Kwun Tong Town Centre Project(Urban Redevelopment Project)
Project Information (including 2 sites)
Site Area : 53,500 square metres
No. of affected buildings : 24
Estimated no. of affected households : 1,860
Estimated no. of affected property interests : 1,640
Estimated no. of affected people : 4,500
Estimated no. of affected shops : 300
Expected Completion:2015

1 * Mixed Use Landmark Tower -280m
4 * Residential tower -140m-170m

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http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/07/04/24/gw-21.jpg

cool design! i love those egg-like thing :D

April 28, 2007

Kwun Tong redevelopment backed


Urban Renewal Authority Managing Director Billy Lam says the redevelopment project in Kwun Tong town centre has been welcomed by the community.


Speaking on radio talk shows today, Mr Lam said the project will improve the local environment and bring huge economic benefits. About 3,300 job opportunities will be created during the redevelopment period, reducing Hong Kong's unemployment rate by 0.09 %. It will bring the area more than 17,300 job vacancies, almost five times the number of jobs now available there.


Mr Lam said the plot ratio will be reduced from 7.98 to 7.5 after considering views expressed by various sectors, adding that the reduction represents the maximum level of market risk that the authority can take.


He said the project has taken into consideration the interests of various quarters and struck a reasonable balance between development and conservation, environmental protection and the use of development space, and between financial cost control and resident opinion.


The authority will begin property acquisition and rehousing of tenants after the Town Planning Board and the Chief Executive in Council has approved the development plans. The project will be delivered in phases and will be completed in 12 years.

Great design!

More green in the city is always good!

Great!!!
I love the greenery.The smaller towers seems nice too,will wait to see more renders.

Pictures of existing site : http://www.ura.org.hk/html/c1002054e161e.html

Older news in the Hong Kong section : http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=280358
Kwun Tong's Poverty : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=243206
Transforming these Industrial Districts : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=294507

A great project!

市建局210萬聘社工 防重建戶爆家庭問題
04月 30日 星期一 05:10AM

【明報專訊】觀塘市中心在未來10年逐漸重建，當社會憧憬區內殘破樓宇蛻變成創新地標時，屋簷下重建區居民各有憂慮，業主不懂處理逾百萬元賠償金的「橫財」；租客則擔心搬遷後「捱貴租」。市建局未來兩年將花210萬聘請社工隊，替重建戶作家庭輔導，避免因處理收購安置而引發家庭問題。

低收入戶難捱貴租 料公屋需求增

觀塘是全港第二低收入地區，僅次於深水，市建局根據01年普查數據，進行第一階段重建社會影響評估報告，發現重建區住戶的每月入息中位數為14,210元，較觀塘區的整體入息中位數18,705元少24％。

重建區約住有1200個家庭，四成為自住業主，六成為租戶。租客以每月約700至1000元租住脇位或狹小的板間房，而重建區的租金中位數只有1113元，52％租戶的租金少於2000元，租戶日後難尋找低租單位，公屋將出現大量需求。

市建局每年已預留2000個公屋單位，協助重建戶優先上樓，而早在重建開展前，已聘請港大社會工作及社會行政學系副教授羅致光進行公眾參與及諮詢計劃，讓居民意見有效地向市建局反映，盡快化解重建引發的社區問題。

協助處理賠償安置

市建局於上月正式啟動重建工作，隨即撥款210萬委聘基督教家庭服務中心成立社工隊，未來兩年協助重建戶處理賠償安置等問題。觀塘社工隊長謝素虹表示，低收入家庭因租金低廉和等候收購，才願意忍受重建區的惡劣環境繼續居住。他們不熟悉重建政策，不知等待多年的收購賠償何時實現。

基督教家庭服務中心高級服務經理黎永昌指出，搬遷是家庭壓力根源，昔日在深水重建時，有夫妻因搬屋問題激烈爭吵，誘發丈夫潛在精神病，觸發家庭衝突。此外，業主獲逾百萬元收購賠償金後，家庭成員對如何使用各持己見，子女或要求分家，對新居安排難達共識。

中心服務總監吳家駒表示，未來兩年將集中進行講座介紹重建政策，透過家訪與重建戶建立互信，數年後搬遷行動展開，社工隊則專責協助家庭處理搬遷和子女轉校等實際生活問題。

The mixed-use tower is very appealing.
It seems that all the big metro stations will get their landmark tower.

There are still a lot of stations along the Kwun Tong Line that need redevelopment, such as Ngau Tau Kok. Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong are the better ones with many redevelopment projects, but it'll take a number of years before these areas shake off their industrial and poorer image.

27/04/2007
A Facelift for Kwun Tong; Studio Interview with Greg So, New Vice-Chairman of DAB; Hong Kong's Media Since the Handover - Not so Independent
RTHK TV Programme

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Kwun Tong is a densely populated district with a high proportion of poor and elderly people. Over the next twelve years its town centre could face major changes. The Urban Renewal Authority recently unveiled plans for a $30 billion redevelopment project that would lower the plot ratio of the area and make it greener. The plan could affect about 5,000 residents, including some 1,600 property owners. But some worry the speculation has already begun, and could make it impossible for those who move out, to ever move back in.

On Tuesday evening Ma Lik was re-elected as chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, or DAB. Four vice-chairmen were also chosen: Tam Yiu-Chung, Ip Kwok-him, Lau Kong-wah and Greg So, who is new to the post and very much part of the younger generation of DAB members. Greg So joins us in the studio for tonight's show.

Almost ten years has passed since the handover. Celebrations, commemorations, festivities, and pandas are planned. Still, for those who feel that a healthy society needs a vibrant pluralistic media there could be less reason to celebrate. Increasingly, Hong Kong's media organisations are run by businessmen with considerable investments in the mainland, and appointed to public posts by the central government. How likely are they to place a free media's interests ahead of their own?

I just saw it's right across from APM, I like it!

Any news of redevelopment around the Sham Shui Po area?

This project is amazing! Can't wait to see it rise from the earth... :cheers:

Comments on Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment

http://www.hkip.org.hk/public/resources/iso-8859-1/images/logo.jpg

We have the following views on the proposed redevelopment:

1. Public Consultation

The wide public consultation undertaken by URA is much appreciated. The establishment of an exhibition centre and collection of residents’ view is supported.

2.Early Implementation of Kwun Tong Town Centre Redevelopment

Since Kwun Tong Town Centre is rather dilapidated, early implementation of redevelopment is beneficial to local residents and Kwun Tong at large.

3. Comprehensive Development Approach

The adoption of Comprehensive Development Approach with re-structuring of land uses is agreed in-principle. However, we would like to stress that a holistic planning approach is not equal to a bull dozer approach. Comprehensive development should give more opportunity to well integration of new development with the existing neighbourhood, better urban design, suitable and timely provision of community facilities and open space to meet the needs of local residents, provision of safe traffic and pedestrian facilities,etc.

4. Land Use Mix

The mix of land use should pay regard to the needs of local residents and market demand in Kwun Tong and the wider context of Kowloon East. Since there are ample commercial floor space provision in Kwun Tong area, there is concern about possible negative competition. In this regard, market viability of the substantial amount of commercial floor area and the functional distribution among other commercial uses in the surrounding, including APM and Mega Tower, etc, should be carefully studied.

On the other hand, we also have concern on gentrification and suggest that a wider range of housing with possibility to accommodate less affluent group should be provided.

5. Development Intensity

There is reservation on the development intensity of the large scale (5.3ha site) redevelopment site. It is noted that most CDA will have a maximum plot ratio of 5. In the proposed Kwun Tong redevelopment, it is given to understand that the roads and ground level open space areas will not be countable for plot ratio calculation and that nearly plot ratio of 1 is dedicated for GIC and PTI uses. It is suggested that a separate calculation be given to reflect the situation.

Nevetheless, the currently proposed development intensity is still considered excessive. It is considered that the developemnt intensity for the area should not exceed that is permissible under the current Outline Zoning Plan. The inclusion of the existing bus termini for GFA calculation may be accepted while the existing road and open space areas should not be accountable for GFA calculation.

The arguement that such a large site will require a lengthy development time frame and increase financial risk and therefore require higher plot ratio to sustain its viability is questioned and should be justified by detail financial assessments. It is suggested that the large site should be resumed and redeveloped in different phases to reduce the risk level and thereby reduce development intensity.

6.Phased Development and Interim Measures for Rehabilitation

In view of the large site area, the development should be phased according to the needs of the community. Priority should be given to transport safety For those buildings falling in sebsequent phases, suitable rehabilitation of the building should be provided by URA to ensure safety and acceptable living standard for the residents.

7. Open Space Provision

The provision of open space should be easily accessable by the all sectors of the public at all times and should open up to at least 2 different streets convenient to local residents ( like Hong Ning Road/ Mut Wah Sreet/ Hip Wo Street). Stepped open space will not be easily accessible by those with special need or the aged is not favourable.

8. Landmark Building

It is noted that a tall landmark building (in one proposal, it is about 280mPD) is proposed. Such height is taller than APM (about 200mPD) by nearly 1/3 and is much taller than other existing buildings in the district. Whether the site should incorprate such a tall landmark building is subjected to detail urban design study.
In fact, the 5.3 ha redevelopment will in itself become a land mark. We would like to stress that a building or development with good design is well qualified to be a landmark building than one with the tallest height.

9. Connectivity

It is crucial to increase the connectivity of KTTC redevelopment with the surrounding areas, providing linkages at different levels for easy access and serving as impetus for further redevelopment in the district.

10. Permeability

The redevelopment should be carefully designed to avoid wall effect and allow for visual permeability and air ventilation in the area. Air ventilation and day light study for the development is supported,.

Betty Ho
Co-convener, Public Affairs Committee
HKIP

^^ add aesthetics to that, step away from the monotonous apartment towers, good place to start :)

Wow, this is a welcome development much better than the usual row of condos...

not bad not bad.

very nice project! :)

Nice project. Seems promising.

Kwun Tong needs open space badly.

Wow, the ground is so green!

觀塘重建模型展出
12/05/2007
太陽報

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/news/20070512/img/sn05051202_big.jpg

【本報訊】市區重建局公開展出耗資超過三百億元的觀塘市中心重建計劃模型，市民可前往位於觀塘協和街七十一號地下的市區重建局辦事處參觀。另外，城市規劃委員會下周二完成為觀塘重建計劃進行的初步公眾諮詢，城規會將稍後開會審議該圖則。

佔地五點三公頃的觀塘重建方案，料可提供約四十萬平方米的總樓面面積，當中包括五幢住宅大廈及一幢高二百八十米的地標建築物，及提供八千七百平方米的公眾休憩用地。觀塘重建方案會興建一幢十層高鵝蛋形多用途建築物，在裕民坊廣場引入流水瀑布，整個重建區將會引入人車分流規劃概念。

展覽場地開放時間為周一至周五上午八時四十五分至下午六時，有興趣市民可致電2110 5858查詢。

Cool development, that constructions that resemble bubles are great!

舊 區 重 建 講 求 通 風
星島日報報道
2007/5/13

市建局觀塘重建項目，將迎合本港市民關注屏風樓效應的新趨勢，委託專家評估及引入通風指標，並以高而不密為重建原則，市建局行政總監林中麟透露，希望觀塘重建後，可將區內通風改善四成三，並會在其他地區重建項目引入評估。

林中麟接受有铫訪問時指出，市建局針對近年市民關注屏風樓效應，觀塘重建項目中，市建局會在布局及設計小心1處理，以高而不密為原則，並邀請專家作評估。

他希望重建後可為觀塘區內帶來百分之四十三的通風改善，四周環境則有百分之二十三改善。而其他項目亦會加強關注通風設計，灣仔利東街擬興建一條由東部至西部的通道協助通風，上環結志街亦作同樣安排，日後重建項目將有同類
評估。

不過，他坦言，早年已上馬的重建項目，現難以加入有關評估，唯有現時開始的新項目引進評估，必須平衡樓上及鋪位業主要求、市民綠化需要及地產商合作發展興趣，相信為市建局一大挑戰。　

另外，古物諮詢委員會委員劉秀成日回應皇后碼頭評級事件時表示，古物古蹟辦事處報告已把皇后碼頭評為現代建築典範，說明皇后碼頭、大會堂與愛丁堡廣場是三位一體建築群，有互相呼應作用應予並存，政府毋須急於先拆後重置﹔而表明反對撥款清拆皇后碼頭的立法會工務小組成員李永達指，民政事務局長何志平應考慮向特首推薦，將一級歷史建築的碼頭列為法定建築。

Nice density, great towers.

工廈投資者觀塘掃貨
05月 17日 星期四 05:05AM

明報專訊】在官塘裕民坊重建計劃推動下，觀塘工業區急速變身，不少投資者近期積極鰠觀塘區物色投資機會。

萊斯物業王芳慧報料，話一名投資者最近斥資780萬連掃兩個工廈單位，其中一個係開源道駱駝漆3期12樓U座，面積3318呎，另一個單位係成業街成運工業大廈417室，面積約932呎，交吉售。

Examples of Neighboring Redeveloped Projects in Kwun Tong

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http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070519/IMG_3553.jpg

All cities need something like this, extra green is never bad :)

Awesome project!

These scenes and alleys will disappear :

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070519/IMG_3554.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070519/IMG_3556.jpg

love Hong Kong m)) it will always have a place in my heart

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/asiaglobe/hongkong/K7_artist_impression-2.jpg

Larger version : http://www.ura.org.hk/html/c1002072e225e.html

Kwun Tong flat owners in a bind
4 July 2007
South China Morning Post

Kwun Tong flat owners have appealed to the development secretary to buy properties affected by a redevelopment project within six months, saying they have been unable to sell or rent out their apartments.

They urged Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who was appointed to head the new Development Bureau two weeks ago, to act quickly to buy the properties.

Chui Wai, the representative for the area's 1,400 flat owners, said the redevelopment plan had deterred potential buyers or tenants from moving to the district.

"Who would want to come when they are unsure of the time for the redevelopment and without help in reallocating?" he said.

The Urban Renewal Authority had imposed a cutoff date of March 30 last year to establish ownership of the flats, with owners of flats bought after that receiving less compensation and tenants who rented after this date receiving no compensation.

Mr Chui said flat owners were also reluctant to pay for the maintenance of run-down buildings due for demolition.

