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South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's URA may review compensation cuts for residents affected by redevelopment
Hong Kong's cash-strapped Urban Renewal Authority (URA) may review its policy to reduce compensation to residents affected by redevelopments, its new chief has said, as the organisation faces rising financial challenges. URA managing director Donald Choi Wun-hing said on Friday in his first meeting with the media that it was an appropriate time to review the current compensation package. Residential flat owners receive the cash equivalent of the market price of a comparable seven-year-old flat in the same district under the current arrangement. 'We have room to discuss and review the compensation arrangement,' Choi said, adding that there should be flexibility for adjustments. He cited offering cross-district resettlement with new land granted by the government in Tseung Kwan O as one of the examples. The government last month made a rare move of granting the URA two land parcels in Hung Hom and Tseung Kwan O to provide extra financial help for its projects, under the conditions that the authority had to undertake urban redevelopment in a financially sustainable manner, 'irrespective of market ups and downs'.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Woman, 56, falls to her death in Hong Kong while cleaning window at home
A 56-year-old woman fell to her death in Tseung Kwan O while cleaning a window in a public housing estate on Sunday, the Post has learned. A source said the woman's son called police at 6.35am, saying she had fallen onto a balcony at the high-rise King Ching House, located in Tiu Keng Leng's Kin Ming Estate. The woman was found unconscious on the balcony and sent to Tseung Kwan O Hospital for treatment. She was subsequently certified dead in hospital. An initial investigation showed she was cleaning a window when she fell out of the flat, the source said. The source added that police did not find any suicide note and the cause of death is pending an autopsy. In November last year, an 82-year-old man was suspected of falling to his death while cleaning an air-conditioner rack mounted outside his window in Kwai Chung.
South China Morning Post
29-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Urban renewal must be able to function in good times and bad
Giving old districts and buildings a new lease of life is never easy in a city like Hong Kong, where conservation and development are not always compatible. The job has become even more difficult as the Urban Renewal Authority struggles to finance its projects amid a sluggish property market. Thankfully, the statutory body has been handed a lifeline by the government, with the grant of two land parcels to help consolidate its finances. But an overhaul of its operation and financing is still needed to ensure redevelopment projects will be sustainable regardless of market conditions in future. The two sites in Hung Hom and Tseung Kwan O had an estimated value of HK$4.2 billion as of February this year and HK$9 billion as of December last year, respectively, according to the Development Bureau. The authority has been asked to make good use of the land to enhance financing and borrowing capacity, and to reprioritise its yet-to-commence projects. To what extent the land can restore the authority's fiscal health remains to be seen. Evidently, the money from the land sales will not last forever. With the local property market and business environment still facing pressure because of high interest rates and uncertainties over US-China trade negotiations, the authority's financing problems are likely to prevail for some time. The government is therefore right in initiating a review of the authority's operating and financing model to ensure it can undertake urban redevelopment irrespective of market ups and downs. This is also a good opportunity to explore ways to enhance building rehabilitation so as to extend the service life of aged blocks and reduce the immediate need for redevelopment. The authority suffered a deficit of HK$3.5 billion in 2022-23, the first in almost a decade. The shortfall crept up further to HK$3.9 billion the following year, including an operational deficit of HK$830 million and a HK$3.1 billion provision for projects already started that may be devalued. It has risen to the challenge by tapping overseas funding and issuing bonds for the first time in many years, securing a HK$13 billion bank loan in January and issuing bonds, including HK$12 billion in senior bonds.
RTHK
25-06-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
District councillor Angel Chong ends Miss HK bid
District councillor Angel Chong ends Miss HK bid Sai Kung district councillor Angel Chong speaks as a panelist at a key national security forum. File photo: RTHK Hong Kong's youngest district councillor has decided to pull out of the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, saying her entry has impacted on perceptions of the local councils. Angel Chong, who represents Sai Kung, also said on Wednesday that her entry was initially aimed at raising public awareness of district council work. The announcement of her withdrawal, made on social media, came just a day after she was spotted among pageant entrants going through the first round of interviews in Tseung Kwan O. "I had hoped to make use of this opportunity to raise public awareness of the work [of district councillors], create a better social media communication platform and attract more people to participate in community building," Chong wrote. But she found, after looking through media reports and comments, that participating in the pageant was an approach that "might not be accepted by everyone". "This incident has had a certain impact on perceptions of district councils, which is something we don't wish to see," she said. "In the end, we think there's a need to protect the image of district councils based on public knowledge, stay true to our aspirations, and follow our heart. "I have decided not to continue in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant." Chong was appointed as a district councillor by the government after the 2023 election, becoming the youngest member in the current term.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong court fines decoration company, interior designer over illegal renovations
A Hong Kong court has fined a decoration company and an interior designer a total of HK$260,000 (US$33,120) over illegal modifications of a load-bearing wall at an upscale flat in a high-rise residential complex. Space Envision Limited and Lai Chun-kit each pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a count of knowingly carrying out building works without approval and consent for removing three walls, including a structural one, at a 681 sq ft flat in The Capitol in Lohas Park, Tseung Kwan O. Kwun Tong Court also recorded a guilty plea from the firm on an additional charge of 'carrying out works in such a manner as is likely to cause a risk of injury to person or damage to property'. The flat's owner, Ku Chun-ho, pleaded not guilty to the two offences under the Buildings Ordinance. He will return to court for a pretrial hearing in August. The Buildings Department found a 72cm-by-215cm (28 inches by 85 inches) section of a 20cm-thick load-bearing wall had been illegally removed in May 2023 to install a door between the flat's living room and a bedroom.
