Press Releases
Year 2002
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10 Oct 2002
URA issues acquisition offers for Po On Road/Shun Ning Road Project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issues offer letters to the owners affected by the Po On Road/Shun Ning Road redevelopment project today (10 October) to acquire their properties by private agreement. A URA spokesman said that about $170 million would be used to purchase all the 72 interests involved in this project, which affects about 200 households. A total cost of $465 million is expected for the development of the project. "The owners will have ample time to consider our offers and to accept them within the next 60 days," he said. Purchase offers of the URA are based on the Government's Home Purchase Allowance (HPA) policy that reflects the market value of a notional, seven-year-old replacement flat in a similar locality as compensation to owner-occupiers of domestic propertie
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10 Oct 2002
Urban Renewal Authority - Press Statement
In response to press enquiries today (October 10), the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) issues the following statement: As a public body, the URA attaches great importance to good corporate governance including the need to achieve a balance between transparency and protection of confidential information, in particular sensitive commercial information. There have been many instances of confidential information leakage in recent months that seriously affected the URA's operation and, in some cases, undermined its position in on-going commercial negotiation. The problem has persisted despite the issuing of guidelines with the approval of the URA Board. Many Board members have, therefore, felt it necessary to consider an alternative proposal, which is the signing of an undertaking for protect
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28 Sep 2002
Letter from Hong Kong
市區重建局行政總監林中麟表示,舊區老化問題嚴重,市區重建工作不能單靠政府和市區重建局。他希望市民齊心協力,改變對拆樓重建和樓宇維修的態度,一起跨越阻礙市區重建的「兩座大山」。 林中麟今日在香港電台的「香港家書」節目中解釋說:「第一座大山,是許多舊區居民對市建局所謂「派錢收樓」的做法,普遍存有過高甚至不切實際的期望,將改善居住環境的責任完全放在市建局及政府身上,而他們唯一要做的便是等市建局盡快上門派錢收購。」 林先生表示:自年初上任以來,他不斷收到舊區居民的要求,催促市建局和政府加快收購他們的舊樓。 「但是,我們始終需要面對現實,需求無限,資源有限。市建局、將來的房屋協會,加上整個政府,都不會有能力令數以萬計舊樓的業主,在未來的日子裡全部變成擁有七年樓齡的樓宇業主。」 他指出,很多市民都遠遠低估了舊區殘破問題的嚴重性和清拆重建所涉及的問題。根據政府的估計,市區內樓齡超過三十年的大廈,有九千三百幢,而且在未來十年內,更會增加一半。 他說:「假如我們要將九千三百幢大廈全部清拆重建,所需的費用會是天文數字,而搬遷居民所涉及的各項複雜問題,是整個社會無論是現在或將來都難以應付的。」 至於面前的第二座大山,林先生說是很多市民都持有一種根深蒂固的觀念,認為市區重建一定是將舊樓全部清拆,然後整個地盤重新發展。在目前經濟環境下,這種觀念是實在不切實際的。 林先生認為拆卸重建可能只是迫不得已的選擇,而不一定是最佳的選擇。 要跨越這兩座意識形態的大山,林先生認為作為業主和住客的,必須要對自己的物業和居住環境的責任有所承擔,而並非將問題全部推向市建局、政府和其他納稅人身上。 其次,我們應該放持開放態度,探索除了拆建以外其他更好的方法。 因應以上的問題,市建局的策略是提出四大方向,即所謂4R:包括原有的重建發展(Redevelopment)、加上樓宇復修(Reh
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19 Sep 2002
Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands opens URA Information Centre
The Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands, Mr Michael Suen, today (Thursday) officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA)'s Information Centre, which serves as an important communication link between the Authority and members of the public. In a welcome speech at the ceremony, the Chairman of the URA, Dr Lau Wah-sum, emphasised that the Authority was striving to build a close working relationship with various stakeholders in order to achieve the best possible results for urban renewal. The URA has been tasked to accomplish 225 projects throughout the territory in the next 20 years. But within the same time span, the number of aging buildings will increase. Dr Lau described the challenge as an upstream struggle. He said: "We know that it is absolutely
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29 Aug 2002
Kowloon Development Company Limited wins URA's Ka Wai Man Road project
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (Thursday) announced that Kowloon Development Company Limited has won the development contract for its Ka Wai Man Road residential project in a public tender exercise. The 730-square metre site will be used to construct a 27-storey residential tower on a four-level podium car park and will produce a total floor area of about 7,300 square metres. The site was earmarked by the Government as a linked site to facilitate the implementation of the Kennedy Town New Praya project which was commenced by the former Land Development Corporation. The total investment in the redevelopment project is estimated at about $260 million. Construction work will begin shortly and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2005. Kowloon Development is one of