The Kwun Tong project, the largest of its kind in Hong Kong, involves 5.3 hectares of land, will cost the authority HK$30 billion and take up to 12 years to complete. It will transform Kwun Tong into a commercial and retail hub for eastern Kowloon.

An Urban Renewal Authority spokesman did not directly comment on the residents' demands, saying the Town Planning Board was still processing redevelopment plan applications.

Meanwhile, property developer Cheung Kong has agreed to allow nine households in Nga Tsin Wai, Wong Tai Sin, to temporarily extend their stay after filing an immediate removal order.

The villagers had sought help from the Executive Council and the Urban Renewal Authority to delay their removal.

The 600-year-old village was the last remaining walled village in the urban area.

More Examples of Neighboring Redeveloped Projects in Kwun Tong & Environs

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http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070702/IMG_6620.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070702/IMG_6629.jpg

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http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070702/IMG_6630.jpg

I knew there was a thread about Kwun Tong somewhere ... and I posted these in the Urban Redev. thread :

Town centre revamp on track
6 September 2007
South China Morning Post

The public and the Planning Department have given a qualified thumbs-up to the planned redevelopment of Kwun Tong town centre, although there are concerns about the height of a 90-storey commercial tower and the effect of high-rise residential buildings on air flow in the area.

This follows a three-month consultation launched in April after the Urban Renewal Authority submitted the draft redevelopment plan to the Town Planning Board. Of 1,254 comments received by the board, more than 90 per cent supported the plan and asked the government to shorten the planning process in order to improve living conditions in the run-down area as soon as possible.

Of the 21 submissions objecting to the plan, most said the 280-metre commercial tower was too high and might spoil views of the Kowloon Hills' ridgeline. They also worried the super high-rise would increase traffic and worsen air quality in the town centre.

The "iconic" commercial tower is one of 122 characteristics of the draft plans that are said to reflect aspirations of the community. In a paper summing up the views from the public and relevant departments, lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit and pressure group SEE Network said the commercial tower proposal was out of place, disregarded the gradual, long-term evolution of the old area and would will further break the ridgeline.

A chief town planner from the Planning Department said more justifications were needed for the proposed building heights - 280 metres and 170 metres - for the iconic tower and residential buildings, because the redevelopment would have a moderate to high visual impact on residents in the area. The town planner said the redevelopment would reduce air ventilation in some areas, including much of Kwun Tong Road, and the authority was advised to reduce the size of the pedestrian walkway and address the reduction of ventilation in other problem areas.

But the authority said in its submission that the aim of high-rise towers was to create smaller building footprints to maximise open space and to help form breezeways and view corridors to avoid the wall effect. The redevelopment will accommodate 600,000 people.

The proposal will be discussed by the board tomorrow.

Iconic tower too tall, town planner says
8 September 2007
South China Morning Post

A high-rise proposed for the Kwun Tong redevelopment site has been criticised for being "too tall" and possibly disrupting the ridge line.

The 90-storey commercial tower - intended by the Urban Renewal Authority to be a district landmark - came under attack at a meeting of the Town Planning Board yesterday.

Board member Daniel To Boon-man said the height of the building far exceeded that of the APM mall in Kwun Tong and may destroy the continuity of the Kowloon hills' ridge line.

"An iconic building does not have to be tall," he said. "It will destroy the ridge line if one looks from some perspectives."

But the authority's managing director, Billy Lam Chung-lun, said Kwun Tong residents supported the idea of having a landmark in the district. He said the intention in building an iconic high-rise tower was to maximise space between buildings. "The tower is no doubt very tall but we have tried to make the zone as green as possible. We also hope to make it less dense when its height is increased."

The board members' concern echoed that of the Planning Department, which called for more justification for the tower and another 170-metre residential building.

The commercial tower is one of the 122 characteristics of the draft plans that are said to reflect the aspirations of the community. The Kwun Tong project, costing HK$30 billion, would accommodate 600,000 people.

90 storeys are not too tall for me ^^

it's too low :)

That's what I said :D

There's quite a huge supply of new high-quality office towers in Kowloon Bay, and I doubt there is enough demand at present to fill a supertall in Kwun Tong.

So? :lol: Build it anyway.

This is the coolest project I've seen in awhile!

Small developers cash in on office supply shortage in Kowloon
19 September 2007
South China Morning Post

A shortage of supply has spurred small developers to aggressively put up office buildings in Kowloon's industrial districts.

With a flood of new stock coming to the market, property agents now expect downward pressure on office rents in Kowloon East.

According to Colliers International, about 3.56 million square feet of new supply from six office buildings will be made available in Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay this year and next.

Colliers International research director Simon Lo Wing-fai said the average office rent in Kowloon East dropped 2.3 per cent to HK$20.90 per square foot last month from HK$21.40 per square foot in January. However, office prices in Kowloon East are rising.

Reggie Lai Yui-chung, project planning manager at Billion Development, said demand for saleable office buildings in Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong was strong.

Its office building at 83 Hung To Road in Kwun Tong was launched this year.

The 35-storey office building provides a total gross floor area of 300,000 sqft.

Most of the office floors have been sold at HK$3,800 to HK$3,900 per square foot, and only four floors remain for sale.

Mr Lai said most of the buyers were industrialists looking for headquarters and long-term investment.

"They need the office to manage their factories in the mainland, and they prefer to buy rather than rent," he said.

Mr Lai said demand from industrialists remained strong amid the fast economic growth on the mainland in the past few years.

He also said the growing number of mergers between industrial groups was boosting demand for new office space.

However, the supply of saleable offices in the area was limited because of a focus by leading developers on residential projects in the past few years, Mr Lai said.

As a result, small developers have been given the opportunity to initiate profitable office projects in the area.

How does Hong Kong's economy create the growth to spur office development after office development?

How does Hong Kong's economy create the growth to spur office development after office development?

These are alternate office locations at very low prices. The district itself is not expensive, and rents are about 1/5 of those in the core areas. It appeals to the smaller enterprises and industrial firms. The area is industrial to start, so they need some offices as well.

fantastic project, glad to see some not-squared shapes

quite some green in there :tongue3:

Some background information on the takeup of office redevelopments in Kwun Tong :

SKHP's Real Estate arm goes on offensive
31 October 2007
South China Morning Post

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) is aggressively expanding its office leasing portfolio across Hong Kong to cater for the growing requirements of business operations from different sectors and industries.

Janet Ho Kar-yee, assistant manager of business development with SHKP's subsidiary Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said the group had a strong office leasing presence with more than seven million sq ft of office premises. "Our portfolio will expand to more than 10 million sq ft by 2010 with the completion of new projects such as the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in Kowloon Station, which provides a total of 2.5 million sq ft, and a new development in Kwai Chung near Kwai Hing MTR Station," she said.

Ms Ho said the office leasing operation had recorded steady rental growth and contributed about 25 per cent of the group's total gross rental revenue of HK$7.21 billion for the year ended June 30, 2007. The rental income for the office leasing division registered growth of about 16 per cent.

The group's office properties spread from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon and the New Territories, ranging from One IFC and Two IFC in Central to Sun Hung Kai Centre in Wan Chai, World Trade Centre in Causeway Bay, Millennium City in Kwun Tong, Grand Century Place in Mong Kok, New Town Tower in Sha Tin, Metroplaza in Kwai Chung and Landmark North in Sheung Shui.

Ms Ho said its properties achieved rents in line with the market rates in different locations and catered to the needs of a wide spectrum of tenants.

"We have different kinds of tenants in different districts," she said. "For instance, financial institutions account for the majority of tenants in One IFC and Two IFC, while most of the tenants in our Kwun Tong and Kwai Chung properties are from trading and other industries."

"Our Millennium City office towers in Kwun Tong have also absorbed some of the banks consolidating their back-office operations there."

She said Hong Kong's economic growth had provided solid support to the local office leasing market, while business organisations, especially those in the financial service sector, expanded. SHKP had been building up its office portfolio to tap the opportunities of the leasing market, she said. One IFC was completed in 1998 while Two IFC came on to the market in 2003.

In addition, the first phase of ICC, comprising about 900,000 sq ft of space, will be ready for occupation at the end of this year. Morgan Stanley has signed a deal to lease 10 floors at the 118-storey skyscraper.

SHKP, one of the largest office landlords in Hong Kong, launched a new brand strategy last year with the introduction of its "BIZ Office Leasing" identity to raise its profile.

Ms Ho said the brand strategy was intended to highlight the group's strong presence in the leasing sector and the appeal of its properties to a broad base of tenants. In addition to the design and construction of quality office properties, she said SHKP was committed to providing professional services and value-added building facilities to meet tenants' needs.

"For example, we have incorporated innovative features into our new project Millennium City 6 in Kwun Tong such as a roof garden for all tenants' enjoyment and leisure, and a private garden for use by individual tenants and duplex offices," Ms Ho said.

In the mainland, SHKP is also developing new projects for office leasing. Its existing properties include Shanghai Central Plaza and Beijing apm. Two new projects are under way in Shanghai - Shanghai IFC and the Huai Hai Zhong Road complex development.

Ms Ho said the Shanghai IFC project would include hotels, serviced apartments, offices and a one million sq ft shopping mall. The first phase of the two planned office towers is scheduled for completion in 2009.

The Huai Hai Zhong Road project is expected to provide about 1.3 million sq ft of office space on completion in 2010.

觀塘安達臣道 擬建維港海景公屋
10月 31日 星期三 05:10AM

【明報專訊】背山面海不是私人住宅的專利，運輸及房屋局擬於面向維港、背靠飛鵝山 的觀塘安達臣道地皮興建公屋，提供16,100個單位，並在附近興建學校，預計於明年1月展開工程，2015至2016年分階段落成。由於該地皮高度限制為230米至280米，即可建逾70層高大廈，有城市規劃委員會成員擔心新建樓宇會阻擋山脊線。

運輸及房屋局提交立法會房屋事務委員會的文件指出，為滿足公屋需求，當局建議於明年1月在安達臣道石礦場及秀茂坪道進行土地平整工程，以提供約20公頃的土地興建公屋、學校、休憩空間等。房屋委員會 計劃於2011年於當中的5幅土地興建公屋，以提供16,100個單位，容納4.8萬人居住。

測量界料呎價5000元

測量師彭兆基表示，該地皮雖背山面海，但交通十分不便，估計該地呎價5000元，「較順天鸷還要遠，居民要乘一程車才能到達市中心」。但他認為，政府選擇景觀理想地點興建公屋是適當做法，「以免公屋居民以為美景、交通便利一定無自己份，像『開荒牛』般」。

有關工程建設費為34.6億元，當局未公布發展參數，但城市規劃委員會早於1999年為免影響飛鵝山山脊線，修改觀塘（北）分區計劃大綱圖為7幅住宅（甲類）用地，設230米至280米的高度限制，住宅地積比為7.5。

樓高可逾70層 恐阻山脊線

城市規劃委員會成員吳祖南擔心，此高度限制不足以保護山脊線，「280米太高了，1999年時根本無保護山脊線的標準，當時的修訂是基於從哪裏看過去的山脊線？」他表示，若公眾有合理的擔憂，城規會可啟動機制，重新考慮該處的高度限制。

另外，土木工程拓展署將改善相關行人路和道路交界處，並會展開渠務、污水及環境美化工程，又會種植5萬棵樹木及2萬叢灌木，設置樹林屏障及觀賞美化植物點。但工地範圍內的城隍廟 、觀音廟、大聖廟和海國天后娘娘廟將於年底前清拆，遷置到寶琳路附近。

Winsor upbeat on Kwun Tong complex
12 March 2007
South China Morning Post

Winsor Properties Holdings, a mid-sized Hong Kong-listed developer, expects that its Landmark East office complex in Kwun Tong will benefit from companies moving out of Central amid rising rent in grade A offices.

Despite market expectations that rising supply in non-core business areas such as Kowloon East will put pressure on rent, Winsor Properties managing director John Chow Wai-wai remains upbeat, saying that financial institutions are interested in moving their back-office units to the International Commerce Centre at the Kowloon Station.

"We [landlords in non-core business areas] are waiting for the turning point in which tenants in Central consider moving out once the rising rents reach their [budget] limits," he said.

Winsor Properties invested HK$500 million to develop Landmark East, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2008. It plans to lease the offices in the first half of this year. The complex is the only fully owned development project of Winsor Properties and will be its major revenue source from 2009.

Increasing new office supply in Kowloon East could help convert the industrial district into a new commercial district, Mr Chow said.

According to CB Richard Ellis, Kwun Tong will provide new office supply of more than 2.6 million square feet over the next four years.

Mr Chow said Landmark East would target multinational firms and local major companies in the first stage of leasing. The second stage will target tenants in Kowloon East looking to upgrade. He declined to disclose the asking rents of the office.

The project, located at the junction of How Ming Street and Tsun Yip Street, comprises 40- and 43-storey office buildings with a total gross floor area of more than 1.2 million sq ft.

Residents, shopkeepers want Kwun Tong renewal
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Eighty-six percent out of 442 submissions support the Urban Renewal Authority's plan to redevelop a five-hectare site at Kwun Tong town center and Yuet Wah Street into residential and commercial complexes.

The Town Planning Board will consider the submissions on the Kwun Tong City Centre redevelopment on Friday.

The submissions were mainly from residents and shop owners.

Legislator Alan Leong Ka-kit said in his submission that the proposed 280-meter landmark building at the site is about 40 percent higher than the existing 200-meter APM shopping mall.

The high plot ratio of the 180-meter residential towers and the landmark building, ranging from 7.5 to 12, will not only block air circulation but also increase population and traffic pressure in the already dense district, he said. Some participants suggested phasing the redevelopment to ease the impact on residents and shops, which will allow streetscapes to continue to feature.

In reply, the authority said the "cascading building form" with its split podium will provide an adequate breezeway for ventilation.

The Town Planning Board is expected to approve the plan on Friday.

URA sets target for HK$30b Kwun Tong project
12 March 2008
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority is to acquire properties that fall within the redevelopment boundaries of Kwun Tong town centre by the end of this year.

The internal rate of return for the project would fall below the expected 5 per cent because of the booming property market and concerns brought by a second mortgage crisis, said Quinn Law Yee-kwan, the authority's new managing director.

The HK$30 billion redevelopment plan, at 5.35 hectares, is the biggest and most complicated project undertaken by the authority. It would accommodate 600,000 people.

Officials had received 442 comments on the plan, of which 380 submitted by residents, shop owners and local organisations supported it.

