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Roving exhibition to promote sustainable development 2.
Land sale and development programme discussed 3.
Auction set to excite developers 4.
Give people fair chance to challenge intrusive developers 5.
Airport Authority awards contract for East Hall Extension
1. Roving exhibition to promote sustainable development What
is sustainable development ? How does it affect our lives and the lives of future
generations ? How can it help enhance the quality of life ? How can the general
public make contributions in daily life ? Answers can be found at the roving exhibition
on "Building a Sustainable City". Organised by the Sustainable Development
Unit (SDU) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the roving
exhibition aims at raising public awareness of sustainable development and boosting
public participation, while displaying the efforts and initiatives of the Government
and various sectors in promoting sustainability in Hong Kong. Through various
display panels, multimedia activities and interactive games, the exhibition serves
to introduce the basics of the concept of sustainable development and provides
illustrations on how to apply the concept in daily life. Co-organising the exhibition
are four organisations from different sectors, namely Friends of the Earth, Business
Environment Council, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service and INTEGER. "Building
a Sustainable City" roving exhibition will first be staged at Pacific Place
in Admiralty from April 12 to 14, then moved to New Town Plaza in Shatin, Plaza
Hollywood in Diamond Hill and Times Square in Causeway Bay during April and May.
An opening ceremony for the exhibition will be held at Pacific Place at 11.30
am on April 12. Officiating at the ceremony will be the Director of Administration,
Mr Andrew Wong, and representatives from the co-organisers. SDU was established
under the Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office
in April 2001. One of its main duties is to enhance public understanding of sustainable
development and to promote a strong sense of sustainability in community. The
Unit is also responsible for promulgating an assessment system which requires
government agencies to consider social, economic and environmental factors when
drawing up new plans and proposals to ensure the concept of sustainable development
is incorporated into the decision-making process; and setting up a Council for
Sustainable Development to advise the Government on issues relating to the promotion
of sustainable development. "Building a Sustainable City" roving exhibition
is part of the publicity activities initiated by SDU in 2002. Other projects include
an International Symposium on Sustainable Development, a publicity booklet and
a website on sustainable development. [Source:
Hong Kong Government, 9 April 2002] 2.
Land sale and development programme discussed
The Land and Building Advisory Committee today (April 9) discussed the Land Sale
and Development Programme for 2002/03 to 2006/07. "Members generally welcome
the land sale arrangement, in particular the Application List system introduced
since 1999, which can give flexibility to land sale by allowing the market to
determine the timing, the amount and type of land required in the territory,"
the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Yeung Yue-man, said after the meeting.
"Members believe that what we need is a transparent land sale system. The
current system has proved to be successful in this respect. The arrangement can
also help maintain stability in the property market," Professor Yeung added.
The Committee also discussed the West Kowloon Reclamation Concept Plan Competition.
"Members are impressed by the conceptual plan and the special features of
the First Prize Winner, particularly the great canopy. The Committee agrees with
the Jury that this plan, if materialized, will create a unique landmark in the
territory and establish Hong Kong as a city of world-class arts and cultural activities.
Members are looking forward to the new face of West Kowloon and urge the Government
to expedite the planning process," Professor Yeung said. [Source:
Hong Kong Government, 9 April 2002] 3.
