Press Releases
Year 2008
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29 Dec 2008
Property acquisition for Kwun Tong Town Centre project commences
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Monday) issues letters to owners of all 1,657 legal property interests of the Kwun Tong Town Centre project on the purchase of their property interests. A spokesperson for the URA said: "Eligible owner-occupiers of domestic properties will be offered $5,937 per square foot of saleable floor area, which is based on the assessment of the unit rate of a notional 7-year-old flat as at 1 December 2008. The said rate has carefully been arrived at based on a valuation mechanism which is virtually transparent, open and fair. In view of the large number of property interests involved and the aspirations of the affected residents and the community, the URA has enhanced the valuation mechanism by appointing 11 independent valuation firms instead of the us
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16 Dec 2008
Property acquisition for Kwun Tong Town Centre project to start soon
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will issue purchase offers to owners of all 1,657 legal property interests of the Kwun Tong Town Centre project (Project K7) before the end of this month to acquire their property interests. The Land, Rehousing and Compensation Committee of the URA Board today (Tuesday) endorsed a unit rate of $5,937 per square foot of saleable floor area for a notional 7-year-old flat in respect of the project. Speaking to the media representatives this afternoon, the Chairman of the URA, Mr Barry Cheung, said: "The unit rate is assessed in accordance with the established mechanism of the URA which is open, fair and transparent. Because of the large number of property interests involved and taking into account the views of the affected residents and the community, th
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4 Dec 2008
URA to hold seminar on urban renewal of Asian experience
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will hold a full-day seminar engaging overseas and local academics and officials to exchange views on the models and challenges of urban renewal in some Asian cities on 15 December 2008. The seminar, entitled "Models and Challenges of Urban Renewal-Sharing of Asian Experience", aims to enhance public understanding of the various issues in urban renewal by drawing on the experience and actual results of other Asian cities, in order to better prepare for future initiatives in urban renewal in Hong Kong, said a spokesman of the URA. "It is an opportune time to take stock of our experience in urban renewal for the past 20 years and review the Urban Renewal Strategy. The seminar, serving as a useful platform for proactive dialogues on the way forward, is h
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24 Nov 2008
URA's rehabilitation/ revitalisation initiatives create job opportunities
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) announced today (Monday) that works with aggregated cost of around $250 million will commence for its building rehabilitation scheme and 10 community revitalisation/improvement projects during the period to 31 March 2010 with an aim to help create job opportunities. At a media briefing to announce details of the decisions of the URA Board, the Chairman of the URA, Mr Barry Cheung, said: "For the works, $64 million will go to the materials incentive scheme of the building rehabilitation programme, comparing to the annual budget of around $25 million in the past years. Another $180 million will be allocated to 10 revitalisation projects in Tsuen Wan, Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Central & Western and Wan Chai. Taken together, the rehabilitation and revit
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24 Nov 2008
Conservation-led redevelopment for Staunton Street project unfolds
The Board of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Monday) decided to adopt a conservation-led redevelopment approach for the Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street project instead of undertaking it as a redevelopment project with preservation elements. Explaining the rationale behind the proposed shift, the Chairman of URA, Mr Barry Cheung, said the historical significance and the streetscape ambience of the project could be better manifested in the refined development option, which is taken to tie in with the Government conservation policy on revitalising the Former Police Married Quarters site on Hollywood Road. The Chief Executive announced in his 2008/09 Policy Address that the original site of the Central School (i.e. the Former Police Married Quarters site on Hollywood Road) would
