Press Releases
Year 2008
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
3 Oct 2008
Public consultation for preservation of shophouses begins
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will start tomorrow (Saturday) the first of a series of consultative sessions on the adaptive re-uses of the 20 pre-war shophouses at Prince Edward Road West and Shanghai Street. The URA plans to preserve and revitalise these two rare shophouse clusters which have outstanding historical, cultural and architectural values in Hong Kong. The 10 shophouses at Prince Edward Road West are categorised as Level One-- outstanding heritage value in a consultancy study by the URA earlier this year while the other 10 at Shanghai Street are classified as Grade One historical buildings by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB). The debut is a brainstorming session in which some 100 people from the community including owners, residents, academics, professionals, Yau
-
26 Sep 2008
Result of Expression of Interest in URA's Lee Tung Street / McGregor Street Project in Wan Chai
In response to media enquiries today (Friday) on the result of the expression of interest exercise for the Lee Tung Street/McGregor Street joint development project in Wan Chai, a spokesman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) said that a total of 15 submissions have been received. A tender review panel under the URA Board will shortlist the qualified parties and invite them to submit a formal tender for the joint development. It is expected that the tender exercise will take place in the near future. The project covers a site area of about 88,500 square feet and upon completion, is expected to deliver a maximum gross floor area of about 835,000 square feet for residential and commercial uses, together with public open spaces, a residential care home for the elderly and conservation o
-
24 Sep 2008
Brainstorming sessions on preservation of shophouses
市區重建局（市建局）今日（星期三）發信邀請社區人士出席保育活化戰前「騎樓」建築的集思會，為如何活化再用這些珍貴的建築，出謀獻策。 市建局發言人說：「歷史建築物不單應該妥為保存，更應活化再用，讓市民得以親近享用，全面發揮它們的經濟及社會效益，令我們的文化遺產得以持續保育。」 市建局上周五宣布啟動兩個保育暨活化項目，涉及20幢具顯著文物價值的戰前「騎樓」建築。該兩個項目分別位於太子道西╱園藝街和上海街╱亞皆老街。 位於太子道西及園藝街交界的10幢唐樓群建於1930年代，佔地約1,440平方米。至於上海街╱亞皆老街的10幢建築則建於1920-1926年。 為收集社會人士對活化再用該20幢戰前「騎樓」建築的建議，市建局將於下月初舉行集思會，詳情如下： 太子道西╱園藝街保育及活化項目集思會 日期：2008年10月4日(星期六) 時間：下午2時30分至4時30分 地點：香島專科學校一樓 (旺角運動場道29號) 截止報名日期：2008年9月30日 上海街╱亞皆老街保育及活化項目集思會 日期：2008年10月10日 (星期五) 時間：下午7時30分至9時30分 地點：香島專科學校一樓 (旺角運動場道29號) 截止報名日期：2008年10月3日 市建局今日發信邀請社區人士出席上述集思會，其他有興趣參加的市民，亦可於上述報名日期前以電郵方式報名：inquiry@mail1.ura.org.hk。 （完）