Auction set to excite developers
Developers are expected to bid strongly for four residential sites on Monday at
the first land auction this financial year. Analysts estimated that the sites
could generate HK$2.38 billion to HK$3 billion for the Government, providing new
benchmarks and setting the trend for land sales. Insignia Brooke consultant Nicholas
Brooke described the auction as a key event for the property market because there
were three significant lots - in West Kowloon reclamation area, Cornwall Street
in Kowloon Tong and Sha Tin - for sale. He expected developers to be fairly active
in bidding. Donald Choi, project director of Nan Fung Development, said the company
would be especially interested in bidding for the three prime sites because of
their large scale and location. He said the base prices for the sites in West
Kowloon and Kowloon Tong, at HK$1.1 billion and HK$460 million respectively, were
reasonable. Both sites were taken off the application list after developers offered
to pay the minimum prices. The West Kowloon site was triggered by Henderson Land
Development. Mr Brooke said major developers were keen to offload inventory of
flats to generate cash to buy land. He said the West Kowloon site would be the
most important in the auction because it was the biggest lot and would arouse
the most competition. The site, spanning 1.04 hectares, will provide a gross developable
area of 843,644 square feet. The waterfront site, next to completed project Island
Harbourview, is also close to a two-hectare lot bought by Hang Lung Properties
for an accommodation value of HK$1,582 per square foot, or HK$2.58 billion, at
an auction in December 2000. Analysts forecast the site would sell for HK$1.2
billion to HK$1.5 billion, or about HK$1,400 to HK$1,800 per square foot. Mr Brooke
said the site would go for HK$1.4 billion, or an accommodation value of about
HK$1,700 per square foot. "The [actual] price will be higher due to strong
competition," he said. He said the successful bidder had to spend HK$3 billion
for the total investment cost, translating into an average cost of more than HK$3,500
per square foot. Mr Brooke expected investment costs would be 20 per cent higher
than prices of new flats in the neighbourhood, such as Tai Kok Tsui and Cheung
Sha Wan. He said flat prices in West Kowloon could edge up 10 per cent to 15 per
cent by next year as the economy improved. Developers were willing to pay a premium
due to the quality of the site, he said. Mr Choi said the site would offer sea
views and could be developed into higher-end small- to medium-size units, but
he did not unveil the company's estimation for the price. Chesterton Petty director
Charles Chan said the site would yield a market value of HK$4,000 per square foot.
He estimated the investment cost at HK$3,500, including an accommodation cost
of HK$1,700 to HK$1,800 per square foot. Developers could yield a profit of 15
per cent to 20 per cent. However, Surpass Property Strategy Consultant managing
director Charles Lai Chin-pang said the site would sell for HK$1.2 billion, or
HK$1,422 per square foot. The low price was due to sufficient future supply in
the area and continued pressure on flat prices, he said. The luxury residential
lot in Cornwall Street was expected to sell for HK$540 million to HK$750 million,
or an accommodation value of HK$1,800 to HK$2,500 per square foot. Analysts said
secondary-market flat prices in the area were more than HK$4,000 per square foot.
The site, covering 1.47 hectares, will provide a total floor area of 301,119 sq
ft. Mr Choi said the site would involve higher construction costs because it was
on a slope, meaning developers might be more cautious in offering bids compared
with the West Kowloon site. He said the price could further be discounted because
part of the view was blocked by City University quarters. Analysts predicted the
1.93-hectare mid-density residential site at Pak Tak Yuen former government quarters
in Lok Kwai Path, Sha Tin, could be sold for HK$543 million to HK$650 million,
representing an accommodation cost of HK$1,250 to HK$1,500 per square foot. It
can be developed into a 436,273 sq ft floor area. The fourth and smallest residential
plot for auction is on Cape Road, Stanley, valued at HK$90 million to HK$120 million,
or an accommodation value of HK$3,000 to HK$4,000 per square foot. The site, with
sea view, covers about 40,042 sq ft and can be developed into a floor area of
30,032 sq ft. [Source:
SCMP, 10 April 2002] 4.
Give people fair chance to challenge intrusive developers
The secretary for Planning and Lands, John Tsang Chun-wah, believes the existing
method of consulting the public on planning and works is ''sufficient''. This
makes him almost unique. Nobody else thinks so. Just ask people whose lives and
livelihood are threatened by major projects about which they are told nothing.
