Responses by URA to 2024 Policy Address
In response to the announcement made by the Chief Executive in the 2024 Policy Address today (16 October 2024) on the initiatives to expedite urban redevelopment and further improve building safety and building management, a spokesperson for the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) said that the URA welcomes these initiatives and will fully support their implementation.
The spokesperson remarked that, in an evolving economic environment, new resources must be created, particularly by unleashing the development potential of land in old districts, to enable urban renewal work to be carried out in a sustainable and orderly manner.
Over the past year, the URA has supported the Government in the implementation of various policies and measures, including the recommendations from the District Study for Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, and the new planning tools devised to realise the proposals. Among them, the Sai Yee Street/Flower Market Road Development Scheme was commenced in March this year as the initial phase of the Mong Kok East — Nullah Road Urban Waterway Development Node. Meanwhile, amendments to the Outline Zoning Plans of Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei were approved by the Chief Executive in Council in June 2023 and July 2024 respectively, and a set of new guidelines for applying for transfer of plot ratio came into effect last year.
Regarding the planning studies for the Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan districts, the URA has completed the first and second phases of work which included stakeholder consultations with property owners, residents, business operators, local organisations, relevant professional associations and academics, and the public. The gathered viewpoints will form the basis to guide the formulation of the Master Renewal Plans (MRPs) for these two districts. After refining the recommendations and completing all necessary technical assessments, the URA expects to present the MRPs to the Government in the second half of 2025.
Looking forward, the URA will continue to work with relevant government departments to enhance the development potential of sites that are currently idled, designated for temporary purposes, or under-utilised. Taking the “Single Site, Multiple Use” approach, community facilities on these government lands in old districts will be integrated for better utilisation. In addition, new planning tools will be applied to suitable sites, allowing the transfer of floor areas from old districts to new development sites, thereby creating development capacity and enhancing the feasibility of redevelopment to incentivise more private market participation in urban renewal.
In this connection, the URA also welcomes the Government in examining the use of newly developed land to drive large-scale redevelopment projects, including the cross-district transfer of plot ratios and the construction of more dedicated rehousing estates. With the support of land resources from newly developed areas, the renewal of old districts can benefit from more comprehensive replanning and restructuring of land use to enhance the development potential, generating land and financial resources to take urban renewal forward.
On enhancing building safety and management, over the past year, the URA has conducted a comprehensive review to improve the implementation process for Operation Building Bright 2.0 (OBB 2.0). Four enhancement initiatives, covering the compilation of a pre-qualification list of consultants and contractors, development of a progress schedule for maintenance and repair works, timely intervention to commence tendering process for rehabilitation works on behalf of owners or Owners' Corporations, and compilation of tender documents for the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme, will be in place to assist eligible applicants of the third round of OBB 2.0 to expedite the organisation of building maintenance works. These initiatives will commence by the end of this year, three months after the issuance of the Approval-in-Principle for cases under the third round of OBB 2.0.
The URA collaborated with the Hong Kong Institute of Housing to trail the “Joint Property Management” (JPM) model in the “Lung Shing” area in Kowloon City. The trial aims to coordinate single-block buildings to jointly appoint a property management company, allowing owners to acquire management services to improve building maintenance and facility management at affordable fees. Two of the participating buildings have already passed a joint owners’ resolution to appoint a property management company.
The URA will render full support to the Government in implementing a pilot scheme on JPM in selected areas next year, as mentioned in the Policy Address. Experience from the trail in “Lung Shing” area will be summarised and shared with government departments for reference.
Urban renewal requires substantial resources. The URA will continue to uphold the principle of self-financing and align with government policies and measures to formulate effective strategies for advancing urban renewal in a sustainable and orderly manner.
(ENDS)