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22 Aug 2002
URA tender closes for Kennedy Town site
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) said today (Thursday) that it has received four tender offers for its residential development project in Ka Wai Man Road, Kennedy Town. "Despite the recent short-term change in the general mood of the property market, the number of tender offers received indicates that property developers still show a considerable interest in the URA's projects," a URA spokesman said. "The market has shown a remarkable resilience since the beginning of this year and is likely to continue a steady progress in the foreseeable future," he commented. He pointed out that during a URA invitation of expression of interest in the project earlier this year, a total of 25 developers expressed their interest and 22 of them who were qualified were subsequently invited to place
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14 Aug 2002
URA Press Statement
In response to remarks made by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands regarding some news reports on the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) today (14 August 2002), a URA spokesman makes the following statement: "We welcome the Government's reiterated commitment to urban renewal and fully recognise the significant financial support made by the Government to the URA. The URA is always highly conscious of the need to maintain financial prudence and achieve cost-effectiveness whilst discharging its social responsibility towards residents and property owners affected by the URA's projects. It has always been one of our prime objectives to ensure that our urban renewal programme, as outlined in the Government's Urban Renewal Strategy published in November 2001, will be self-financing in
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2 Aug 2002
Invitation to Tender for Ka Wai Man Road Project
The Urban Renewal Authority today (2 August 2002) invites 22 qualified interested parties to tender for its Ka Wai Man Road redevelopment project in Kennedy Town subsequent to the expressions of interest received. With a site area of about 730 square metres, the project will produce a 27- storey residential tower on a four-level podium carpark with a total gross floor area of about 7,300 square metres. The site at Ka Wai Man Road was earmarked by the Government as a linked site to facilitate the implementation of the Kennedy Town New Praya project, which was commenced by the former Land Development Corporation. Invited parties are asked to return their submissions to the Authority on or before 22 August 2002.
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26 Jul 2002
Sino Land wins URA's project in Tsuen Wan
The Urban Renewal Authority today (Friday) announced that Sino Land's wholly-owned subsidiary, Prime Harvest Development Limited, has won a joint venture contract for the URA's Tsuen Wan Town Centre redevelopment project in a public tender exercise. The 20,300-square metre site between Tai Ho Road and Yeung Uk Road, will produce about 1,900 residential units with a total floor area of 107,000 square metres and 22,800 square metres for retail use. In addition, there will be 3,300 square metres for transport and community facilities, 3,700 square metres of open space and 530 parking spaces. The total investment in the redevelopment project is estimated at about $4 billion. Construction work will begin shortly and is expected to be completed around 2006. Sino Land is one of seven major
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25 Jul 2002
Response by the URA Spokesman to Media Enquiries
In response to media enquiries concerning remarks made by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands regarding urban renewal policy during a luncheon meeting today, a spokesman of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) makes the following comment: "We welcome Government's commitment to urban renewal and fully recognise the significant financial support made by the Government to the URA. In implementing its projects, the URA is highly conscious of the need to achieve financial prudence and cost-effectiveness whilst discharging its social responsibility to residents and property owners affected by the projects. It has always been our objective to ensure that the urban renewal programme should be self-financing in the long run. In this context, we will keep our policies and operations