Latest news with #DevelopmentBureau
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Replacement work on water pipe that gave Hongkongers scare to begin this year
Hong Kong will begin replacing a 400-metre (437 yards) section of water pipe lined with bitumen this year before carrying out citywide work, as it is believed to be the source of black particles dirtying the water at two public housing estates. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government would prioritise the stretch of pipe between Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, the only one lined with bitumen that connects the two sites. She said the city had about 700km (435 miles) of pipes lined with the substance and her bureau had told the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old ones across the city. 'To allay public concerns, particularly because of the emergence of sediment at this site, we plan to start the replacement project within this year,' Linn said. 'We have asked the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old water pipes to the Development Bureau.' Advertisement The substance has been banned from use in water pipes in the city since 2005, but authorities have stressed that the water remains safe to consume after residents voiced worries over the presence of the black particles. Linn said that bitumen-lined pipes were used internationally and posed no harm, with authorities also installing more than 1,000 filters in the water supply system.
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to get 10 pedestrian walkways in connectivity push
Private companies will build 10 pedestrian walkways in bustling parts of Hong Kong under an initiative aimed at improving connectivity in the city by offering land premium waivers, with two of the projects to open to the public next year. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Sunday that the 10 approved projects in the incentive programme were located in densely populated areas, including Kowloon East, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. 'The policy is a successful example of the government effectively leveraging market forces and collaborating with the private sector,' Linn said on her blog. 'The Development Bureau will continue to promote and make good use of the policy to encourage and support more private developers to fund and build footbridges or underpasses to provide a more convenient, connected and high-quality walking environment for the public.' The connectivity initiative, launched in 2016, provides land premium waivers to private sector companies that build pedestrian links, such as footbridges and underpasses. The Two Queensway Bridge, which opened in Admiralty in late April, is its most recent project. The bridge connects Pacific Place to Harcourt Garden, providing access to Admiralty MTR station and nearby facilities such as the Hong Kong government headquarters and commercial buildings. Swire Properties was responsible for designing, building, managing and maintaining the facility, which is open to the public around the clock.
South China Morning Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong poised to approve Victoria Harbour reclamation for private yacht bays
Yacht bays proposed for Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour could be the first private projects to benefit from new legislation facilitating small-scale reclamation, expected to be passed on Wednesday, according to a watchdog and a surveyor. Advertisement However, the amended law, which exempts small projects from the reclamation ban in Victoria Harbour, has also sparked concerns about the potential privatisation of natural resources amid calls for authorities to ensure public access. The current legal framework forbids any reclamation in the harbour unless it is proven to have an 'overriding public need' supported by 'cogent and convincing materials'. The government deemed this too stringent for minor works intended to enhance the waterfront. The Development Bureau's proposed legal changes would allow small-scale reclamation of 0.8 hectares or less, including for erecting specified structures designed to enhance the harbour, such as piers, boardwalks, and moorings. However, such projects would require approval from the Financial Secretary following consultation with the government-appointed Harbourfront Commission advisory body and district councillors. Advertisement The legal amendments would also permit temporary reclamation not exceeding three hectares, with a seven-year completion time frame, subject to stakeholder consultation and government approval, and the submission of an annual progress report.