Legislator Alan Leong Kah-kit was one of more than 50 who opposed the project. He said a planned iconic 90-storey tower was much taller than the shopping mall in the district, the APM, and would disrupt the ridge line. The commercial tower is one of 122 features of the draft plans that are said to reflect the aspirations of the community.

The H15 Concern Group, which consisted of former shop operators and residents affected by the Lee Tung Street redevelopment scheme in Wan Chai, said Kwun Tong should be redeveloped in phases and the plan should address clearly how the social network could be preserved.

But the Planning Department said yesterday that the plan prepared by the URA should not be amended, arguing that concerns on height limit and the provision of a hawker bazaar and street shops to preserve local characteristics could be addressed when the master layout plan was submitted.

It also said the URA would have to submit a visual-impact assessment to justify the proposed height of the iconic tower.

The Town Planning Board will discuss the scheme on Friday.

'Old hands' bring Kwun Tong's rich past to life
20 April 2008
South China Morning Post

The rich and fascinating history of Kwun Tong is being told for the first time in a 200-page book set to be published in July or August.

Originally called Kwun Fu, the district's coastline was the site of salt farms that supplied imperial China dating back to the Song dynasty, when revenues from the salt monopoly made a significant contribution to imperial coffers. The farms filled the bays and inlets along the coast to Kowloon Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui.

The book's project team, funded by Kwun Tong District Council, is led by district councillor Leung Fu-wing, and supported by 11 council members.

Relocated to Kwun Tong from Sai Wan Ho on Hong Kong Island in the late 1960s, Ms Leung is one of the "old hands" on the council who knows the area intimately.

"As the older areas of Kwun Tong are to be given a major makeover by the Urban Renewal Authority, this book is needed to record our very interesting past," she said.

"Most other district councils have already done their own books to showcase their glorious past and local culture.

"The book will be an eye-opener to many people, nurturing their interest in the character and colourful identity of Kwun Tong and encouraging them to visit the area."

Entitled Kwun Tong Fung Mack Chi (Kwun Tong Local History and Heritage), it will only be available in Chinese.

The editor and researcher was Leung Ping-wah, who has done similar projects for North, Southern and Islands district councils.

"Unlike North District, with its well-preserved local character, Kwun Tong was not developed until the post-war period," Dr Leung said.

"Therefore, there isn't much literature or information documenting its background. This scarcity of historical information has meant relying on first-hand information."

Over the past 13 months, the team has put together an interesting picture from various sources including government departments and public utilities such as CLP, Kowloon Motor Bus and Town Gas, which were involved in creating the district's infrastructure in the 1950s.

With the help of the councillor, Ms Leung, Dr Leung has interviewed a retired shipbuilder, teachers, a club operator, former district officers and district councillors, among others.

Some long-serving community associations such as the 38-year-old Kwun Tong Sports Promotion Association and Kwun Wah Amusement Association were also consulted to shed light on residents' recreation and entertainment.

The modern history of Kwun Tong began in 1953, when the government earmarked the district for transformation into a satellite town with both industrial and residential sectors.

The book's 18 chapters outline the growth of the town from scratch and also walk readers through some key moments from the past: the Japanese invasion of December 1941; growth of public housing estates; colourful festivals; industrial development throughout the district as the textile industry burgeoned, and significant coastal changes through land reclamation.

Dr Leung said the work hinged on interviews with 18 key local leaders in the district.

"Rising from the grass roots, they tell their own stories of success and sentiment," she said. "For example, Wong Wah-sang, nicknamed the 'King of Ships', built his shipbuilding business with his bare hands."

About 2,000 copies of the book will be printed and distributed to district council members, public libraries, schools and other government institutions.

Property owners get $14b offer
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, May 06, 2008

More than 1,600 property owners in Kwun Tong town center will be offered one-off compensation amounting to HK$14 billion in December - the biggest ever by the Urban Renewal Authority.

The acquisition will involve both residential and commercial property owners and the compensation will be part of the HK$30 billion Kwun Tong Town Centre project to revitalize the aging heart of the district.

There are 1,656 property interests in the 5.3-hectare site bounded by Hong Ning Road, Mut Wah Street, Hip Wo Street and Yue Man Square.

Expecting settlements with tenants to be finalized within two to three years, URA chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said: "This approach meets with the demands of the residents and allows them to plan what they do afterwards."

He said the URA had heard the residents preferred a one-time, one- price acquisition.

Cheung acknowledged the move would increase financial risk but said the URA's financial situation is sound.

He also said the authority's single largest project will be carried out in phases due to its scale and complexity, and will also involve various transport and public facilities issues.

Because the Yuet Wah Street bus terminus does not involve private property interests, phase one will begin with its relocation.

Glass structures of sleek scientific lines inundated with foliage on a field of green will replace the graying city block with a modern town center complete with 209,640 square meters of commercial space, 159,610 sqm of residential development as well as 16,300 sqm of space for leisure, recreational, community and government facilities.

More than 8,700 square feet of open and landscaped spaces will also be included, as well as 15,700 sq ft for public transport interchanges.

Owner-occupiers of flats will get priority to buy new units in the project at market prices. Shop owners and tenants occupying the site before March 30, 2007 will be entitled to an allowance to offset business losses.

Cheung said the site's master layout plan will be submitted to the town planning board in July.

Some nearby projects :

South China Morning Post
June 25, 2008 Wednesday
Office projects drive change
Property developer's decision to take leading role in development of district paves the way for a brighter future

SHKP has earned a pioneering reputation among local developers for kick-starting aggressive programmes of commercial property developments in East Kowloon.

The group's Millennium City portfolio in Kwun Tong now provides five grade A office towers with a total floor area of nearly 3million sq ft, which are among the top choices for business organisations wishing to relocate their operations into the district.

Among them, the first tower - Millennium City1 - was completed in 1998, and the latest addition - Millennium City6 - came on stream last year.

Janet Ho Kar-yee, assistant manager of business development at the office leasing department of SHKP's subsidiary Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, said the group was a key player in the commercial development of East Kowloon.

"In the old days, there were very few developers interested in undertaking office projects in East Kowloon. We have taken the lead as we are positive about the potential for growth in the district," she said.

"It is a completely different story today. We can see a number of projects launched by different developers. The Urban Renewal Authority is also proceeding with the Yue Man Square redevelopment. All these property and urban renewal projects are certain to create a new facet for East Kowloon."

Ms Ho said the leasing response of Millennium City 6 had been strong and the newly completed building was now more than 90 per cent occupied. The overall occupancy rate for its Millennium City portfolio was in excess of 95 per cent with an average monthly rental of $25HK to $30HK per square foot.

She said gradeA office rental in East Kowloon had recorded an average increase of about 11 per cent last year, and the group achieved a similar rate of growth for its Millennium City towers.

The Standard Chartered Bank and the Bank of East Asia are two of the biggest tenants in the Millennium City portfolio, having relocated and consolidated their back-office operations in the district. MTR Corporation, DBS, SmarTone, Levi Strauss, Hugo Boss and Sunflower Travel are also among the tenants in the towers.

Ms Ho said East Kowloon was becoming more attractive for businesses as they looked for quality alternatives to offices in traditional core business districts.

"We have seen several companies relocating from Tsim Sha Tsui and other districts into East Kowloon for business expansion. At the same time, they can achieve savings in rents given the rental gap between core and non-core business districts," she said.

"Companies are always impressed by the quality of our offices, which are available at highly competitive rents."

Despite the large supply of office properties in East Kowloon, Ms Ho said she was optimistic about the leasing prospect because there was strong underlying demand from companies to absorb the new spaces. A strategic location and excellent transport connections also encouraged local and international companies to move their offices to East Kowloon, she said.

In addition to its Millennium City towers, SHKP is developing another office building in Hoi Bun Road in Kwun Tong. The project, which has yet to be named, is expected to provide a total floor area of about 300,000 sqft upon completion next year. The group has also accumulated more land bank in the district for further development, but details of future projects have yet to be finalised.

Ms Ho said that quality was essential to the group's office property development and it tried hard to provide value-added building features and facilities for tenants.

"We are actively introducing environmentally friendly features into our new projects such as the provision of more podium and garden spaces for tenants' leisure and enjoyment. For example, a sky garden is included in our Millennium City6," she said.

"This trend is going to continue. We will incorporate more innovative building facilities and services including energy saving and green initiatives in our new projects to meet tenants' demand."

Waterfront walk for Kwun Tong next year
26 July 2008
South China Morning Post

Kwun Tong residents will be able to enjoy a short segment of a long-awaited waterfront walkway next year.

The Development Bureau said yesterday that work on the 200-metre temporary promenade along 4,670 square metres of the Kwun Tong public cargo working area was tentatively due to begin early next year.

It should be completed in the latter half of the year, the bureau said in a paper submitted to the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee.

Two cargo working areas have delayed construction. Lawmakers have demanded that the government close the areas, noting that their berth licence agreements will expire at the end of this month.

However, the government has said it hopes the operators will move voluntarily. Earlier, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng said there was no suitable site to reprovision the cargo working areas.

The plan will go to the Harbourfront Enhancement Committee and Kwun Tong district council in September for consultation.

Councillor So Lai-chun hoped the work would start soon. "We are long overdue for a promenade," she said.

Parks, cafes and dog parks were among the suggested uses.

Residents have also proposed connecting the Kwun Tong promenade and Kai Tak with a footbridge. "The footbridge can pull the two districts closer and save travelling time, and revitalise Kwun Tong's economic activities," she said.

Residents on march for greener Kwun Tong
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, July 28, 2008

More than 200 Kwun Tong residents took to the streets yesterday to express discontent over their deteriorating environment and the lack of consultation on redevelopments plans.

Composed of children and the elderly, the protesters marched from Laguna Park to the Kwun Tong pier where they tied green ribbons around its fences to express their hopes for a better living environment.

"The living environment is very important for our children," said a housewife surnamed Chui who marched with her husband and eight-year-old son. They have been Laguna City residents for 10 years.

Chui said noise, water and air pollution have all become part of the daily lives of residents, pointing out that a sewage treatment plant, two cargo working areas and a metal-recycling plant are located along the coast from Kwun Tong to Cha Kwo Ling.

Residents have been pressing for the demolition of the cargo loading areas, where around 40 barges dock regularly.

Their contract, scheduled to expire on July 31, was extended by the government to 2011 without allegedly consulting the residents as there were no other suitable site for cargo-handling.

"The government is siding with the developers," Kwun Tong district councillor Cliff Tang Wing-chun said.

Kwun Tong blueprint turning greener
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Urban Renewal Authority has submitted a revised HK$30 billion blueprint for the Kwun Tong Town Centre redevelopment to the Town Planning Board.

The authority's executive director of planning and development, Iris Tam Siu-ying, said yesterday improvements to the original plan included the removal of stores at the minibus station to improve accessibility and ventilation while the cooling system would use fresh water instead of seawater.

In December the authority will begin the acquisition of all 1,656 properties at an estimated cost of HK$14 billion. It is studying whether to borrow money from banks.


The redevelopment includes a 61-story, 280-meter commercial landmark, a bus and minibus terminal, a multipurpose building that will also house government offices and a large civic square.

There will also be five residential buildings providing 2,000 flats. The revised plan has tripled the greenery area from 2,650 square meters to 8,700 sqm and increased the surrounding air ventilation by 40 percent. There will also be more public spaces.

The design focuses on the sustainability of development and prevention of a "wall effect" with different heights of buildings. More ramps, lifts and guide signs will be made to help the disabled.

The area for redevelopment is about 5.3 hectares and will be separated into five phases. Tam said the expected 12-year period was just an estimate.

Project director Ernest Lee Shu-wing said the redevelopment's internal rate of return would fall to 4 percent - very low for property projects.

"It's a social mission, the project must go on," Lee said.

SK Pang Surveyors managing director Pang Shui-kee said the project would inevitably experience a deficit under a low internal rate of return and the economic downturn.

Skyscraper planfor Kwun Tong to go ahead
URA study finds high-rise tower will not have major visual impact
10 September 2008
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority intends to proceed with building a 280-metre office tower in the revamped Kwun Tong town centre after consultants found its visual impact would not be significant.

"It is residents of Kowloon East who asked for a landmark of their own," said URA executive director Iris Tam Siu-ying as she announced the findings.

David Lung Ping-yee, who chairs the authority's Kwun Tong district advisory committee, said the redevelopment master plan was based on the community's views gathered at public forums.

Town Planning Board member Ng Cho-nam said the landmark building would be an eyesore out of scale with the surroundings. "A landmark does not have to be tall. It's the design that matters," he said.

But Kowloon East lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit said urban renewal strategy required the authority to balance its budget through high-density developments.

The master layout plan for the new Kwun Tong town centre was submitted to the Town Planning Board last month and will be available for public comment next week.

The HK$30 billion redevelopment will be divided into five phases. Of the cost, HK$14 billion will be spent on buying up properties and compensating owners.

The first phase - turning the public transport interchange into a residential development with a community health centre - is expected to be completed in 2013. The target date for completion of the last phase is 2021.

The 280-metre-high tower would be built at the junction of Hip Wo Street and Kwun Tong Road, and would house offices, hotels and shops.

It would be 80 metres higher than the tallest building in the area, the APM Millennium City. Surrounding blocks of flats would be 140 metres to 178 metres high.

Despite concern that the tower would block views of the ridge line above Kowloon, the URA said visual and air ventilation assessments proved it would not become an eyesore. Ms Tam said the URA's consultants assessed the visual impact of the tower from seven vantage points and found it to be insignificant.

The tower would be connected with another building described as transparent and intended to house government offices, community facilities and social enterprises. It would face Yue Man Square and a civic square of 6,700 square metres, twice the public open space provided at Times Square in Causeway Bay.

Apart from the planting of 450 trees, the public transport interchanges for buses and minibuses would be modified to allow more air flow, Ms Tam said.

Quoting another consultant's study, she said air flow through the town centre would increase by 43 per cent after redevelopment. Small shops and the 120 hawkers doing business in the town centre would be encouraged to stay.

Mr Leong urged the authority to offer alternative compensation options, such as swapping shops and flats for premises in the new developments.

Helen Wong-yat man, vice-chairperson of an alliance representing about 60 per cent of the owners affected, said more than half would prefer to take cash compensation and move out.

Several dozen owners would prefer to receive a flat of the same size in compensation, while some elderly would like priority in buying Home Ownership Scheme flats at a discount, she said.