They scoff. Two recent incidents spotlight the highly unsatisfactory methods that
supposedly notify people about proposals that could wreck their lives. In both
cases - and there are many others - there is a strong whiff of suspicion about
civil servants trying to sneak through proposals without telling people who would
be devastated if plans went forward. In Pokfulam, government planners were incredibly
keen on siting a large mortuary amid private apartments. Residents discovered
this intention by accident and, significantly, only when the deadline for lodging
objections was nigh. When most wrote objections, the deadline had passed. In a
rare burst of common sense, the Town Planning Board took note of furious protests
by the usually compliant middle class and rejected the ridiculous notion. Even
more preposterous was a private enterprise request for a rezoning of Stanley and
destruction of a global tourism icon. The way in which this was handled by the
Planning Department is disgraceful; it screams for the Ombudsman to scrutinise
the system of planning notification. The notice sent to people whose livelihoods
depend on the market - and certainly many did not receive even this paltry advice
- seems custom-designed to bamboozle. It merely mentioned a ''rezoning request''.
Nowhere in the brief note was there any hint the developer wanted 1,990 square
metres of government land, the heart of Stanley Market, to build blocks of shopping
malls. The notification held the public in contempt. It gave only five days to
lodge written objections. Then it didn't tell them what was proposed. How can
people object if they don't know what is happening? Is it any wonder that many
people suspect civil servants work hand in glove with developers to sneakily shove
plans through the system? When asked why they don't tell people what is going
on, the Planning Department goes through a charade of injured innocence, throwing
its collective hands in the air in mock chagrin and saying it has obeyed all the
guidelines. That's why the ordinance must be changed so residents have a fair
chance of having a say. There is a simple solution. But this would alert people
to development proposals. Major development companies are opposed to any further
transparency; it would enable the public to know what was intended and give them
time to lodge objections. This could cause delays and - horrors! - lower profits.
What's needed are regulations calling for signs to be posted on sites earmarked
for development. No law need be changed. It would cost virtually nothing. They
could be printed bilingually on department letterhead, sheathed in plastic and
fixed to lampposts. What happens now is the department places advertisements in
obscure newspapers or posts them on a government Web site. The public is supposed
to check diligently for these notices daily to see if a greedy developer or over-enthusiastic
civil servant plans to ruin their lives. The system is wrong. It should be changed.
Engineers routinely put notices on slopes they are examining. The Highways Department
has a signboard at every major project saying when it is scheduled for completion.
The Planning Department should change its internal procedures and follow these
laudable examples. [Source:
SCMP, 10 April 2002] 5.
Airport Authority awards contract for East Hall Extension
(HONG KONG, 21 March 2002) - The Airport Authority (AA) has awarded a major construction
contract to Balfour Beatty Group Ltd for the passenger terminal's East Hall extension
and reconfiguration works. The East Hall is the main retail and catering zone
which departing passengers reach immediately after passing through Immigration.
The contract is worth approximately HK$420 million and will take 24 months to
complete. The works provide an additional 6,800 sqm of leasable space to the East
Hall shopping area, with improved catering and other facilities and space for
more brand name and specialty stores as an integral part of the airport's SkyMart
retail mall. The contract includes the construction of two-storey extensions from
the East Hall of the passenger terminal over the North and South aprons. The works
also include the reconfiguration of existing retail facilities and provision of
new shops, restaurants and kitchens, toilets, lifts, escalators, building services,
specialist systems, signage and associated temporary works. The works will be
finished in phases to allow the substantial completion of the extension structures
before starting the reconfiguration of existing retail facilities. They will be
planned carefully to minimise disturbance to tenants and passengers. AA Commercial
Director Hans Bakker said the extensions and associated reconfiguration will allow
passengers to dine and shop in a more spacious and relaxed environment. "Today's
airport business is about giving people an enjoyable and relaxing experience during
their time at the airport, not simply herding transfer passengers between boarding
gates," Mr Bakker said. "We're dedicated to constantly improving our
airport environment, so passengers will look forward to their stopover at Hong
Kong International Airport." [Source:
Airport Authority Hong Kong, 10 April 2002] |  |
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