Press Releases
Year 2001
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28 Dec 2001
Sheung Wan Promenade
Come to Sheung Wan Promenade for an afternoon of fun where street activities such as singing, dancing, street performances are being arranged for your enjoyment. Or come for a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. Between now and end of March 2002, the streets around Western Market will be closed to vehicular traffic between 11am to 7pm during Sundays and public holidays (except Chinese New Year and the Sunday immediately following the Chinese New Year). Street performances will normally take place between 1-5pm. Members of the public are welcomed to visit the promenade and enjoy the various interesting activities free of charge. People travelling on the MTR can get off at the Sheung Wan station via Exit B. The promenade is being co-organised by the Central and Western District Council, C
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21 Dec 2001
Sheung Wan to Light Up with Street Activities
A variety of street activities featuring handicraft display, acrobatics and magic shows, Christmas carols, music performance and mimes will be staged in Sheung Wan on the 23, 25 and 26 of December 2001 to greet the festive season. The event, entitled Sheung Wan Promenade, will be held in a designated area near the Western Market, a historic landmark in the district. Built in 1906, the Western Market is one of the rare examples of Edwardian architecture still in existence. It has become a shopping and cultural venue popular with local people and tourists since renovation. The programme will be staged on the portion of Morrison Street between Wing Lok Street and Des Voeux Road Central from 1 pm to 5.30 pm while the area will be pedestrianised between 11 am and 7 pm. Members of the pub
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22 Nov 2001
The URA Board approves property acquisition policy
The Board of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) approved in principle the acquisition policy for owners as well as the compensation package for tenants affected by URA projects. The URA has decided to adopt the Government policy of a seven-year-old flat as the basis for calculating the Home Purchase Allowance payable to domestic owners after having carefully reviewed and considered views and comments by various sectors of the community, in particular, views expressed by the Legislative Council during the passage of the URA Ordinance. Under the policy, an owner is entitled to 100 per cent HPA for up to three flats occupied by himself or his immediate family. The URA will also offer an incentive for owner-occupiers and owners of tenanted flats to cover removal costs an
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3 Nov 2001
URA Brainstorming Session
The URA Board and management had a brainstorming session today (3 November) and exchanged constructive views on the URA Vision and Mission in the light of fulfilling its objectives in redevelopment, revitalisation, preservation and rehabilitation. The URA Board Members and management also had a good discussion on the five-year Corporate Plan during today's session. Many constructive views have been exchanged and various options have been examined. The URA management will further refine the Corporate Plan based on the discussion. Upon approval by the Board, the URA will submit its first Corporate Plan to the Financial Secretary. 3 November 2001
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12 Oct 2001
URA welcomes appointment of Mr Billy Lam as the Managing Director
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today welcomed the appointment of Mr Billy Lam as the Managing Director of the URA with effect from 1 January 2002. Mr Lam has held various key positions during his 30 years of service with the Government, including his secondment to the Airport Authority as its Chief Executive Officer. "His extensive experience in public administration and corporate management will definitely be an asset to the URA, which is tasked to rejuvenate older urban areas by way of redevelopment, revitalisation, preservation and rehabilitation", said the URA Chairman Dr Lau Wah-sum. Dr Lau believed that Mr Lam, with his diversified background, would bring in new ideas and initiatives to facilitate implementation of the massive urban renewal programme by the URA. On his ap
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30 Aug 2001
Panel Report on the Allegations of Conflict of Interest Presented to the URA Board
The panel responsible for looking into the allegations of conflict of interest involving the Urban Renewal Authority's (URA) Chairman Dr Lau Wah-sum and Managing Director Mr Canice Mak presented its report to the URA Board at today's (30 August 2001) Board Meeting. Earlier, some press reports brought out that there might be a conflict of interest because Dr Lau Wah-sum and Mr Canice Mak were both shareholders of Sino Elite Limited, a company which owned a piece of farmland in Sai Kung. The panel consisted of three URA Board members including Ms Maria Tam Wai-chu as the chairperson, Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan and Mr Michael Lai Kam-cheung. The panel was set up at the request of the URA management in early August to look into the allegations of conflict of interest. The panel's report
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10 Aug 2001
The URA Re-organizes to Implement the Urban Renewal Strategy and to Strengthen the Relationships with Districts
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) announced today (10 August 2001) that changes would be introduced to its organization structure. The organization change is a strategic move to ensure that the URA will be in a strong position to implement the SAR Government's urban renewal strategy in an efficient and effective manner. The URA Board approved the new structure at its recent meeting. "The new structure aims at delivering strong functional leadership through a leaner and more efficient organization," explained the URA Chairman Dr Lau Wah Sum. The URA has to undertake a wider scope of work, which includes urban redevelopment, revitalisation of old districts, building rehabilitation, and preservation of district features and buildings with historical value. Therefore, the main focuses o
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9 Aug 2001
URA Press Statement
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) expresses deep regret about a twisted report in The Cup Magazine about the Authority. The said report is factually inaccurate and has made groundless allegations against URA Chairman Dr Lau Wah-sum, seriously damaging his reputation. The URA reserves its right for legal actions. On the Wan Chai Road/Tai Yuen Street project, the Authority would like to make the following clarifications: It takes several years to implement a redevelopment project, and changes to the project itself and the market conditions are possible. This phenomenon is normal in the course of redevelopment. Over the past three years, the URA (and the former Land Development Corporation) and the joint venture partner (The Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd.) have been holdi
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31 Jul 2001
No announcement on the first batch of projects
On news reports that the Planning, Development and Conservation Committee of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has approved the implementation of five projects towards the end of the year, a spokesperson for the URA today (July 31) clarified that it was not an announcement of the URA. A decision on the first batch of projects to be implemented has yet to be taken by the Board of the URA. 31 July 2001
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27 Jul 2001
Further consultation with URA staff on remuneration proposal
The Management of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has held further consultation with staff members on the proposed terms and conditions of employment. At a meeting last Thursday (19 July), the Board of the URA agreed that the proposed terms and conditions of employment should be the basis of further consultation with staff members. The Board also approved the adoption of a new organisation structure for the URA with immediate effect, which is "district focus" in redevelopment activities. "Restructuring is essential in view of the wider scope of work of the URA and the vast public expectations on its role," said URA Managing Director Mr Canice Mak. Under the new organisation structure, district teams will be set up with strong functional leadership to ensure consistent formulation