This looks promising. Looking forward to a revitalization of Kwun Tong, where my grandmother lives. It also has a hint of ambition in terms of environmental consideration. It's great to see Kwun Tong residents rally behind this project.

Challenges for latest project
10 September 2008
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority's largest redevelopment project would be kicked-off with the announcement of acquisition offers by the end of this year, but sources in the authority said more challenges were coming.

The authority promised in May to adopt a one-off acquisition approach, although the whole redevelopment will take about eight years.

Waiting for the authority's offer, residents already set a high price for their flats. Helen Wong-yat man, vice-chairwoman of an alliance of more than 1,000 property owners, said her group had commissioned a surveyor who estimated the compensation should be over HK$9,000 per sq ft.

"The Kwun Tong site is such a prime site," Ms Wong said. "It's huge and with good transport links. We will not accept a low price."

While the property market has been going downwards, prices for Kwun Tong flats had stood firm, she said.

The elderly are not the only people suffering in the 40-year-old dilapidated area of Kwun Tong centre. There are also ethnic minorities whose children are studying at the Delia Memorial School in Hip Wo Street, which caters to their educational needs.

"These people are heavily reliant on and confined to the neighbourhood," said the source. "Monetary compensation alone would not be very helpful. They need to be handled with care."

The authority would have to resettle them in neighbouring public housing estates so that their lives would not be significantly disturbed, the source said.

Compensating prostitutes who have been working in the old buildings is another headache. "They are actually tenants but they are not officially engaged in any rental contract," a source said, adding that a special team has been set up for these cases.

While promising licensed hawkers a right to stay in the redeveloped site, the authority might also be forced to compensate those without licences because people occupying a site for more than 12 years can own the site.

Fung Kwong-wai, who has been selling underwear in the Mut Wah Street market for over 30 years, said he hoped the place would remain an open-air market. He has no rent but pays about HK$7,000 annually to the government for licences.

"I still don't know what their plan is," he said. "I hope the authority lets me know as soon as possible."

He was worried he could not afford rent after the redevelopment.

I wonder what they are going to do with the transport exchange issue. Lots of people transfer from MTR to minibuses at Yue Man Square and that road is completely gone in the re-development plans.

Kwun Tong home owners hope for holiday windfall
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Residents are hoping for a HK$10,215 per square foot Christmas windfall from the Urban Renewal Authority's Kwun Tong Town Centre Project.

Active owners who have formed a 1,000-strong alliance, headed by Helen Wong Ya-man, have hired an independent surveyor, Wayne Lee Wing-kwan, to assess the amount of compensation they should receive for their homes. Lee has come up with HK$10,215 per square foot by comparing flats in different districts.

According to Lands Department guidelines for compensation, the comparison should be with replacement buildings about seven years old and similar in characteristics and accessibility.

Since the Kwun Tong area has no buildings in that age range, Lee compared flats in Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui and other districts which he deemed to be similar in characteristics to Kwun Tong.

The URA will be presenting its own assessment results from 11 surveyors to the residents before Christmas, although residents have asked for a more open discussion on compensation matters.

市 建 局 如 期 年 底 開 展 觀 塘 市 中 心 重 建 項 目
RTHK
2008-10-20 HKT 15:08

市 建 局 主 席 張 震 遠 表 示 ， 觀 塘 市 中 心 重 建 項 目 ， 會 如 期 在 12 月 底 展 開 ， 及 向 業 主 出 價 ， 強 調 不 會 因 為 近 期 經 濟 轉 變 而 有 更 改 ， 市 建 局 會 如 期 在 12 月 底 前 ， 向 所 有 1650 個 業 主 提 出 收 購 建 議 ， 又 說 市 建 局 財 政 狀 況 足 以 應 付 所 有 業 主 同 意 收 購 建 議 的 情 況 。

張 震 遠 表 示 ， 觀 塘 重 建 計 劃 最 後 一 個 發 展 區 域 ， 估 計 於 2016 年 中 ， 進 入 收 地 程 序 ， 距 離 市 建 局 第 一 次 出 價 大 約 8 年 ， 所 以 他 們 計 劃 在 今 年 出 價 後 的 四 年 半 時 ， 向 尚 未 進 入 收 購 階 段 的 發 展 區 內 ， 仍 未 出 售 業 權 的 業 主 ， 再 提 出 一 個 貼 市 的 建 議 。

URA to set Kwun Tong offer price in December
21 October 2008
Hong Kong Standard

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.

However, about 500 residents whose buildings are among the last to be demolished, will have the option of accepting the offer or waiting for a revised price 4 years later.

URA chief Barry Cheung Chun-yuen said that in earlier negotiations, residents had requested the same offer be made to all regardless of when they needed to be relocated.

The URA has commissioned 11 independent surveyors to come up with a suitable offer that reflects the market value of the properties.

``This is being done entirely for the benefit of the tenants,'' Cheung said. ``If we gave different offer prices at different times in accordance with the development phases of the project, the tenants would say it was unfair.''

Tenants of area five do not need to be relocated until near the end of the 12-year project, which Cheung said was one of the largest redevelopment and rehabilitation schemes the authority has undertaken.

If the entire project area was vacated at once, it would seriously disrupt operations and traffic and affect the atmosphere of the area.

``But there is no unfairness to tenants of other phases in our proposal,'' Cheung said.

Current Site (source : hk-place)

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觀塘市中心重建 高廈方案較利通風
10月29日 星期三 05:05

【明報專訊】總成本高達300億元的市區重建局觀塘市中心重建計劃，將作最後規劃審議。市建區剛提交補充資料，指出就擬建高280米的68層地標商廈，已委託顧問作空氣流通評估，指出結論是興建至280米，較興建至220米，會為區內附近帶來較佳空氣流通。

市建局顧問報告指出，報告比較興建一幢280米與一幢220米建築物，對逾100個測試點的風速的影響，結果顯示於逾70％試點，建280米較建220米，提供較高風速，包括一些重要的街道如物華街、月華街、康寧道等，而只有少於8％試點，顯示建220米提供較高風速。市建局總結，較纖幼及高聳的大廈，能為觀塘市中心重建，提供更佳空氣流通環境。

市建局提月華街地盤兩修訂

另外，因回應產業署及建築署的意見，市建局向城規會，輕微修訂月華街地盤發展設計，包括 ：（1）把住客停車場遷至最低層 ；（2）把住客停車場的汽車出入口遷至協和街與擬議的觀塘賽馬會診所汽車出入口共用。

觀塘市中心重建計劃建議將賽馬會健康院現址清拆重建成一座68層高商廈，包括61層寫字樓和酒店等，另有3層空中花園及隔火層，和4層地庫。由於有新提交資料，城規會收取意見暫至11月18日。

Finally! This is the kind of test results we want!! Build slimmer and taller!!!

^^ Yes! I'm so happy someone has finally come to his senses and realized the solution to skyscraper walls is not to build a tighter, shorter wall, but taller, well-spaced pillars.

斥逾億元綠化觀塘深水絈
01/11/2008
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【本報訊】繼港島之後，土木工程拓展署進一步斥資一億一千二百萬元，制訂觀塘及深水絈綠化總綱圖，其中九龍灣、觀塘、茶果嶺及鯉魚門一帶，會以「翠堤灣畔」為綠化主題，種植鐵刀木、野杜英、黃槿及風鈴木等，以配合九龍灣商業區及區內正進行大型重建工程，將會重新注入活力及朝氣等。而在牛頭角及藍田一帶，則會以「曉巒翠景」作主題，種植宮粉羊蹄甲及藍花楹等，以配合地方名稱。

深水絈主題「金影花筒」
土木工程拓展署估計要觀塘區達致短期綠化目標，需栽種喬木及灌木共約八十四萬二千多棵，預計工程費約七千萬元。

舊樓林立的深水絈區會以「金影花筒」為綠化主題，種植秋楓、複羽葉欒樹、黃花風鈴木及紫壇等，延續毗鄰旺角及油麻地區的綠化主題「綠色萬花筒」。而石硤尾則以「彩峰倚雲」作主題，在現有住宅區的適當位置，種植楓香、紅花羊蹄甲及其他植物品種，配合區內自然優雅的居住環境。

深水絈區的短期綠化目標是種植五十多萬棵喬木及灌木，預計工程費約四千二百萬元。兩個區域的綠化工程最快會於明年第四季展開，二○一一年底完成。

有區議員促請政府盡快進行綠化工程及加強保育已栽種的樹木，防止樹木因為保養不周而倒塌。

Rendering :

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In the vicinity - 觀 塘 某 商 廈 by 鄧麗欣之戀 from skyscrapers.cn :

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觀塘重建收購價料跌一成
每戶少收40萬元 自嘲「累慢苦主」
22/11/2008

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【本報訊】金融海嘯衝擊樓巿，巿區重建局下月底提出觀塘重建項目的收購價預料受牽連。受影響業主自聘測量師估計，每實用平方呎收購價應為九千二百多元，較兩個月前估價跌一成，即每戶實際最少少收四十萬元。觀塘重建業主大聯盟自嘲已成「累慢苦主」，受累巿建局拖慢收購，重申不排除透過立法會及司法程序申訴。

大聯盟九月中委託獨立測量師行，根據灣仔、紅磡等五個地利及交通便捷程度與觀塘巿中心類似的約七年樓價，訂出觀塘每實用平方呎收購價為一萬零二百一十五元，但金融海嘯令樓價普遍下跌兩至三成，本月中最新估價已跌一成至每實用平方呎九千二百三十三元。

質疑市建局干預獨立估價
大聯盟擔心，樓巿近月交投淡靜，巿建局委託的測量師或以不完整及不正常的數據評估收購價，又質疑巿建局主席張震遠早前表明觀塘要逾萬元收購價是「荒謬」的說法，有干預獨立估價之嫌，要求巿建局公布收購價前先公開測量報告。

大聯盟副主席王一民補充，巿建局以往十多個重建項目的收購價均可達到舊樓巿值的三倍至五點七倍，以觀塘巿中心約四十年舊樓最新呎價為四千一百多元推算，居民期望收購價可達每呎一萬三千五百元。

大聯盟正計劃進一步行動，包括諮詢法律意見及向立法會申訴部申訴，要求巿建局就拖緩收購及干預估價等向居民交代。巿建局發言人重申，按既定公平公開的機制，如期在年底向居民提出收購價。http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/img/endmarker.gif

By KMa200 from FLICKR :

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Vote on 280-metre tower delayed
6 December 2008
South China Morning Post

The Town Planning Board will delay approving the plan for a 280-metre building in a revamped Kwun Tong town centre - until the Urban Renewal Authority provides it with more proof that the building will not block ventilation and be an eyesore.

Board members yesterday studied the master layout plan for the Kwun Tong redevelopment, the centrepiece of which is the iconic office-and-hotel tower that will jut out of surrounding buildings by at least 80 metres.

In response to airflow concerns raised previously, the URA has said the building would not adversely affect its surrounding environment.

It was also designed to be the landmark that Kowloon East residents had asked for.

"A landmark does not necessarily mean a super high-rise," board member Daniel To Boon-man said yesterday. He also feared that the ridgeline of Fei Ngor Shan would be blocked by the building from Lei Yu Mun and Shau Kei Wan.

Given its floor area, the authority has said, a shortened building would become too bulky and might reduce airflow and visual penetration. The podium of eight to 14 storeys, on which the building sits, could also act as a noise barrier. It said a building lower than 260 metres would not be seen clearly at the seven vantage points suggested in the Planning Department's guidelines.

Board member Leslie Chen Hung-chi questioned the validity of the results of the URA's air ventilation assessment, saying models used in the assessment were not of precise configuration.

District planning officer Eric Yue Chi-kin said yesterday that the study assessed only the airflow impact of two scenarios, for buildings that were 220 metres and 280 metres tall.

The preliminary development plan had already been approved by the chief executive in September.

By 老牌新手 from a Hong Kong discussion forum :

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城規會建議觀塘市中心建瞭望台
6 December 2008
信報

市區重建局旗下主要舊區重建項目觀塘市中心重建計劃最新方案剛獲城規會審議，其中現為巴士總站的月華街地盤，方案得到順利通過，至於主地盤則因城規會認為市建局未能充分證明地標建築物高度須達二百八十米（主水平基準上．下同），決定押後審議，並要求市建局考慮在地標建築物設置瞭望台。

佔地超過四點六公頃的主地盤，擬發展四幢住宅、一個大型平台作零售等用途，以及一幢樓高二百八十米的地標式商業建築。其中長期受到各方爭議的地標式建築物，再次成為了會議的焦點。

再評估通風設施

市建局表示，地標式建築物屬於社區的訴求，而二百八十米的高度，較二百二十米在景觀等方面的影響輕微，唯城規會委員認為，高建築物不代表可成為地標建築，而市建局的技術研究，尚未提供足夠理據證明項目的高度不會對區內通風和景觀構成不良影響，加上大型平台或會影響通風，故要求市建局進行更詳細的空氣流通評估和景觀影響評估等。

此外，城規會委員亦普遍認為，地標建築的高度足以讓人眺望南中國海的景觀，建議市建局研究在大樓上設置一個瞭望台。城規會冀市建局盡快完成有關修訂，稍後將交由昨天審議方案的都會規劃小組委員會再行討論。

發展模式相對簡單的月華街地盤，屬於整個重建計劃首個發展的地盤，將興建一幢四十層住宅連會所等建築物，討論過程相對順利。城規會認為發展方案符合規劃大綱的要求，當局亦可在稍後圖則等程序上就項目作進一步監管，故批准發展方案。

市建局發言人表示，歡迎城規會批准月華街地盤的方案，對於主地盤的方案遭押後審議，市建局將有待詳細會議紀錄完成後，就有關文件所要求的條款再作跟進。

收購計劃不受影響

項目的發展方案雖然仍有待城規會完全通過，項目的收購計劃則可望不受影響。市建局主席張震遠重申，收購賠償的計劃將不會受到影響，局方將照原定計劃在年底前向業主提出收購。

城規會昨天亦審議土瓜灣好收成貨運中心用地改建住宅的申請，城規會認為，用地的高度遠高於分區大綱圖的限制，加上平台的面積過大，將會影響鄰近地區所營造的社區氣氛，故不批准有關申請，至於長沙灣永康街經緯商業大廈改建為一幢酒店的申請，則獲得城規會批准。

另一邊廂，有財團就大埔汀角丈量約份第十七約多個地段的「農業」用地，改劃為「其他指定用途」註明「度假酒店及其他康樂設施」用途，以發展一個水療度假酒店項目，擬興建三十三間度假屋，提供不多於一百二十個客房。項目佔地約五十三萬方呎，地積比率低於零點三倍，總樓面約十四萬七千方呎。

早年發展商曾申請將用地改為「康樂」用地，發展度假營連康樂設施，以地積比率零點四倍發展，興建二十三幢建築物，設八十六個營舍，唯遭城規會拒絕■

Kwun Tong flat owners change tack in URA row
27 December 2008
South China Morning Post

An alliance of affected property owners in the Kwun Tong redevelopment project has advertised to invite developers to acquire their flats at a higher price than that offered by the Urban Renewal Authority.

