under the Urban Renewal Strategy," said a spokesman for the URA. The management wishes also to express its sincere gratitude to the current Board, especially its Chairman, Mr. Edward Cheng who has made invaluable contribution to the work of the URA. "Without their guidance and support over the past three years, it would not have been possible for URA to successfully engage the community in the planning of a number of key projects, or to launch the Kwun Tong T
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24 Apr 2007
Press Statement by the newly appointed Chairmen of the URA Board, Mr Barry Cheung
The following is a statement issued today (Tueday) on behalf of the newly appointed Chairman of the URA Board, Mr Barry Cheung: "I am deeply honoured to be appointed Chairman of the Board of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. URA has just completed its first Five Year Corporate Plan. Following the commencement of the Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment Project, the largest single project it has ever undertaken, URA is proudly progressing towards another major milestone of its work. I wish to thank the current Chairman, Mr. Edward Cheng, under whose distinguished leadership the URA has made remarkable achievements under its "4R" strategy: redevelopment, rehabilitation, revitalization and preservation. As we are entr
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23 Apr 2007
Kwun Tong Town Centre project : People's Choice
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has submitted the development scheme plans of the Kwun Tong Town Centre project to the Town Planning Board (TPB), signifying commencement of the statutory planning procedures for the mega project. Major design features of the project are results of an extensive consultation with the community, which include landmark features of a modernistic design, increased open space and greening, comprehensive community and commercial services as well as community-friendly features such as street and bazaar in traditional "kaifong-style". URA Board member and Chairman of the URA Kwun Tong District Advisory Committee (DAC), Professor David Lung, and the URA Managing Director, Mr Billy Lam, outlined details of the development scheme plans for the project at a press
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19 Apr 2007
Milestone for Building Rehabilitation and Best Rehab Building Award
The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), Mr Edward Cheng, said that the URA would set aside more resources to assist owners of old buildings to carry out building inspection, as the pace of rehabilitation is expected to accelerate when Government's mandatory building inspection scheme is put in place. The URA organised a ceremony today (Thursday) to mark the completion of rehabilitation works for 200 buildings involving 20,000 domestic units under its voluntary rehabilitation schemes. The ceremony also saw the presentation of awards to the 'best rehabilitated buildings' following a widely-publicized competition. Attending the ceremony as the Guest of Honour was the Hon. Michael Suen, Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands. In addition to the Chairman, Mr. Edward Cheng, othe
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14 Apr 2007
Sham Shui Po community workshop on urban regeneration
Local leaders and residents of the Sham Shui Po community gathered at a workshop today (Saturday) putting their heads together to explore possible ways forward for urban regeneration of the district as a blueprint for all concerned. Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), Mr Edward Cheng said: "this workshop was jointly organized by the Sham Shui Po District Advisory Committee (DAC) of the URA and the Sham Shui Po District Council, which is part of URA's ongoing efforts to ascertain public aspirations and views on the future blueprint of the district." "As one of the key players for the district's regeneration, URA is keen to see how it can contribute to providing some relief to issues relating to poverty and an aging population, Mr
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31 Mar 2007
URA Chairman visits Kwun Tong Project Site
The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority, Mr Edward Cheng, today (Saturday) visited residents affected by the largest ever project of the URA, the Kwun Tong Town Centre project. Over 200 URA staff have been deployed to conduct a freezing survey following the formal commencement of the project. Accompanied by the Managing Director of the URA, Mr Billy Lam (first from left) and the District Development Director, Mr Joseph Lee (second from left), Mr Edward Cheng (third from left) visited a family residing in a dilapidated building within the project site. Almost all URA staff have been deployed to visit families affected by the project, including juinor ones working as tea lady and office assistant. (END)
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30 Mar 2007
Kwun Tong Town Centre : URA Commences Largest Project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) announced the commencement of its biggest ever project - redevelopment of the Kwun Tong Town Centre - by conducting a freezing survey of the estimated 4,500 residents who will now have the long-awaited opportunity to improve their living standard through compensation and rehousing. The Kwun Tong town centre which occupies a site area of over 5.3 hectares, was built in the early 1960s and badly needs redevelopment. Local residents suffering from leaking roofs and walls, poor hygiene, clogged sewage and everyday traffic chaos have been anxiously urging for early implementation since the project was first announced by the then Land Development Corporation in 1998. Speaking at today's media briefing to announce details of the freezing surv