A rather big water leak is the focus of our intro this week.
The sequence of photos below was sent to us from Dubai.
This wee setback no doubt had an influence on the project timeline planning!!

The administration is set to press ahead with the controversial Central-Wan Chai bypass despite a court ruling that a temporary reclamation required for the job would break harbor protection laws.

The government has decided to trim two controversial projects along the West Rail line after concerns were expressed that they might add to the city's air-flow problems.

The government has proposed spending an extra HK$172.6 million to ensure the public has access to part of the new Central harbourfront despite a delay in building a road tunnel.

More than a dozen construction workers laid off last week by a subcontractor protested yesterday outside a building site in Sha Tin demanding unpaid wages and payment in lieu of notice.

More than 1,000 construction workers and protesters marched to the SAR government headquarters yesterday to call for relief amid the global economic turmoil. The workers demanded that 10 major infrastructure projects be pushed forward to stem soaring unemployment.

More than 100 construction workers and labour unionists yesterday protested in Central to urge the government to launch more infrastructure projects to create jobs in the sector.

Unemployment among construction workers is expected to rise next year to levels not seen since the Sars outbreak in 2003, a building industry group said.

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Kennedy Town and Mount Davis Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the Ma Tau Kok Outline Zoning Plan (OZP). "The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide development and redevelopment within the Ma Tau Kok area," a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (November 14).

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Shek Kip Mei Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Kwun Tong (North) Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

Following is a question by the Hon Regina Ip and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, at the Legislative Council meeting today (November 12)

The Drainage Services Department today (November 11) awarded a contract with a total contract sum of HK$1.339 billion for construction of the Lai Chi Kok drainage tunnel.

The slumping economy and the credit crunch have prompted Morgan Stanley to further lower its forecast for Hong Kong residential property prices, and it now expects them to fall 20 per cent over the next 12 months.

Following is a question by the Hon James To Kun-sun and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (November 5)

Height limits on buildings in the West Kowloon arts hub will be partially relaxed to allow for design flexibility, town planning advisers have decided, after architects raised objections yesterday.

The government has confirmed it will scale down a temporary reclamation project in the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter that was challenged in a judicial review in March this year.

The Director of Highways, Mr Wai Chi-sing, today (October 30) signed a $2.822 billion contract on behalf of the Government with Gammon Construction Limited for the reconstruction and improvement of a 6.8km long section of Tuen Mun Road (TMR) from Tsuen Wan to Tsing Lung Tau (Eastern Section).

The Chief Executive in Council has approved the draft Yuen Long Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The Town Planning Board today (October 31) announced that the Chief Executive in Council had referred the approved Yau Ma Tei Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) to the Town Planning Board for amendment.

The public will be extensively engaged in drawing up the master plan for the future arts hub in West Kowloon, while international architects will be invited to make the existing empty site iconic and regional, the hub's new chief says.

The 15 arts facilities planned for the West Kowloon Cultural District are expected to be designed by architects from across the globe and will be spread around the 40-hectare site rather than being concentrated at its headland, said the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Henry Tang Ying-yen.

The government yesterday appointed a 19-strong board to oversee the West Kowloon cultural development, 15 of whom have no direct connection with property developers.

Drastic hikes in prices for materials and higher wages have caused shortfalls in 25 construction projects, prompting the government to seek nearly HK$2.1 billion to cover extra costs.

The Buildings Department approved 32 building plans in September - eight on Hong Kong Island, nine in Kowloon and 15 in the New Territories.

The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, today (October 23) announced the appointment of members to the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) for a period of two years.

The Town Planning Board will hold a hearing this month to discuss a call from a team of veteran architects and developers for height restrictions imposed on the West Kowloon Cultural District to be removed.

The close to 1,800 residents to be relocated as a result of the Kwun Tong town center development will be given an across-the-board offer price in December by the Urban Renewal Authority.

The Governments of the Hong Kong SAR, Guangdong and Macao SAR are implementing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) in full swing with the aim of commencing the construction work no later than 2010. In August 2008, the three governments agreed to contribute a total of RMB15.7 billion, which is about 42% of the estimated total construction cost of the HZMB Main Bridge. The remaining 58% of the cost required will be financed by loans.

New private hospitals will be built next to public hospitals if two of the four sites the government is eyeing as potential sites for private facilities are selected.

The surge in construction costs in the past year has forced the administration to seek an additional HK$2.8 billion from the Legislative Council to complete 35 big public works projects, the Development Bureau said.

The Town Planning Board today (October 17) promulgated a set of revised Guidelines for Application for Open Storage (OS) and Port Back-up (PBU) Uses.

The Development Bureau has received 114 applications for the seven historic buildings. The first batch of buildings, which includes Old Tai O Police Station, Fong Yuen Study Hall and Lai Chi Kok Hospital, has seen five proposals shortlisted.

A Taoist group that has proposed turning a historic building on Ma Wan Island into a museum is dismayed at the possibility it may be withdrawn from the government's heritage revitalisation scheme.

The MTR Corporation says it will postpone its development in Tseung Kwan O after Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said the government would not "indiscriminately" supply residential or commercial land, despite the financial crisis.