"The best choice available in the financial tsunami," Alliance of Kwun Tong's Urban Renewal said in a newspaper advert, offering to sell about 100 flats, about 6 per cent of the project's total.

Each of the flats' area exceeded 400 square feet, it said. The vice-chairwoman of the alliance, Helen Wong Yat-man, said two developers had approached her.

The owners would prefer to sell at a higher price rather than to the authority for HK$5,937 per square foot of saleable floor area.

She hoped developers would consider the high potential of the site and co-develop the residential and commercial project with the authority, citing the example of Nga Tsin Wai village in Kowloon City.

But joint development could mean a change in the authority's development plan, which has already won approval from the Town Planning Board.

The authority said joint development was not possible.

Nga Tsin Wai was a special case and would not apply to Kwun Tong, a spokesman said, as the developer, Cheung Kong (Holdings), had acquired more than 70 per cent of property interests long before the authority announced the redevelopment plan. The authority will this month issue offer letters to owners which they can accept within 90 days.

If any developer wanted to solely develop the site, it would have to acquire 90 per cent of property interests, which would be a difficult task, Midland Surveyors director Alvin Lam Tsz-pun said.

URA sticks to offer price
5 January 2009
Hong Kong Standard

The Urban Renewal Authority has said it will not budge from its HK$5,937 per square foot offer to property owners affected by the Kwun Tong town center redevelopment.

Authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun-yuen warned that if residents reject the deal, which the URA claims is 2.5 times market price, they may face a lower offer as a result of declining property prices.

Despite one resident accepting a HK$3.9 million offer for a flat last Wednesday, the day after residents received offer letters, Cheung said it is too early to say how many residents will accept.

But even as hundreds of Kwun Tong residents staged a second protest yesterday to demand as much as HK$13,000 psf for their properties, he said he was confident owners would find the offer attractive.

"If the 700 owner-occupiers who account for more than half of the residents accept the offer within 90 days I will see our goal accomplished," Cheung told The Standard.

Kwun Tong is the largest redevelopment project in URA history and could take up to , 12 years to complete. Under the redevelopment ordinance the URA can seek government permission for a mandatory land purchase regardless of how many residents have accepted an offer for their properties.

Despite a potential decline in earnings from project sales for the year to March 2009, Cheung said the URA had enough cash for acquisitions and development.

"We have about HK$10 billion in cash on hand and continuous income from project sales," Cheung said.

The AA-plus rating the URA recently received from Standard & Poor's meant it was in a strong position to raise funds via a bond offering or through bank loans, he said.

The authority has contacted lenders with a view to issuing HK$1 billion in bonds to finance the HK$12 billion Kwun Tong project, but Cheung stressed that discussions were only in the initial stages.

觀塘重建戶330萬入市星河明居
8 January 2009

【明報專訊】市建局剛宣布以呎價近6000元，出價收購觀塘市中心進行重建後，該批重建戶亦開始於市場，尤其是於東九龍區內物色物業，更開始出現入市個案。美聯聯席區域經理容民基表示，一名觀塘重建戶剛以330萬元買入星河明居一個3房單位，呎價4394元。

他表示，該單位位於C座中層6室，面積751方呎，成交價330萬元；原業主於98年5月以一手價347萬元買入，終帳面蝕讓17萬元。他又稱，該名買家雖獲賠償，但仍向銀行申請按揭，並指星河明居至昨天共錄約3宗成交，已逼近上月全月共錄4宗成；近日這類重建戶的睇樓量亦增加，在10名睇樓客中約有2名為重建戶。

將軍澳同錄重建戶成交

事實上，日前已有觀塘重建戶入市將軍澳。美聯助理營業董事馮國基表示，近日將軍澳區的睇樓客，部分來自觀塘重建戶，其中一名重建戶日前以247.5萬元買入將軍澳東港城3座中層E室，面積666方呎，屬屋苑「則王」，呎價約3716元。

can you translate please?

1 in 7 take offer on Kwun Tong homes
17 January 2009
South China Morning Post

More than one in seven property owners affected by the Urban Renewal Authority's 12-year, HK$30 billion Kwun Tong town-centre redevelopment have already accepted its compensation offer - to the surprise of the project's director.

Some have used the money to buy new flats in Tseung Kwan O.

However, others among the 1,656 flat owners affected are still hoping to secure a better deal than the HK$5,937 per sq ft the authority is offering. Having initially sought HK$9,000 per sq ft, they have revised their demand to HK$7,000 per sq ft.

The authority began buying up properties in the 5.35-hectare redevelopment area last month. Its offer is valid for three months. If owners reject it, they will have to wait until 2013 for a new offer.

Ernest Lee Shu-wing, the project's director, said the response had been more rapid than expected.

"It's just three weeks since we made our offer and already 250 owners have accepted," he said. "Some flats in Kwun Tong are too dilapidated and residents can't wait any longer."

Angela Kwok Yuk-moon, Kwun Tong sales director for Midland Realty, said the offer was a good one, giving owners enough to buy a flat in Laguna City, one of the district's two major private estates.

But Chui Wai, spokesman for a group of owners holding out for HK$7,000 per sq ft, said Tseung Kwan O was too far from Kwun Tong and Laguna City, built in 1992, too old.

觀塘重建收購 成本減半至9億
17 January 2009
文匯報
　
【本報訊】(記者 譚靜雯)市建局宣布以呎價近6,000元收購觀塘市中心進行重建，出價後短短3個星期，已有超過200個受重建影響的自住物業業主接受收購建議，佔住宅單位總數約3成。不過，市建局物業及土地總監溫兆華表示，最初預計要動用約18億元進行收購/安置，但估計在90日的收購期內，可能只會動用多於一半的金額，即約9億元，即意味收購成本較預期少。

迄今3成業主接受出價

市建局觀塘項目總監李樹榮表示，受觀塘重建影響的住宅單位約有1,300個，當中有600至700個屬自住物業業主，自提出收購建議後，觀塘重建的收購進度良好，並較預期快，至今現有逾200個自住物業業主接受收購建議，平均每個單位的收購金額介乎240至250萬元，共涉及約5億元的收購/安置成本。而業主接受收購建議後約1個月可取得3成的賠償金，料農曆新年後會有更多重建戶置業。他說，200個商舖中，已有5間商舖接受市建局的收購價，當中不乏一些月租高達10多萬元的「大舖」。

受金融海嘯影響，本港樓市前景不明朗。市建局物業及土地總監溫兆華表示，不少重建戶選擇這個時候接受收購，相信業主收到賠償金後都是自住為主，當中同區的淘大花園、麗港城、匯景花園，以及鑽石山的星河明居等較受重建戶歡迎。他說，月華街地盤最快本年中招標建約250個住宅單位。

Kwun Tong tower needs 20-metre cut
24 January 2009
South China Morning Post

The Town Planning Board decided yesterday that a 68-storey building proposed for a revamped Kwun Tong town centre would have to be lowered by 20 metres to avoid becoming an eyesore.

Board members said they were not satisfied with the Urban Renewal Authority's justifications for the 280-metre height of the office-and-hotel tower, which would stand 80 metres above surrounding buildings.

The URA says the proposed tower will meet residents' requests for a landmark in the centre of Kwun Tong.

The board last month delayed approval of the plan pending assurances that it would not create air flow problems or become an eyesore.

The URA argued that a taller, slimmer tower would allow for more ventilation corridors between the tower and any surrounding blocks.

But the Planning Department, in advising board members, said the argument could "hardly be convincing" because the authority's assessment showed the 280-metre tower would only marginally increase air flow when compared with a 220metre structure. The authority checked only the air flow impact of two scenarios: for buildings that were 220 metres and 280 metres tall.

The board approved the master layout plan for the Kwun Tong project, though, as a condition, it required the authority to lower the centrepiece's height by about five storeys, to 260 metres.

Board member and Kwun Tong district councillor Nelson Chan Wah-yu, who had advocated a tall landmark, said he understood the concerns of his fellow members.

"A height reduction will be acceptable to residents as long as the building design is attractive," he said.

The authority has also proposed adding a public observation deck on the 61st-storey to allow for 360-degree panoramic views over the future Kai Tak cruise terminal, Victoria Harbour, Tsim Sha Tsui and Quarry Bay. The deck will include food and drink facilities, and souvenir shops.

Members approved the idea but asked the URA to make sure it would be freely accessible by the public and not incorporated into the hotel area.

20 m cut... What difference does 20 m make? Apparently enough to alter its perception from "landmark" to "eyesore".

But I like the idea of a public observation deck.

any render for the new design?

市建局計錯數重建戶少收百多萬
26 January 2009

【東方日報專訊】今日是大年初一，踏入牛年，觀塘舊區重建計劃將全速進行，不過市區重建局疑計錯數，低估了收購物業的面積。觀塘僑昌大廈業主收到市建局的收購信，赫然發現單位「縮水」了約二百平方呎，以每平方呎近六千元的收購呎價計算，少收賠償額達到百多萬元，業主們已委聘測量師向市建局提交報告覆核。

市建局回應說，收到業主報告後會由顧問核對資料，尤其是核對屋宇署的建築圖則；若發覺面積有需要調整，會修改收購價，並於農曆新年假期後盡快通知業主。若業主覆核成功，這相信是他們牛年收到的一封大利是。

被指報大數 想多收錢

僑昌大廈位於康寧道和物華街交界，樓齡四十多年，樓高三層，每層有十個單位，當中D、F室疑被市建局低估面積。有F室業主說，單位建築面積達七百多平方呎，差餉物業估價署亦指其單位實用面積有五百八十平方呎，以此面積來收差餉，但當收到市建局出價信時嚇了一跳，因市建局指其單位實用面積不足四百平方呎，賠償額只得二百四十多萬元。

該業主表示，當向市建局職員查問時，職員竟指他「報大數，想收多點錢」，令他十分不滿，覺得市建局很離譜。他和其他業主已委聘測量師計算單位面積，並已向市建局提交報告。

業主委聘的測量師李永鈞說，他為觀塘十多座大廈計算面積，與市建局一樣，同樣以從屋宇署取得的建築圖則為依歸，得出數字有些少出入，但多數問題不大，因為建築圖則年代久遠，有些地方模糊不清，出現些少偏差不足為奇，只是僑昌大廈D、F室合共六個單位相差卻很明顯。

李永鈞說：「當時我覺得好奇怪，都驚自己計錯，落去現場睇番，再參考埋屋契，結果都係同我計算按啓合，我懷疑市建局睇錯圖！」他指F室相差約二百呎，D室更相差達二百多呎。

觀塘市中心區重建業主立案法團大聯盟秘書劉偉忠也說：「市建局計錯數好離譜，令業主少收百幾萬；差餉署評估按面積亦較市建局多好多，這已是好有力按證據。」市建局回應時承諾，收到業主報告後會核對資料，若發現需要調整，會在新春假期後盡快通知業主。

市建局：觀塘重建項目已取得三成業權；將獲撥款加大樓宇復修計劃
23 February 2009
經濟通新聞

《經濟通通訊社２３日專訊》市建局主席張震遠表示，下個財政年度，政府會撥款加大樓宇復修計劃，惠及更多業主及樓宇，但他無透露款額。

張震遠透露，市建局觀塘市中心的重建項目，已取得３０％業權，其中６０％自住業主已交出業權。張氏有信心在下月底限期前，可以收購更多物業。至於同區的月華街及灣仔利東街的重建計劃，他說要視乎市場環境，若沒有發展商參與，可能要推遲發展。

觀塘重建戶 覓新居選將軍澳四大屋苑
21 March 2009
星島日報

受市建局收購重建影響，一批觀塘重建戶業主須四出睇樓另覓居所，不少選擇搬往離觀塘區不遠的將軍澳屋苑，當中以將軍澳中心、將軍澳廣場、新都城及東港城較受歡迎。

觀塘重建戶選擇將軍澳屋苑作為日後居所，主因是將軍澳距離原先居住的觀塘區只隔數個港鐵站，樓齡亦較新，部分屋苑樓價與市建局的賠償金額相差無幾，加上在觀塘區未有大型商場apm之前，不少區內居民會前往將軍澳新都城商場購物，故對該區有一定熟悉，較易融入。

揀近港鐵站住宅

屋苑選擇方面，當然以近港鐵站的屋苑優先，且揀樓會以擁有大型商場的寶琳站開始，即會先睇區內最大型屋苑新都城，再視乎需要，轉往其他屋苑如坑口站的東港城，以及將軍澳站的將軍澳中心及將軍澳廣場。重建戶業主鮮少是年輕一輩，不少為有子有女的中年人士，亦有子女均已遷出另居的年長夫婦，故除3房單位外，2 房單位亦是他們的選擇，不過因賠償金額是以原先居住單位的實用面積計算，故此選擇時多會以賠償金額的多寡來決定。

賠償金方面，不論層數高低，市建局開出以每方呎實用面積5,937元作收購，以市場一般計算的建築面積來計，建築面積平均呎價4,750元，足夠買平均呎價約3,500元左右的將軍澳屋苑。

3房入場費250萬

以一個現居於實用面積約500方呎的重建戶而言，可得約297萬元賠償，可買面積相若，如2房面積約500至600方呎的將軍澳中心及將軍澳廣場，入場價約210萬至230萬元。亦可選擇新都城及東港城面積約700方呎的3房單位，該類型單位入場價約250萬元，買入單位後仍有數十萬元餘款。雖然會有重建戶選擇將賠償金額全數用來買樓，但因不少重建戶業主已屆退休之齡，沒有一定入息，故不少業主並不會將所有賠償金放在買樓之上，反會特意選擇較賠償金額為低的單位，用意希望將餘錢用在退休生活上。

中原地產助理區域營業董事李玉祥表示，1月份將軍澳區的睇樓客佔20%為觀塘重建戶，亦帶動該區成交量，「1月份整個將軍澳區錄得約250宗成交，平均呎價3,500元，2月份則錄得約190宗成交，平均呎價約為3,600元，呎價上升約2至3%。」他續指，因重建戶需等賠償金到手，故此已着意聯絡該區未交吉的放盤業主，因該類業主需時換樓，較願意提供長成交期予觀塘重建戶一眾買家。

URA steps up Kwun Tong negotiations
31 March 2009
Hong Kong Standard

The Urban Renewal Authority is to step up negotiations with owners who have yet to accept offers to sell their properties on the site of the Kwun Tong town center redevelopment project.

