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3 May 2016

URA provides Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) to buildings developed under Civil Servants’ Co-operative Building Society Scheme

The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will accept applications from owners of buildings developed under the Civil Servants' Co-operative Building Society (CBS) Scheme for the Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) starting from today (Tuesday) as a queue has been designated for their applications, including those from the Government Built Housing Scheme (GBHS).

Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) was one of the new initiatives set out in the 2011 Urban Renewal Strategy which enables the URA to take a more diverse approach in urban renewal. Under the Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) for CBS buildings, the URA will act as a facilitator to provide consultation service to help owners under CBS and GBHS buildings assemble their property interests and assist them to remove alienation restrictions of their units (if any) for joint sale in the market for redevelopment. No acquisition or compensation or resumption by URA will be involved in facilitating services.

The launch of the Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) for CBS buildings has been approved by the URA Board earlier and the major application requirements are as follows:

  • Joint application by owners of not less than 50% of the undivided shares of each lot of an applicant site
  • All the CBS(s) in the application site have been dissolved. For buildings under GBHS, a letter of modification to modify the Government lease of the application site has been granted to allow transfer of title to individual underlessees
  • All the CBS members or GBHS underlessees have acquired legal title to their units
  • All the applicants have paid the requisite land premium to the Government to remove alienation restriction on their units or have obtained the necessary waivers permitting them to enter into sale and purchase agreements before payment of the requisite land premium
  • Building conditions of the majority of the buildings in the application site are not identified as "good" by URA

Applications for the Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) for CBS buildings can be made all year round and will go through a selection process which will take into consideration the conditions of the buildings, planning considerations, financial viability and implementation issues. The URA will offer facilitating services to a maximum of two projects of CBS or GBHS buildings at any one time, while the existing facilitating services for residential, commercial and industrial buildings will not be affected.

Pamphlets and application forms for the Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) for CBS buildings, in both English and Chinese, are available at http://www.ura-facilitator.com.hk. For enquiries, please call 2588 2800.


(ENDS)

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