Latest news with #PokFuLam


South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
HKU, officials push back against Hongkongers' development site proposal
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and authorities have pushed back against Pok Fu Lam residents' suggestion to build an innovation hub at an alternative site, saying it would take up more green belt area and overlap partly with a planned mortuary. HKU on Friday introduced a revised proposal for building its global innovation centre mainly on a residential plot, instead of a green belt area in Pok Fu Lam as originally intended, to the Town Planning Board. But residents in the area have hit out at the university for dismissing their suggestion to build the centre at a site on Mount Davis, saying no proper consultation was conducted. Permanent Secretary for Development Doris Ho Pui-ling, who is also the board's chairwoman, said the 8.6-hectare (21.6-acre) Mount Davis site rested on a green belt area, while some parts were not suitable for development. 'Everyone is trying very hard to avoid the green belt area in Pok Fu Lam as much as possible. This site [Mount Davis] seems to be going slightly against what we have been doing,' she said. Ho said the site covered areas reserved for the relocation of Victoria Public Mortuary, which has secured construction funding from the legislature.


South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
University of Hong Kong's revised IT hub plan angers Pok Fu Lam residents
A revised expansion plan by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has triggered fresh anger among Pok Fu Lam residents, who have accused it of dismissing alternative sites without proper due diligence and only meeting them for three hours over the past eight months. But some lawmakers on Wednesday said the university had made 'major concessions' by leaving a green belt in the area largely untouched and altering its proposal to instead consider building its global innovation centre on an adjacent residential plot. They also urged the institution to take steps to minimise the negative impacts on residents. The university revised its initial proposal after plans to build the centre on the green belt sparked fierce opposition from residents due to concerns over traffic, the environmental impact and a lack of consultation. Following the backlash, town planning advisers asked the university to consider alternative sites in the area and beyond, while calling on the institution to conduct more stakeholder consultations and adjust its proposal. The revised plan reduced the site size by 15 per cent and retains more than 75 per cent of the green belt. It was submitted to the Town Planning Board earlier this week for a meeting on Friday.


South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
University of Hong Kong calls Pok Fu Lam site best option for its innovation hub
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has said that Pok Fu Lam is the best location for building its innovation hub compared with alternatives such as the Northern Metropolis, arguing the site could yield the fastest outcomes and see the first section open its doors as early as 2032. Advertisement The university's stance was shared in a report submitted on Tuesday to the Town Planning Board about a revised development plan for HKU's global innovation centre. An initial proposal had suggested that the centre be built on a government-owned green belt along Pok Fu Lam Road, but the move faced strong opposition from residents last year due to concerns about traffic, the environmental impact and a lack of consultation. The plan was later revised to preserve more than 75 per cent of the green belt, with most of the innovation hub to be built on a nearby residential plot, while maintaining a distance of more than 100 metres (328 feet) from Upper Baguio Villa. The revised plan involves a site area of 40,000 square metres and a gross floor area of 190,000 square metres, with both representing a 15 per cent reduction from the previous proposal. Advertisement


South China Morning Post
07-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
University of Hong Kong plans to cut size of development site after backlash
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) plans to reduce the size of a development project by 15 per cent following a public backlash, leaving most of a Pok Fu Lam green belt untouched, the Post has learned. A source said on Monday that the university was considering building on a residential plot nearby. The revised proposal for HKU's Global Innovation Centre will be discussed at a town planning board meeting on Friday, after the university gathers feedback from the community. HKU originally planned to build the academic and scientific research facility on 4.72 hectares of land along Pok Fu Lam Road, primarily on a government-owned green belt. The project would have required the removal of more than 2,000 trees. Last year, more than 3,000 Southern district residents expressed strong opposition, urging the university to either relocate or downsize the project by 60 per cent due to concerns about the impact on the environment and traffic impacts. They even threatened legal action, leading HKU to agree to rework its plan. Under the revision seen by the Post, the site area would be scaled down by 7,000 square metres, a 15 per cent reduction compared with the original plan. The reduction is equivalent to 16 to 17 basketball courts.


South China Morning Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
HKEX chairman Carlson Tong sells Pok Fu Lam luxury home for US$9 million
The chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) sold a house in Pok Fu Lam for HK$70 million (US$8.9 million), around three times what he paid for it a quarter of a century ago, amid signs of improving sentiment in the luxury residential property market Carlson Tong Ka-shing bought the 3,114 sq ft, four-bedroom house at Villa Cecil – 200 Victoria Road in Pok Fu Lam – in 2000 for HK$23.2 million, according to Land Registry records. The selling price translates to about HK$22,479 per square foot. Tong declined to comment. Agents said the deal was one of two secondary transactions in the past four years in phase one of Villa Cecil. A 3,308 sq ft house in the first phase was sold for HK$100 million, or HK$30,230 per square foot, in 2021, according to Centaline. Phase one consists of 10 houses. Phase two and three are low-density buildings with a total of 65 units. Tong's sale came as some other wealthy investors have been taking advantage of falling prices to snap up luxury homes. Property agents said prices of exclusive residences had plunged by as much as 45 per cent from their peaks. The sister of former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa bought a HK$119 million flat in the Mid-Levels neighbourhood. The 3,349 sq ft, four-bedroom unit in Grenville House, located at 3 Magazine Gap Road, was sold on Tuesday, according to Land Registry records. And Cantopop singer Gloria Tang Tze-kei bought two flats in Wan Chai in March at a 35 per cent discount from a peak price three years ago. Tang, who uses the stage name G.E.M., bought two 2,480 sq ft units in Leon Court at Wong Nai Chung Gap Road for a combined HK$85 million, according to Land Registry records.