At the end of a 90-day offer period, 66 percent of so-called property interests agreed to sell their properties.

The authority acquired the consent of 1,088 property interests, out of a total of 1,657.

The percentage was higher among owner-occupiers of residential properties _ 97 percent of them accepted compensation offers.

``We are pleased with the progress of the acquisitions made so far, which demonstrates the enthusiastic support and cooperation of the property owners in project,'' said the authority's director of acquisition and clearance, Joseph Lee King-chi.

``It also shows that the offer price is fair and reasonable.''

Owner-occupiers are generally anxious to improve their living environment, according to the authority.

``Our initial records show that the majority of owner-occupiers have already started looking for a replacement flat, either near Kwun Tong or in Tseung Kwan O,'' Lee said.

Flats in the vicinity in projects such as Laguna City and Sceneway Garden are priced at between HK$3,700 per square foot and HK$4,100 psf, according to Centaline Property Agency.

The authority will continue negotiations with the remaining property owners who have yet to sell their interests to the agency.

Last December, the authority offered HK$5,937 psf of saleable area for a notional seven-year-old apartment on the site of the Kwun Tong town center project.

When the authority's offer price was first announced, some residents had been demanding as much as HK$13,000 psf.

Nice to see one of the most interesting projects worldwide because of the intense focus on praks and vegetation, perfectly fitted in the complex... Cool design, nice general floor plan !

Nice to see one of the most interesting projects worldwide because of the intense focus on praks and vegetation, perfectly fitted in the complex... Cool design, nice general floor plan !

Yes, if they try to pull a big skyscraper project and podiums with no public access, I think there will be great revolt among the populace.

The green movement seems to be picking up pace very rapidly in HK.

Opinion : Urban 'renewal' is more about removal of low-income families
27 April 2009
South China Morning Post

I refer to the letter by Angela Tang of the Urban Renewal Authority ("One of URA's priorities is helping disadvantaged residents", April 14).

She says the URA helps "residents in old districts improve their living conditions" and proceeds to recount the tale of one family affected by its Kwun Tong redevelopment. It transpires that the family resettled in Lam Tin, not in Kwun Tong. As has been pointed out before, there is not one URA redevelopment project that has benefited the original residents of the area by providing them with better living conditions within the same area.

Ms Tang says the URA helps tenants who qualify to move to public housing flats. These are no doubt in out of-the-way districts like Tin Shui Wai. Clearing out lower-income families from urban sites coveted by property developers as comprehensive development zones - in plain language, massive developments that decimate community relationships and extinguish alleys and even entire streets to maximise density - is, after all, the raison d'etre of the URA.

When referring to the provision of "big open spaces [that] offer much-needed retreats in the built-up urban area" Ms Tang refers to Cosco Tower. Although built in 1998, it is only recently that people have been allowed to sit down on this plaza - when the public became aware of its rights to, and the location of, public open spaces.

One might wonder also why the URA is not singing the praises of the soon-to-be-launched URA/New World Hanoi Road redevelopment with its promised 1,200 square metres of landscaped public open space and widened public pavements on the perimeter.

A walk around the block reveals why. The open space has been covered by a massive canopy and ventilation blocked by a multi-storey footbridge. It has all the appearance of a badly-designed aircraft hangar. The landscaping consists of two planter boxes and three palm trees that look ready to keel over.

Oh, and there is not a single original resident anywhere in sight, a developer's dream come true, thanks again to the sterling efforts of the URA.

Mary Melville, Tsim Sha Tsui

市區重建局重建觀塘市中心，傳３億元購得匯豐銀行全幢
26 April 2009
經濟通新聞

市區重建局重建觀塘市中心，正積極與裕民坊內５大家族及業權人洽商收購，目標配合今年中定出住宅及交通交匯處的具體發展時間表。有消息指，市建局將以３億元向匯豐銀行購得裕民坊匯豐銀行全幢，局方正密鑼緊鼓與霍英東家族、邵逸夫旗下的南國物業管理進行收購。

裕民坊業權分散，早年在區內置業的老牌家族及藍籌銀行，包括霍英東家族持有的觀塘道裕民坊大廈，除地舖屬恆生銀行外，其餘樓層均由霍家擁有；另邵逸夫透過旗下南國物管理公司，持有同仁街美都大廈，１７６份業權中，邵氏佔１００份，其餘２２份屬商舖，５４份屬住宅所有。

據了解，霍氏家族及邵氏均未決定向市建局出售業權，而率先接受收購價的，是馬清偉家族大生地產（０００８９）持有的裕華大廈，最近宣布以１﹒２３６億元售予市建局。

另一有機會短期內完成交易的，預料是裕民坊一號匯豐銀行共５層全幢。《香港經濟日報》

大廈變空城 治安恐惡化
20 April 2009

【明報專訊】觀塘市中心收購成功率超出預期，下月將是自住業主搬離重建區的高峰期，原來大廈將十室九空，法團已無法運作，只剩下非自住的業主另組法團，管理質素成疑。有大廈前法團主席促市建局盡快接手，否則等候安置的區內租客將面對治安問題。

料下月搬遷高峰

據市建局的地區調查，重建區約住有1200個家庭，約四成為自住業主，六成為租戶；不少租客平均以每月約700至1000元租住牀位或板間房，租金中位數約1113元。市建局上月底完成首期收購，約500個住宅自住業主中，97％已接受收購，整體業權收購比例約66％。但逾700個租客則有待上樓及補償安置，未有搬遷期限。

以裕民坊國泰大樓為例，50個單位中已有約20個接受收購。法團前主席徐瑋表示，已接受200多萬元補償，並在將軍澳購置新居，準備在5至6月間遷出，其他自住業主亦準備完成交吉程序，估計最快下月踏入搬遷高峰期。

他說，他和大部分法團成員現已失去業主身分，無權再管理大廈，部分拒接納補償的非自住業主，正準備重組法團，但他們長期不在大廈，管理質素成疑。他坦言﹕「自住業主走後，大廈已十室九空，但仍有很多租客要等6至7年才離開，居住時面對治安問題。市建局回覆稱會照交管理費，卻不會全面接管大廈。」

籲市建局接手管理

觀塘分區諮詢委員會成員余冠威說﹕「空置單位衛生情况欠佳，居民甚至會留下食物殘渣任由腐爛，但市建局收樓鎖上大門便算，道友也會走來非法佔用，治安問題教人擔心」他指個別大廈的管理處保安缺乏執法能力，促市建局為整個地區訂下保安策略。

URA goes green with $270m upgrades
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Urban Renewal Authority plans to spend about HK$270 million on environment-friendly upgrades for Wan Chai's Lee Tung Street and Kwun Tong town center redevelopment projects.

The green drive is to encourage developers and the community to adopt more environment-friendly practices, authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said yesterday.

The authority's new policy on environmental sustainability covers designs and devices to improve energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling.

It promotes greening, the use of eco- friendly building materials and reducing construction waste, and will be applied to future urban renewal initiatives and be binding on prospective developers.

Costing about 2 percent of total development costs, the environmental add- ons will be piloted at the Lee Tung Street development, which will receive HK$20 million to serve as a landmark and testbed for the new policy.

Cheung said the upgrades will reduce carbon emissions by up to 23 percent, or the carbon-saving equivalent of about 17 percent of the one million trees planted by the government annually.

The tender for the HK$2 billion project was launched on Monday last week and will close on June 15.

Eco-upgrades to the HK$30 billion Kwun Tong town center project are expected to cost HK$250 million.

Project add-ons include sun-shading for windows, energy efficient lighting, lifts and escalators, and water-cooled air- conditioning and heat recovery systems.

Cheung said the authority is happy to foot the bill, but he hopes growing awareness will lead to an industry-wide shift to developers and buyers shouldering the costs of going green.

The authority is also exploring the use of high thermal performance fabrics in windows to improve insulation and cut the "heat island" effect. Solar-power street lamps are being considered too.

Lower lighting power and densities will be explored through light emitting diode fixtures, along with more efficient air-conditioning devices including carbon dioxide detectors to regulate the amount of fresh air drawn.

觀塘重建 賠償乃燙手山芋
15 May 2009
香港經濟日報

市區重建局剛公布在為期三個月的收購期內，已成功收購觀塘市中心重建項目中的1,088個物業業權，即佔1,657個總業權數目約六成六，當中自住住宅物業接受收購建議的比率更達百分之九十七；從而反映出觀塘居民對重建的期待云云。

賠償事關利益 諮詢難達共識

事實上，對於今次的重建計劃仍有部分持份者感到不滿意，作為執行機構的市建局究竟有否盡力滿足和解決相關的問題呢？筆者嘗試從規劃及賠償這二方面作客觀的評審。

首先，早前城規會審議市建局提交的觀塘市中心重建發展規劃大綱申請時，要求市建局再作若干的修訂，特別是針對重建後地標建築的高度及其設施用途。既然市區重建目的是為改善市民生活、更生市容為本，市建局也不妨再作修訂的考慮。結果市建局最終修改了其發展計劃，將樓宇層數降低以回應城規會的意見，雖然有批評重建項目的地積比率仍高，但相對過往的重建項目，今次市建局的做法算相當克制。

話說回來，對受影響的居民來說，賠償問題始終是最貼身的，但對市建局來說，亦如其主席所言「賠償往往是市區重建的燙手山芋」，換句話說，市建局很多時會被賠償金額多寡，來決定其工作的合法性和合理性。然而這指標則因人而異，例如重置居所大細、樓齡和位置等各有喜好，結果爭拗無可避免，最後市建局當然被質疑其重建工作的合理性。因此無論其做了多少場的諮詢會和工作坊，到頭來反被批評-收購「撳住搶」和無視「以民為本」重建理念。無論面對如何的批評，市建局所持的理念若是面對居民合理的要求，而能力許可的話必須納之，相反無理的必抗之。不過筆者仍覺得市建局的若能多些寬容實有助解決受重建影響居民的困難。

而觀塘市中心重建所引起的賠償爭拗，正好讓讀者們了解重建困難之處，何謂合理賠償？是不易釐定標準的。依據市建局日前正式公布觀塘收購呎價約為6,000元，差不多是現時物業市值的2.5倍，此呎價由十一位測計師所釐定出的平均呎價，照理應甚具代表性，惟代表業主的測計師指呎價應為8,000多元，雙方差距接近四成幾，因此引起業主不滿，並強調不會接受收購。問題相信出於雙方選取的參考物業位置和區域不同，引致結果差異，舉例說你認為觀塘區與金鐘、天后、佐敦、藍田、鑽石山和牛頭角那個區份的人口結構、居住環境、職業和人均收入較接近呢？相信不同市民有不同標準，難以比較，誠然要把雙方的分歧縮窄顯然不是易事，但綜觀其他專業意見似乎也認同市建局出價合理及符合市場的估計，因此我相信市建局在這方面會堅持其原則。

倡聘第三方測計師 評估呎價

但從今次事件中凸顯幾個事項，市建局需要再跟進的，第一，如何協助賠償額足以重置物業的居民，而當中絕大部分居於不足400呎的單位內的；第二，計算賠償應修訂以建築或售樓面積為量度準則，避免因用實用面積令業主混淆以為存心少給賠償；第三，參照外國經驗由發展局邀請合資格測計師，受聘為獨立第三方的測計師作呎價評估，前提是市建局及受影響業主均需一致承認獨立測計師的評估結果，避免事後爭拗。筆者這幾個建議希望有助改善目前重建收購的困局。

Urban Renewal Authority Plans HKD Bond Issue -Source
23 June 2009

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong's Urban Renewal Authority will seek to raise HK$1 billion-HK$2 billion from a local-currency bond issue in the second half, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

The local-currency bond market in East Asia is expanding as more governments and companies turn to their domestic debt markets for financing amid the credit crunch in developed economies.

Local bankers said investors in Hong Kong are hungry for safer investment and local-currency bonds by reputable issuers will probably be very well received.

The Urban Renewal Authority, which redevelops old neighborhoods in Hong Kong, plans to mandate banks to arrange the bond sale as soon as next month, the person said.

URA is redeveloping several projects in Hong Kong. The Kwun Tong Town Centre Project in east Kowloon is its biggest single project at present and will require investment of up to HK$12 billion.

The Kwun Tong project has a site area of 53,500 square meters and URA plans to develop it into mixed residential and commercial use with a gross floor area of 401,250 square meters, it said on its Web site.

URA's cash on hand totals more than HK$10 billion, the Web site said.

URA is government body in which all 15 members of the board are appointed by Hong Kong's chief executive.

URA doesn't have any credit ratings, but as a government body its implied ratings are those of the Hong Kong government. Hong Kong's sovereign debt is rated AA-plus by Standard & Poor's and AA by Fitch Ratings.

The latest local-currency bonds in Hong Kong were issued by blue-chip utility Hong Kong & China Gas Co., which raised HK$1.10 billion in 10-year and 15-year bonds late last month.

The Hong Kong government said it intends to sell bonds worth up to HK$100 billion - mostly in Hong Kong dollars and a small fraction of it will be in U.S. dollars - in tranches over the coming years.

The government has said the market will likely able to absorb around HK$10 billion to HK$20 billion worth of government bonds every year.

But Anita Fung, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp.'s head of global markets in Asia Pacific, said last month: "Given Hong Kong dollar deposits exceed HK$3 trillion, excluding funds held by insurers and institutional investors, HK$100 billion is only a small fraction and will be absorbed by the market easily."

