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Chinese tenement buildings at Nos. 88-90 Staunton Street and the Bridges' Street Market would be preserved in URA's proposed MLP.
An overview of the proposed MLP for Staunton Street project.
Open space would be provided on the rooftop of the Bridges Street Market in URA's proposed MLP.
8 Apr 2008

Reference Notes on the MLP of Staunton Street / Wing Lee Street Project

  • In 2007, the TPB proposed an amendment to the draft Development Scheme Plan to the Staunton Street/Wing Lee Street, which was subsequently approved by the Chief Executive in Council in October 2007.  The revised Planning Brief was then endorsed by the TPB in November 2007.
  • Views collected during public consultation have been carefully considered by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in the course of the preparation of Master Layout Plans (MLPs).  On 8 December, 2007, a community workshop was held to solicit the public views and aspirations of the proposed development in the H19 area. The Food, Environmental Hygiene and Works Committee and the Urban Renewal Working Group of Central and Western District Council as well as the URA Central and Western District Advisory Committee have been consulted.  The MLPs were refined on the basis of the workshop outcomes and advice of the Council Members.
  • Since the site has rich historical and cultural elements, heritage assessment, urban design study as well as structural and geotechnical impact assessment were carried out in order to understand the existing situation of the site and investigate a practicable way to strike a balance between conservation, provision of open spaces and development. 
  • As recommended by the heritage assessment and urban design study, conservation of the existing street patterns is the most important element in manifesting the history of urban development. It is also proposed to conserve the Bridges Street Market, some old tenement buildings along Staunton Street, the terrace characteristics of the Wing Lee Street, stone steps of Shing Wong Street and exploring ways to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat Sen's association with the place. 
  • Due to the poor building conditions of the tenement buildings, the preferred scheme proposes to retain the tenement blocks on Nos. 88-90 Staunton Street and Nos. 10-12 Wing Lee Street but redevelop the rest of the tenement buildings on Wing Lee Street into 3-4 storey low-rise buildings to commensurate with the existing ambience.  The blend of old and new will help revitalizing the area and celebrating the vitality of urban space.
  • Other impact assessment, including environmental assessment, air ventilation assessment, visual appraisal, traffic impact assessment and drainage and sewerage impact assessment have been carried out. Results of these assessments indicate that the proposed development would not generate unacceptable adverse impacts on the H19 area and its surrounding areas.
  • The proposed development comprising three sites for residential/commercial uses with Government, Institution or Community facilities for the use of the public and public open space.  It ensures conservation of historical buildings and elements and allows for community uses and adaptive re-uses.  It has the benefit of restoring the streetscape and the traditional character of 'lanes' and 'terraces'. It allows for better urban design in the area with low rise development at Site B which provides a valuable breathing space for the adjoining high rise environment, enhancing visual and air ventilation quality. It also provides public open space on the rooftop of Bridges Street Market with at-grade access from Shing Wong Street. It will further enhance pedestrian linkage, open space and greenery network to improve the living environment of the area and social integration.
  • With the objectives of keeping the permissible GFA under the Planning Brief and to enhance public use of the tenement buildings, the URA has prepared and submitted an alternative MLP to preserve the maximum number of buildings on Wing Lee Street, taking into consideration the building conditions and the current requirements of the Buildings Ordinance. The alternative scheme is not selected by the URA because the buildings concerned are indeed in poor conditions and it cannot effectively retain the original character and at the same time the concerned buildings will have a much shorter life/maintenance cycle. However, the alternative scheme is still submitted for the TPB members' consideration.
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