South China Morning Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong eyes turning Hung Hom waterfront into yacht bay for rich tourists
Hong Kong authorities plan to turn the area around a premier concert venue in Hung Hom into a landmark waterfront, complete with a yacht marina and a 50-storey tower equipped with entertainment facilities, over more than a decade. The Development Bureau on Friday shared its preliminary development proposal for the HK$10 billion (US$1.29 billion) to HK$20 billion project around Hong Kong Coliseum, adding that it expected the private sector to take up the entire initiative. The development spans a combined area of 24 hectares (59 acres). The undertaking would involve the construction of residential, commercial, retail and entertainment premises along the harbourfront, as well as improving existing passageways, bus stops, a public transport interchange and connections to Hung Hom MTR station. A bureau spokesman said authorities were confident developers would be interested in the project amid gloomy market conditions. 'There are facilities that they cannot generate income from, but they can make money from the residential development, retail, catering and entertainment facilities, as well as the yacht berth,' he said. The spokesman said the bureau had yet to finalise the area's development model, but it was possible that the MTR Corporation could take up the project alongside other developers. But he said it was too early to discuss whether the rail giant had the resources to take up the project, but its participation could assist in the project's implementation, as there were many railway facilities under 14 hectares of the land set aside for the project. Newsletter Every Saturday Hong Kong Update By submitting, you consent to receiving marketing emails from SCMP. If you don't want these, tick here {{message}} Thanks for signing up for our newsletter! Please check your email to confirm your subscription. Follow us on Facebook to get our latest news. The remaining 10 hectares of development area were underwater and would only involve minor reclamation work, the bureau added. A core element of the proposal is a 230-metre-tall (755-foot-tall) tower on the waterfront that will offer residential and commercial spaces. The building's top floors have been earmarked for leisure entertainment facilities, such as a skywalk and an observation deck. Authorities said that such a tall structure on the harbourfront would raise concerns, but hoped the facility's activities on the top floors could provide unique experiences for tourists. The bureau also anticipated that an idle pier in Hung Hom would become a shopping centre with outdoor restaurants and a public space, with the area to also boast a waterfront plaza that could become a vantage point for Victoria Harbour and its firework displays. The waters next to the mall would become a 'world-class' yacht dock with 200 berths, while the nearby tower would host a clubhouse, it said. The bureau said it believed that the marina, along with the retail and entertainment facilities nearby, could lure high-end consumers to the city. The government also suggested designating a separate space for public leisure activities in the surrounding waters, and the creation of a boardwalk connecting Hung Hom's harbourfront to Tsim Sha Tsui East. It added that the development would offer 1,300 private flats at the mixed-use tower and some sites along the harbourfront were earmarked for residential uses. The project would also improve existing transport facilities by building a new structure to accommodate Cross-Harbour Tunnel bus stops and the outdoor public transport interchange. Two buildings marked for hotel and commercial purposes would be built above the new transport facilities, offering a total floor area of 48,300 square metres (520,000 sq ft). The proposal also aims to improve the area's accessibility by renovating current passageways and constructing new footbridges to connect Hung Hom station with Hong Kong Coliseum and the harbourfront. The bureau said it expected development along the harbourfront to be completed by 2035, while buildings and transport improvement works at Hung Hom station would be finished by 2037. In his 2024 policy address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled initiatives to boost yacht tourism. Photo: Nora Tam In the meantime, the bureau said it planned to spend tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars on turning the area's idle pier into a leisure area. Development authorities said they would begin work in the coming few months and expected the site to be open for public use in the first quarter of next year. Chan Kim-ching, founder of Liber Research Community, a local NGO focused on land and development research, questioned whether creating the 200-berth bay could promote yacht tourism and lure high-end tourists. The proposal would require further study of the potential tourism benefits brought by increasing yacht berths, he said, adding it could prove a waste of space along Victoria Harbour, a core public resource. In his 2024 policy address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled initiatives to boost yacht tourism, with the city leader aiming to alleviate the berth shortage and attract international yachts for travel, business and events. The waterfront along Hung Hom is one of three locations that the government has considered for additional berths. The others are the former Lamma quarry area and an expanded Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter. The city's airport authority also said it planned to develop a yacht bay with up to 570 berths.
South China Morning Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong eyes turning Hung Hom waterfront into yacht bay for rich tourists
Hong Kong authorities plan to turn the area around a premier concert venue in Hung Hom into a landmark waterfront, complete with a yacht marina and a 50-storey tower equipped with entertainment facilities, over more than a decade. Advertisement The Development Bureau on Friday shared its preliminary development proposal for the HK$10 billion (US$1.29 billion) to HK$20 billion project around Hong Kong Coliseum, adding that it expected the private sector to take up the entire initiative. The development spans a combined area of 24 hectares (59 acres). The undertaking would involve the construction of residential, commercial, retail and entertainment premises along the harbourfront, as well as improving existing passageways, bus stops, a public transport interchange and connections to Hung Hom MTR station. A bureau spokesman said authorities were confident developers would be interested in the project amid gloomy market conditions. 'There are facilities that they cannot generate income from, but they can make money from the residential development, retail, catering and entertainment facilities, as well as the yacht berth,' he said. Advertisement The spokesman said the bureau had yet to finalise the area's development model, but it was possible that the MTR Corporation could take up the project alongside other developers.