市建局勁蝕45億擬發債融資
17 June 2009
信報

由於須為觀塘市中心重建項目作大額撥備，市建局去年度錄得自成立八年以來最大虧損，達四十五億元。局方擬於今年落實發債及銀行融資。 發展局表示，去年的虧損中，約有四十億元是為觀塘市中心項目作虧損撥備。有測量師表示，撥備與去年整體樓市大跌有關；現在樓市雖然回升，但整個項目發展期長達十二年，期間樓價波動都可能影響回報。

觀塘項目撥備40億第一太平戴維斯估值及專業顧問董事總經理陳超國表示，一般重建項目有利可圖之處在於舊樓未盡用地積比，重建可增加樓面面積；但該區的規劃被降低了地積比（由八倍降至七點五倍，削減住宅面積二十八萬八千方呎），又降低了高度限制，削弱發展潛力，故整個項目要虧本亦是意料之中。因應社會訴求，市建局的發展策略有所改變，除多次降低發展密度外，亦注重強化保育元素。去年十一月該局決定，大幅縮減士丹頓街項目的重建樓面，部分改為復修，又削減四成半總樓面面積，令項目由賺錢變虧本。發展局局長林鄭月娥(下圖)曾表示，倘為文化保育工作，即使項目錄得虧蝕亦值得支持。市建局主席張震遠於三月曾表示，觀塘重建計劃中，自住業主中已有超過八成接納收購方案，收購進度理想。

學者料發債逾10億美元根據市建局業務綱領，未來五年將推出十五個項目，以及繼續推行三十九個項目，預計所需總開支二百零二億元。而截至今年三月底，該局持現金七十七億元。發展局表示，資金缺口除批出項目讓資金回流外，市建局亦將於今年度發債及向銀行借貸。在此之前，市建局從未曾向外舉債。中大工商管理學院副院長蘇偉文表示，發債的成本低於銀團貸款，由於要抵銷手續費，因此，發債券規模不少於十億美元。他表示，即使香港債市不活躍，對其發債亦影響不大，因為不少基金如退休基金等都願意持有債券收息直至期滿。去年十二月，標準普爾給予市建局「AA+」信貸評級。不少公營機構透過發債集資，九鐵於四月推出三十億美元的中期債券計劃，由花旗銀行、德意志銀行及滙豐銀行安排，主要用作償還未來十二個月合共二十億美元的債券及票據，以及支付九龍南線尚餘工程開支。九鐵借此在國際資本市場以多種貨幣、利率結構及年期發行債務證券■

觀塘業權已購8成 冀年底動工
24 June 2009
文匯報

【本報訊】（記者 譚靜雯）市區重建局歷來最大型的觀塘市中心重建項目，該局至今已成功收購約80%物業業權，其中，自住物業業主的收購比率更高達97%，成為該局成立以來反應最踴躍的一次，打破歷來的收購紀錄。

收購順利 呎價4800至5900

市建局主席張震遠表示，月華街巴士總站將於今年7月搬往福塘道後騰出的地盤，市建局最快下半年招標，月華街首階段重建工程可望年底前動工，預計最快2013年落成。

觀塘市中心重建項目共有1,657個物業業權，市建局去年年底提出以實用面積每平方呎價5,973元，即建築面積約每平方呎價 4,800元收購有關業權。張震遠表示，受觀塘重建影響的物業收購進度順利，反映市建局提出的收購建議公平、合理，而部分業主領取賠償後，已在觀塘或將軍澳購入新居所。

另方面，市建局跟進130名自住物業業主獲賠償後的置業去向，調查發現，40%業主在觀塘重置物業、於將軍澳、九龍東置業的則分別佔15%，其餘30%人士則在其他地區置業。

月華街重建財團勢搶
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2009年07月03日(五)

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剛於上月批出灣仔喜帖街項目發展權的市建局，趁市場氣氛持續向好，緊接於今日為觀塘月華街住宅重建項目招收發展意向書。該地雖屬單幢式發展，只提供約 300伙住宅，但由於屬整個觀塘市中心重建項目首期，發展商若取得發展權，將可發揮「插旗」效應，有利日後爭取其餘發展期數；其中新地已率先表明有興趣參與該項目。
屬首期發展 樓高40層

市建局剛於上月底批出喜帖街重建項目發展權不久，迅速於今日再邀請發展商就月華街項目提交意向書，截止日期為七月十日。觀塘市中心重建項目將分5期重建，其中月華街地盤屬首期發展，該地盤與市中心重建主地盤僅一街之隔，佔地約4.66萬方呎，可建1幢40層高物業，包括5層高基座，總發展樓面29.96萬方呎，其中住宅發展樓面佔23.29萬方呎，而基座內會有3層公眾健康院、1層停車場及1層會所，料於二○一三年完工。
市建局主席張震遠

新地代理執行董事雷霆指出，項目位置理想，加上觀塘區正在蛻變中，發展潛力大，因此集團有興趣。美聯測量師行林子彬估計，項目每方呎地價約5,000元，即地價估值約11.6億元，項目雖包括健康院的發展，會增加發展成本，但只要配合適當設計，相信不會減低投資價值。
插旗效應惹爭奪

韋堅信測量師行林晉超稱，為發揮「插旗」效應，料發展商會爭奪月華街項目，以利日後爭取觀塘市中心重建的其他期數。

月華街地盤屬觀塘市中心重建的首期發展，其餘四期發展均位於主地盤。據悉，觀塘市中心主地盤收購進度理想，整體業權收購比率已達八成，其中自住物業的收購比率更高達97%，為歷來最好，因此擬將重建步伐加快一至兩年，項目將建4幢46至52層高綜合發展物業，包括住宅、酒店、寫字樓及商場等，提供約 1,700伙住宅單位。

發展商近年為求吸納市區靚地，爭相入標競投市建局的重建項目。上月截標的灣仔喜帖街商住發展吸引7家發展商爭奪，由信置及合和合組的財團奪得。信和集團執行董事楊光稱，喜帖街項目擬提供共800伙住宅。

15 builders interested in Kwun Tong project
11 July 2009
South China Morning Post

The first phase of the HK$30 billion Kwun Tong bus terminal redevelopment project has attracted expressions of interest from 15 developers, reflecting renewed interest in land acquisition following a rebound in the property market.

The developers include Sun Hung Kai Properties, Cheung Kong (Holdings), Sino Land, Henderson Land Development, Kerry Properties, Nan Fung Development, China Overseas Land, New World Development, K Wah International, Kowloon Development and Wheelock Properties.

The Urban Renewal Authority's Yuet Wah Street project will be put up for tender after the qualified developers have been shortlisted.

Surveyors estimated the investment cost of the project to be about HK$1.5 billion.

The 46,565 square foot site at the junction of Hip Wo Street and Yuet Wah Street could become a 40-storey residential building with a total gross floor area of 299,562 sq ft, providing about 300 units. The winning bidder will be responsible for building a public health centre as part of the project.

The Kwun Tong redevelopment project is the biggest undertaken by the Urban Renewal Authority.

There was expected to be some aggressive bidding as the eventual winner was likely to have an advantage when the second and largest phase of the project came up for grabs, said surveyor Albert So Chun-hin. "Another reason is developers have found it difficult to trigger land sales from the government's land application list. Bidding for the URA project is the only way for them to replenish their land banks," he said.

Sun Hung Kai Properties' Latitude development in San Po Kong was the last project to be launched in Kowloon East when average property prices reached about HK$7,800 per square foot in April.

Mr So believes the property prices of the Yuet Wah Street project would be more than HK$8,000 per square foot as the location is better.

After almost half a century, the credits roll for Silver Theatre
14 July 2009
SCMP

Without fanfare, and barely noticed by nearby residents, the curtain has been quietly lowered on the last pro-Beijing cinema in Hong Kong, closing a chapter in the city's movie history.

Opened on September 7, 1963, the Silver Theatre in Kwun Tong closed on Thursday after 46 years, during which it showed films about the lives of local people under colonialism, patriotic mainland movies and, later, mainstream films.

But many did not realise it had gone until they saw a notice posted at the cinema's entrance in Yue Man Square yesterday, declaring: "Due to redevelopment of the district, we announce our glorious closure after 46 years of service."

Sil-Metropole Organisation, which owned the cinema and had a 70 per cent interest in the building, said it had shut down in a deal with the Urban Renewal Authority, which plans a massive rebuilding of Kwun Tong.

"We have lost quite a lot of money in the cinema's operation," a spokesman for the company said.

There were once four pro-Beijing cinemas in Hong Kong, but the Silver was the last.

Yesterday, knots of people gathered outside the building, reading the notice and reminiscing about the theatre.

"This cinema brought me many good memories," said a Mr Chu, who is in his late 50s and has lived in Kwun Tong since he was a child.

"I went to the cinema a lot when I was small," he said. "What a pity that it has folded. All I have now is memories of some fine moments of my childhood relating to the cinema."

But Mr Chan, a stall owner in his early 50s who sells baby clothes in a nearby market, said it was time to move on.

"Without demolishing old buildings, how can we have new ones? The redevelopment has already dragged on for too long," he said.

After a delay of more than 10 years, the authority announced its redevelopment plan, which includes the Silver Theatre Building, last year. The HK$30 billion project, to be carried out in five phases spanning more than 12 years, affects about 5,000 residents, 520 shops and 1,656 property owners.

An honorary adviser to the Museum of History, Cheng Po-hung, said the Silver Theatre experienced its best times before the 1970s.

"It used to show many good films depicting the reality of Hong Kong, like the lives of fishermen and people in squatter areas. These films were produced to criticise the British government for failing to take care of the people," he said.

"Later, it showed many patriotic films of China without many patrons. Since the 1980s, it has changed its direction again as it tried to integrate with the mainstream due to market concerns.

"It is the last cinema of its kind. Other pro-Beijing cinemas - South Pacific Theatre, South China Theatre and Astor Theatre - closed a few years ago. I will say its mission as a pro-Beijing theatre has ended."

Perry Lam, a film and cultural critic, agreed.

"The cinema has ended its days as a propaganda machine for the promotion of mainland China. Nowadays, there are so many other ways and so many organisations doing the job," Mr Lam said.

Fung Lam, 84, a veteran actor and former director of the actors' division at the Sil-Metropole Organisation, said the cinema would be sadly missed. She recalled that it had screened many famous films produced by pro-Beijing filmmaking companies, such as

Those 72 Tenants and Sha Chia Pang.

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發展商空群而出爭月華街項目
11 July 2009
信報

在補充土儲困難的情況下，觀塘市中心重建項目第一期月華街項目接獲十五份意向書，與利東街項目所接獲的意向書相同，反應算理想。包括長實（001）、新地（016）、恒地（012）、新世界發展（017）、會德豐地產（049）及南豐等大型地產商均遞交意向書。 其餘遞交意向書的發展商包括信置（083）、嘉華、嘉里（683）、中海（688）、九建（034）、富聯國際（369）及恒隆地產（101）。不過，富豪（078）、合和（054）及太古地產則沒有遞交意向書，市建局預計招標工作將在短期內展開。

靚地條件吸引 南豐發展董事總經理蔡宏興指出，觀塘是一個成熟的地區，交通方便，而月華街項目發展規模不大，發展成本不高，不少發展商感興趣。他又稱，月華街項目是觀塘巿中心大型重建項目第一期，惟取得月華街項目的發展權，也不代表可以取得其他期數發展權，故發展商將獨立考慮月華街項目的標價。會德豐地產執行董事黃光耀表示，本港經濟環境穩定，外圍負面消息不多，在低息環境下，樓市向好，不少發展商有意增加土儲，建議當局在適當時候考慮優化勾地制度，刺激勾地意欲。根據勾地制度，提出勾地申請的發展商事前準備工作繁多，同時又要承受市況波動的風險，故此甚少發展商願意提出勾地申請。他又稱，市建局項目有既定程序，且規模往往較小，適合中、小型發展商需要。

觀塘渴求新盤 除港鐵（066）鐵路上蓋沿線上蓋及市建局市區重建項目外，不少發展商透過舊樓重建增加土儲。黃光耀稱，倘若強制收樓舊樓的門檻日後能夠降至八成，將有助發展商透過舊樓重建補充土儲。 美聯測量師行董事林子彬表示，自從麗港城、匯景花園、裕民中心等屋苑落成後，觀塘多年來未有新盤供應，惟區內人口眾多，換樓需求又大。他又稱，鄰近觀塘港鐵站的月華街項目，屬難得市區住宅靚地，故受發展商歡迎。 他又稱，估計住宅部分每呎樓面地價五千元，整個項目地價十一億六千萬元。 資料顯示，月華街項目將重建為一幢四十層高樓宇，提供三百個單位，預計二○一四年落成■

月華街項目擬增環保條款
14 July 2009
信報

市區重建局旗下的觀塘市中心重建第一期月華街項目日前接獲十五份意向書後，計劃暑假正式招標。 市建局主席張震遠出席《金融時報》城市更新峰會時表示，觀塘巿中心項目收購業權比率超過八成，其中自住業主比率更高達九成七至九成八。整個項目原定分五期發展，月華街項目是第一期，倘若收購進度理想，不排除減少發展數期。他預期，月華街項目暑期推出招標，將加入環保條款。 他重申，該局下半年發行港元債券，惟細節未定。該局早前指出，發行規模介乎十至二十億元，首批發債對象為機構投資者。 另一方面，由房協統籌的深水埗福榮街重建項目收樓期限屆滿，執達吏昨天上門收樓■

「原居民」查詢 睇樓增 觀塘重建激活東九龍沿綫屋苑
11 July 2009
星島日報

舊區重建為社區帶來新貌，刺激區內以至鄰區樓市表現。如市建局的觀塘市中心大型重建計畫，首階段的月華街重建項目剛截收意向，往後尚有多個相關項目排隊登場，今次直擊東九龍多個重點港鐵站如彩虹、九龍灣、藍田及油塘站一帶屋苑，樓價如何拾級而上。

7月初，市建局為觀塘月華街重建項目邀請發展商遞交意向，令這個觀塘大型重建計畫又再成為近期焦點，而項目亦剛於周五（10日）截收意向，多家財團亦已遞交意向。

觀塘重建計畫是市建局歷來最大型的重建項目，將分5個階段進行，估計總投資額達300億元，重建範圍包括觀塘道、物華街、協和街、康寧道及裕民坊等，將來會搖身一變，發展成新社區，包括綜合公共服務，商業及住宅發展，中央廣場、多用途文化康樂設施、診所、小販市場、寫字樓、酒店、商場等。

重建項目5階段進行

今次招意向的月華街重建項目，屬首階段發展，可為整個計畫起着指標作用。這幅位於協和街及月華街交界的地皮，現巴士總站位置，面積46,566方呎，將建1幢可提供300個住宅單位的物業，物業另附設健康院。

其實市建局於去年12月底，已向觀塘重建項目逾1,600個物業的業主發出收購建議信，補償價按實用面積計為平均每方呎5,937元，截止回覆為今年3月底，截止時間雖已過，但往後的這段時間其實亦有為數不少的潛在買家及租客四出睇樓及入市。

遷拆戶成樓市生力軍

正所謂住開有感情，其實大部分打算入市的重建戶，都因希望新居環境較接近觀塘區，而會選擇於東九龍區置業。若他們擁有的單位，實用面積約400方呎計，獲賠償金額約有230餘萬元，是一批頗具潛力的買家，這個利好因素亦間接帶挈東九龍區，尤其是港鐵沿綫屋苑的睇樓量及樓價。

要數最受惠的東九龍港鐵沿綫屋苑，相信非毗鄰港鐵藍田站及九龍灣站的幾個指標及上車屋苑莫屬，這些屋苑現時部分2房戶入場價約170萬元，至於想加少少錢換3房的話，則由330萬元起。

觀塘月華街地盤

位置 觀塘協和街及月華街交界
地皮面積 6,566方呎
用途 住宅(另附設健康院)
可建總樓面 299,568方呎
住宅座數 1幢
單位 約300伙

Loss of the Silver Theatre
27 July 2009
South China Morning Post

Kwun Tong's Silver Theatre, the last of four pro-Beijing theatres that once operated in the city, closed on July 9 after 46 years, during which it showed films about the lives of local people under colonialism, patriotic mainland movies and, later, mainstream films. But the theatre, which is making way for a redevelopment project, hasn't been forgotten by Chui Hin-wai, 52, theatre management department manager of the Sil-Metropole Organisation that operated the theatre. He shares his memories of 34 years in the entertainment industry with CityChat.

