Press Releases
Year 2016
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19 Mar 2016
URA encourages young people to explore urban renewal in perspectives through performing art
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has in the 2015/16 academic year organised a series of learning and outreach programmes to inspire young people to approach urban renewal from different perspectives. The finale of secondary school drama competition cum gala show of the roving drama workshops for primary school students was held at the Youth Square, Chai Wan on 18 March (Friday) with nearly 400 teachers and students participating. The 2015/16 secondary school drama competition, which was in its 6th year, aimed to encourage students to express their creative ideas for achieving a sustainable urban renewal and a better living environment in old districts. A series of workshops and visits to the URA's projects were arranged by the URA, Development Bureau's Energizing Kowloon East Office and
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5 Mar 2016
URA partners with young people to serve residents in old districts under the Community Service Partnership Scheme
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has partnered with seven tertiary institutions and social service organisations to bring love and care to the residents in old districts in the 2015/16 Community Service Partnership Scheme (CSPS), which is in its fourth year. Through the collaboration with tertiary institutions and social service organisations, volunteer teams comprising URA colleagues and tertiary students have joined hands to serve the residents in the old districts under various programmes arranged by the social service organisations. These programmes include academic support programme for the primary school students, health care programme for the elderly, interactive activities for the single-parent families, fun and care programme for the visually-impaired people and mentally-chall
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4 Mar 2016
URA commences one of the largest redevelopment projects in Kowloon City
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Friday) commenced the planning procedure of a Development Project at Bailey Street and Wing Kwong Street in Kowloon City, which is one of the largest redevelopment projects initiated by the URA in recent years. This is the 9th redevelopment project initiated by the URA in addition to a demand-led redevelopment project being carried out in the district. Occupying a site area of about 8,000 square metres, the project involves a number of large building blocks of six to nine storeys without elevator, which were built between 1957 and 1961. These buildings cover 103 street numbers at Nos. 107 - 109 Ma Tau Wai Road (odd number), Nos. 2 - 50 Wing Kwong Street (even number), Nos. 1 - 13 Wan Tat Street (odd number), Nos. 1 - 19 Wan Fat Street, Nos. 1 -
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2 Mar 2016
URA completed computer balloting for Subsidised Sale Flat Scheme Units at Kai Tak development
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Wednesday) conducted computer balloting to determine the sequence for flat selection for all 12,642 preliminarily verified applications of its Subsidised Sale Flat (SSF) Scheme Units at its Kai Tak development. The computer ballot was jointly officiated by the Chairman of the URA, Mr Victor So Hing-woh, and the Chairman of the Kowloon City District Council, Mr Pun Kwok-wah. The URA received a total of 12,685 applications for the SSF Scheme Units when the application period closed on 21 January 2016. Some applications were cancelled due to duplications or invalid cheques. Of the 12,642 applications, about 65% are single person applicants. Following the computer ballot today, URA will issue letters to the applicants notifying their priority
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19 Feb 2016
URA to launch Building Rehabilitation Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme)
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will launch the Building Rehabilitation Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) in April/May this year to provide technical assistance to Owners' Corporations of private buildings to minimize their potential exposure to tender rigging in carrying out the rehabilitation work of their buildings. The Building Rehabilitation Facilitating Services (Pilot Scheme) is an initiative introduced in response to the Policy Address of the Chief Executive this year. In formulating the pilot scheme, the URA has made reference to the experience gained in the Operation Building Bright where a new tendering arrangement has been introduced to ensure a fair, unbiased and competitive tendering process. Speaking at the media briefing today, Head of Building Rehabilitation Divi
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18 Feb 2016
Applications for 5th round of demand-led redevelopment project (pilot scheme) open today
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) is inviting applications for the fifth round of projects under its demand-led redevelopment project (pilot scheme) starting from today (Thursday). The application period has been extended to three months until 18 May 2016. The fifth round of demand-led application would have the following application requirements: Joint application by owners of not less than 80% of the undivided shares of each lot of an applicant site. If an owner owns not less than 20% of the undivided shares in any lot, he/she must be among the applicants; All buildings within the site are classified as "poor" or "varied"; and The total area(s) of the lot(s) in the site should be no less than 700 square metres. Applications will go through a stringent screening and scoring pro
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28 Jan 2016
Application opens for 5th round of demand-led redevelopment project (pilot scheme) next month
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) announced that application for the fifth round of projects under its demand-led redevelopment project (pilot scheme) will be open for three months starting 18 February until 18 May 2016. The URA aims to select suitable project(s) from this round for implementation within its 2016/17 financial year. Speaking at a media briefing today, Director (Planning and Design) of the URA, Mr Michael Ma, said: "The URA will accept applications for the fifth round next month and extend the application period to three months so as to allow interested property owners more time to make preparation for the application. An assessment panel of the URA will review the applications and make recommendation to the URA Board for a decision. Any selected projec
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27 Jan 2016
More than 12,680 applications received for URA’s Subsidised Sale Flat Scheme Units at Kai Tak development
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has received more than 12,680 applications for its Subsidised Sale Flat (SSF) Scheme Units at its Kai Tak development, among which about 65% are single person applicants. All applications are being processed by the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) as commissioned by the URA. The Authority will conduct the computer balloting process in early March to determine the sequence for flat selection after which the HKHS will carry out the screening process. The URA will invite eligible applicants for flat selection according to the order of priority determined by the computer balloting in early May. It is expected that the relevant sale process will be completed by the end of May and the successful applicants can move in during the third quarter of 2016. Th
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26 Jan 2016
New World Development Company Limited wins development contract of URA’s Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung Road Project in Ma Tau Kok
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Tuesday) announced that Rosy Page Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New World Development Company Limited, has won the contract for the development of Kowloon City Road/Sheung Heung Road Project in Ma Tau Kok. The URA earlier invited a number of pre-qualified property developers to submit a tender for the project. The URA received a total of eight tender offers when the tender closed. After careful deliberation, the URA Board considered that the tender offer made by New World Development Company Limited has met the tender requirements of the project and thus decided to award the development contract to New World Development Company Limited. A spokesman for the URA said the Authority was pleased to have the opportunity to implement the Kowloo
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26 Jan 2016
URA Press Statement
With regard to the water samples collected arbitrarily by a newspaper from two residential units (Flat 15B at H2 and Flat 2E at L1) at the Kai Tak development of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) which purported to show lead content near or above the acceptable level, the URA has commissioned an accredited laboratory to collect water samples from the two concerned residential units on 18 January 2016 for water sampling test in accordance to the procedures set out by the Water Supplies Department (WSD) in order to address public concerns. The water samples were collected and tested by the same accredited laboratory previously commissioned by the URA. The test results showed that lead levels in the water samples collected from both units are less than one microgram per litre, which is we