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21 Nov 2008
URA Welcomes New Appointments to the Board
The Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), Mr Barry Cheung Chun-yuen, today (Friday) welcomes the appointment of nine new members as non-executive directors of the URA Board by the Government. They are Legislative Council members Miss Tanya Chan, Mr James To Kun-sun and Mr Wong Kwok-kin; Mr Dane Cheng Ting-yat; Professor Desmond Hui Cheuk-kuen; Mr Philip Kan Siu-lun; Mr Daniel Lam Chun; Mr Almon Poon Chin-hung; and Dr John Wong Yee-him. "With their profound expertise and experience, the newly appointed members will certainly be able to make significant contributions to the work of the URA in fulfilling its mission of achieving a sustainable urban regeneration programme - one that will not only improve the livelihood of residents living in the old districts but also provide a con
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17 Nov 2008
Urban renewal: Roving Exhibition on Stage
The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Chairman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), Mr Barry Cheung, today (Monday) kicked off the opening of a roving exhibition entitled "Towards Urban Renewal 3.0", which is being staged to tie in with an extensive public consultation exercise on the Urban Renewal Strategy (URS) Review to solicit views from all walks of life on the way forward for urban regeneration in Hong Kong. On display are plans, pictures, cage home model, video shows, illustrations and 3-D computer animations giving visitors a full view of the key issues of urban regeneration, the projects undertaken by the former Land Development Corporation (LDC) and its successor the URA. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Chairman of the URA, Mr Barry Ch
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20 Oct 2008
Acquisition arrangement for Kwun Tong Town Centre project
市區重建局（市建局）今日（星期一）宣布，觀塘市中心重建項目的物業收購，將會如期在今年十二月底前展開。同時，市建局亦決定在今年十二月提出一次過收購建議後的四年半左右，向尚未進入收地階段的發展區內仍未出售其物業的業主，提出一次修訂建議。 市建局主席張震遠今日在董事會會議後會見新聞界時表示：「為準備今年十二月一次過向所有受影響的1,656名業主提出物業收購建議，市建局已經挑選及委託合資格的專業測計師行，為『七年樓』的呎價及物業市值估值。」 他說，由於觀塘市中心項目涉及的業權相當多，以及提出收購建議的期間適逢有許多節日，董事會因此通過延長接受收購建議的期限，由60日增加至90日。 他說：「面對目前的經濟狀況，許多舊區居民，尤其是觀塘重建區的居民，擔心市建局的項目會否延誤。在此，我向大家保證，市建局現時的財政穩健，並會如期在今年底前展開觀塘項目的物業收購工作。」 張震遠續稱：「根據去年的數據，估計觀塘市中心項目的收購成本大約140億元。我們已經因應過往項目的接受收購建議比率，作出財務評估，以市建局目前的穩健財務狀況，與及向外融資的能力，我們有信心按原來計劃推行該項目，令觀塘居民，以至整個社區都受惠。」 由於觀塘項目規模龐大，為了在某程度上維持社區在重建進行期間的活力和服務，以及我們需要相當時間統一整個地盤的業權，市建局決定分五個發展區域進行重建工程。 部分屬於較後期發展區域的業主，可能希望考慮稍後時間才將物業出售予市建局。為了方便他們的抉擇，我們決定向這些業主提出一次修訂建議。 張震遠解釋，最後的一個發展區域估計會在2016年中進入收地程序，距離市建局第一次出價大約八年，因此我們計劃在今年出價後的四年半左右，向尚未進入收地階段發展區內仍未出售其業權的業主，再次提出一個貼市的收購建議，以供他們考慮。 修訂建議將會由11間獨立測計師行根據市場狀況就「7
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13 Oct 2008
Road proposals for Lee Tung Street project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has taken the initiatives to refine the road proposals for its Lee Tung Street project in Wan Chai after careful consideration of submissions received from members of the public and stakeholders during the public consultation period. Following the approval of the Master Layout Plan for the project by the Town Planning Board (TPB) in May 2007, the government has gazetted the related road proposals on 25 April 2008. Valuable views have been received. Commenting on the road refinement proposals, Director, Planning and Design of the URA, Mr Michael Ma, said: "We have been working closely with government departments concerned in assessing public views on the proposals and have come up with viable solutions to address most of their concerns. Hearings have
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8 Oct 2008
Property acquisition for Ma Tau Kok projects to begin soon
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will issue offer letters to owners of 122 property interests at Chi Kiang Street/Ha Heung Road and Pak Tai Street/Mok Cheong Street projects in Ma Tau Kok within a week from today (Wednesday). Eligible owner-occupiers of domestic properties of Chi Kiang Street project will be offered $5,173 per square foot of saleable floor area while the Home Purchase Allowance (HPA) unit rate of Pak Tai Street project is $5,492 per square foot of saleable floor area. The Land, Rehousing and Compensation Committee (LRCC) of the URA met today (Wednesday) to decide on the acquisition offers of the two projects. Commenting on the acquisition offers, the Chairman of the LRCC, Mr Walter Chan, said: "In accordance with established mechanism, the URA has appointed seven i