The government hopes to promote private-public partnerships in an innovative attempt to develop the northeastern New Territories, the Development Bureau said yesterday.

The Buildings Department approved 19 building plans in January - six on Hong Kong Island, seven in Kowloon and six in the New Territories.

Permanent heliport facilities will finally be realised in the heart of Hong Kong, paving the way for more convenient commercial short-haul travel despite worries about noise and pollution.

Welfare groups are gearing up to bid for the right to run services in historical buildings under a government conservation scheme that will provide up to HK$5 million in subsidies for each project.

The controversial spikes of the scaffolding-like tower proposed to be built on the heritage Central Police Station compound are out, according to the latest design.

The Town Planning Board today (February 22) announced an amendment to the approved Peng Chau Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

Permanent heliport facilities will finally be realised in the heart of Hong Kong, paving the way for more convenient commercial short-haul travel despite worries about noise and pollution.

The Urban Renewal Authority was urged yesterday to take on the extra task of redeveloping old industrial areas to meet growing demand for office and hotel buildings.

The Development Bureau aims to leave the former police married quarters in Hollywood Road out of the list of sites to be sold by application.

The notorious Kai Tak nullah - once one of the city's most putrid waterways - is to get a new life as a landscaped stream along its full length.

Nearly one in four private residential developments do not comply with Town Planning Board conditions, a university study has revealed.

Dogs in Tung Chung can bark for joy. The government will give them a garden, to be completed in 2010, in response to dog owners' complaints over the lack areas for their pets.

The government is seeking expressions of interest from non-profit organisations to revitalise the Blue House cluster in Wan Chai. It includes 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane (Blue House), 2-8 Hing Wan Street (Yellow House), 8 King Sing Street (Orange House), and a block of vacant government land. The government will pay for renovations and provide HK$5 million for operating costs. Details are at www.heritage.gov.hk/en/rhbtp/bhc.htm.

Building maintenance workers operating at heights outdoors should pay more attention to safety, the Labour Department said after a year in which it recorded three fatal falls from scaffolding.

A new technique introduced by the Drainage Services Department greatly reduces the risk to workers involved in the construction of sewage tunnels deep underground.

China Railway Construction Corp, the nation’s sixth-largest construction contractor, would set aside at most 20 per cent of shares in its upcoming Hong Kong share sale for 8 or 9 cornerstone investors, among whom were well-known tycoons and sovereign funds, according to sources.

Starry Lee Wai-king, one of the DAB's young rising stars, wants to see new thinking in urban planning policies if she wins a Legislative Council seat in September.
A Kowloon City district councillor who is tipped to lead the party's ticket in Kowloon West in the Legco elections, Ms Lee is keen to use her experience as a member of the Town Planning Board if she is elected.

Extra measures taken during construction of the Tseung Kwan O rail line extension will reduce noise and vibration for nearby - and future - residents, the MTR Corporation (SEHK: 0066) has said.

Work is under way on the 70-metre-long cavern that will house the underground reservoirs at the site in Pok Fu Lam. Photo: Dustin Shum

Temporary reclamation work for the Central-Wan Chai bypass will be carried out in four phases, with  reclaimed land removed as each section of the road's tunnel is completed, a court has heard.