"I went into the cinema industry in 1975, when I was 18 years old. I first worked at the Ruby Theatre in To Kwa Wan, which was also owned by Sil-Metropole and opened in 1964. At the Ruby I was an usher to begin with. After several months, I thought of quitting and trying something else, but the management wanted me to stay. Afterwards, I was told to work in different departments - the art department, the ticket office and the film promotion department. I learned a lot of things. By 1981, I was house manager and had to deal with all matters in the cinema. In 1988, I became the manager of Sil-Metropole's theatre management department and have managed the company's cinema business until now.

"As far as I know, the Silver Theatre was built and opened for business in Kwun Tong in September 1963. In the 1960s, Kwun Tong was a new town. There were fewer people and fewer entertainment places. The Silver Theatre became one of the main entertainment venues at the time. The audiences were mainly families. Adults took along their kids to watch films. Sometimes I heard of kids following strangers into the cinema. Some kids who could not get inside even stood behind the curtain at the door and stole a glance at the film.

"Many years ago, there were different ticket prices for front seats, middle seats and back seats. The front seats were cheapest but sometimes people bought front seat tickets and sat at the back. Many different types of people visited the cinema - some of them very odd and some of them drunk.

"When I worked at the Ruby Theatre, the relationship among colleagues was like a big family. There was a canteen and dormitories, and we worked and lived together. In the 1970s, at least 40 people worked at the cinema. I recall some interesting stories ... About a year ago an old man got locked inside when it closed for the night. There were many false fire alarms and I called firefighters to the cinema several times but no fire really broke out.

"The Silver Theatre experienced good times in the 1970s and 1980s. Several hundred people would queue outside for tickets and revenue was more than HK$1 million a month. The cinema was about 80 per cent full in those days. The good times continued until the 1990s. But the bad times came in 2000. After that audience numbers fell as low as 4 per cent of capacity - about 16 people.

"Sometimes, if there was a popular film, a few hundred people watched it. But this was not often seen in recent years, except on public holidays and the summer break. The reasons for the low revenue could be explained by the bad film market and the Silver Theatre's structural difficulties. The old cinema lacked competitiveness in the cinema market. It could not compete with all the newer ones being opened. That was natural.

"Until 1990, the Silver was one large cinema seating 1,000 people. But then I had it divided into two houses with 440 seats and 804 seats so we could show a greater variety of films. In 2000, I kept the 440-seat house and rented the other one out.

"There were differences between old cinemas like the Silver and mainstream theatres in the city. The operators of most old cinemas also owned the building. But most mainstream cinemas these days can be found in rented premises in shopping malls.

"Although the Silver Theatre has closed, I am proud that I successfully changed it from one large house to two smaller houses and then rented part of it to boost revenue. When the redevelopment project is finished, I want the Silver Theatre to reopen and continue to serve the public. For me, I will continue to work in the industry as long as I can."

Kwun Tong site draws 20 developers

About 20 property developers are interested in acquiring a Kwun Tong residential development estimated to cost HK$4.5 billion, which shows strong demand for housing in the area, according to Centaline Property Agency.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

About 20 property developers are interested in acquiring a Kwun Tong residential development estimated to cost HK$4.5 billion, which shows strong demand for housing in the area, according to Centaline Property Agency.

Flat owners of Kai Tak Mansion, who appointed Centaline as agent for the auction, are seeking interested parties to buy property rights in the residential area.

The tender agent has acquired more than 90 percent of ownership rights for the development, which consists of four blocks, with a site size of about 61,500 square feet, according to James Cheung King-tat, Centaline Surveyors director. The site has a maximum plot ratio of 7.5 times.

Including land premium, the Kwun Tong redevelopment project is estimated to cost about HK$8,100 per square foot, or a total of HK$4.5 billion, Cheung said. Developers must tender offers by September 9. A building representative surnamed Chung hopes the government's proposal to lower the threshold for compulsory sale for redevelopment projects will pass.

Rocky Wong Chun-wai, Centaline's senior sales director for Kowloon, said that the completed volume of flats in Kwun Tong is very limited with only 185 flats coming on stream this year and he sees no fresh supply for 2010.

In The Latitude in San Po Kong, Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016) had one customer buying more than 20 flats.

Meanwhile, agent Ricacorp Properties said home prices of more than 70 percent of 50 large housing estates in Hong Kong are now back to levels that existed before the financial crisis last year. Their average selling price is HK$4,646 psf, up 21.3 percent from last December.

ALFRED LIU




Source: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_print.asp?art_id=85584&sid=24753609

Cool project

I find it hard to believe anyone will want to pay $8000/square foot in Kwun Tong.

Old Kwun Tong
Source : http://www.pbase.com/hltam/kwuntong

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張震遠：觀塘重建收樓已逾八成，關注褔榮街商戶要求
12 July 2009

《經濟通通訊社１３日專訊》市區重建局主席張震遠出席峰會後表示，觀塘月華街重建項目已邀請發展商提交意向書，並將於暑期期間進行招標，該項目亦需要符合一定環保條款，市建局將來發展的項目，亦必需包含環保設計及設施。

他又指，整個觀塘重建項目，８０％以上的業權已經收購完成，當中自住的單位收購情況更達到９７％至９８％，觀塘重建項目合共有五期，月華街屬重建計劃第一期，希望整個項目發展愈短時間完成愈好。

另外，有褔榮街商戶不滿意收樓條件作出抗爭，他則表示，事件正由房協處理中，市建局一向對商戶賠償均十分關注，並希望將之優化，繼續觀察事態發展。

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Old banyan among 21 trees threatened by redevelopment
21 September 2009
South China Morning Post

Conservationists and residents in Kwun Tong have raised concerns about an urban renewal plan that threatens 21 trees, including a large banyan.

Under the plan, a bus terminus at Yuet Wah Street is making way for a clinic and residential block. There is a large banyan on the site, which a botanist estimates is about 40 years old, along with 20 other trees.

An Urban Renewal Authority spokesman said some of the trees had to be moved, including the banyan, because of the design plans.

Conservationists are calling on the URA and the developers to show flexibility in the planning and do what they can to ensure the area keeps its leafy coverage.

"These trees all stand on the edge of the site, which can be easily preserved with design and some care," Green Sense spokesman Roy Tam Hoi-pong said.

Nearby to the south, Yue Man Square is also being cleared of small, rundown buildings and will be replaced by four residential towers and a commercial building. Old and valuable trees at that site, however, are being preserved.

Green Sense had spoken with three of 14 developers interested in the Yuet Wah Street project, and one said it was willing to leave the banyan tree where it was.

That may not be possible, however. The banyan blocks what would be the entrance to the clinic, the URA spokesman added. It was possible to accommodate the tree in the final design, though this was not certain.

A spokesman said the project's tender document specified which trees were to be transplanted, and it included the banyan. The developer would need to come up with a tree-management plan. The banyan would be temporarily planted in a nursery bed and then transplanted to the main site when it was cleared.

Even though the URA said yesterday that there was a plan to relocate the banyan, Tam said it would cost millions of dollars. And the tree could still be damaged.

Professor Jim Chi-yung, a tree expert at University of Hong Kong, said transplanting the tree twice would pose more risk to its survival.

"On-site preservation is always the best option, but if this is impossible, phased root-pruning should take place now in order to give the tree enough time for recovery," the professor said.

"There should not be a midway stop in transplantation."

Au Yeung Kim-wai, a resident on Yuet Wah Street, said the big tree could provide shade for people and should be allowed to stay because there were very few trees in the Kwun Tong district.

Kwun Tong redevelopment could be ready three years early
24 November 2009
South China Morning Post

A residential project and the public transport interchange in the Kwun Tong town centre redevelopment could be put on the market three years earlier than planned, as the Urban Renewal Authority is considering enlarging the scale of the phase-two redevelopment.

The redevelopment project, which is divided into five phases, is expected to be completed in 2021.

The authority awarded the phase-one redevelopment in Yuet Wah Street to Sino Land last month and is about to start the second phase.

This covers a residential project and a public transport interchange at Yan Oi Court and Fu Yan Street.

The authority is considering extending it to the phase-four area, along Hong Ning Road, which was originally scheduled to be completed in 2019.

The phase-four area covers a street of shops, a market for hawkers, a residential project and another half of the public transport interchange in Hong Ning Road. Integrating the two phases of redevelopment would provide people with public transport and places to dine and shop, the authority said.

If the proposal is agreed to by the district council, the phase-four area could be completed three years earlier, in 2016, while phase two would still be on schedule for completion in 2015.

But enlarging the redevelopment area may have a greater impact on the local transport network. The authority will solicit the views of the Kwun Tong District Council and carry out a transport impact assessment before reaching a decision on whether to speed up the redevelopment.

Kwun Tong renewal project hits snag
8 January 2010
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority is having difficulty taking over the remaining properties for the Kwun Tong redevelopment project because some owners are holding on to their shops or flats in the hope prices will rise further.

Authority managing director Quinn Law Yee-kwan told a year-end press briefing yesterday that about 80 per cent of the property interests in the area had been acquired last year but the process was slowing down for the remainder.

The situation was the same at 10 other redevelopment projects.

"Many owners are expecting the property market will continue to do well and they are not willing to sell their units yet," Law said. The owners are mostly investors who did not occupy the flats or shops themselves.

The slowdown may delay the redevelopment and the authority may have to pay more compensation, but Law said it had adequate cash to cope with the risks. He declined to reveal its cash balance.

Kwun Tong, the largest of the authority's renewal projects, involves 1,657 property interests and will offer 2,000 flats.

The authority is planning to condense the four-phase development into three so that a hawker bazaar and a public transport interchange can be set up as soon as possible after residents move in. The first phase is expected to be finished by 2014.

Asked whether the authority would build more affordable flats for homeseekers in future - some recently completed projects such as the Masterpiece in Tsim Sha Tsui have been marketed as luxury apartments - Law said it was up to the market to determine the sale price.

He added that half of the 1,700 flats the authority would supply in the next 18 months would be smaller than 600 square feet.

Meanwhile, the review of the urban renewal strategy is entering the third phase of consultation.

The authority will hold a forum tomorrow for seven district councils that cover old urban areas to share the initial findings of research it sponsored on areas that residents wish to see redeveloped.

Source : http://www.pbase.com/caveman_lee/image/55114270

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LCQ9: Maintenance of buildings acquired by Urban Renewal Authority
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-kin and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (March 3):

Question:

Some residents of Kwun Tong have relayed to me that due to a prolonged lack of maintenance of the buildings in Yue Man Square and its vicinity which have been acquired by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), tin plates on the rooftop of the buildings were once blown away and fell down, and it was lucky that no one was hurt. Furthermore, some members of the public have pointed out that as the Kwun Tong Town Centre Project and Mong Kok's Sai Yee Street Project cover relatively large redevelopment areas, it will therefore take some time before demolition and redevelopment works formally commence; yet, in the meantime, the buildings acquired by URA may become potential bombs in the city. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:

(a) if there were accidents in the past five years which were caused by the lack of maintenance of old buildings already acquired by URA but pending redevelopment; if so, the numbers and nature of such accidents;

(b) if URA will appropriately maintain the flats and buildings it has acquired but pending redevelopment, such as regularly inspecting them and removing the dangerous illegal structures therein, with a view to ensure that such buildings are structurally safe and will not pose danger to the pedestrians nearby; if not, the reasons for that, and

(c) the total amount of funding URA committed in the past five years to the maintenance and management of the flats and buildings it has acquired but pending redevelopment?

Reply:

President,

(a) According to the records of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), there was only one accident related to the buildings acquired by the URA pending redevelopment in the past five years (2005-2009). The accident involved the power transformer of a signboard which fell and hit the windscreen of the upper deck of a bus that was passing by. There were no injuries in the incident. The URA commissioned a contractor to remove the signboard right away and carried out inspection on all signboards within the project area to ensure public safety. As regards some Kwun Tong residents' allegation on the blowing off and falling down of tin plates from the rooftop of buildings acquired by the URA, the URA has no such records.

(b) The URA attaches much importance to the conditions of the buildings it has acquired within its redevelopment projects. The URA has engaged building consultants to inspect the buildings regularly, and whenever necessary, so as to prevent these buildings from posing danger to the surrounding environment and to the public, and to take follow-up action as required. The inspections cover the external walls and the common areas of the buildings. If any potential danger is identified, the URA will take immediate action.

(c) Over the past five years, the URA has spent about $17 million on maintenance-related works for the acquired buildings pending redevelopment. The expenses covered the costs for commissioning of consultants and the actual maintenance works. About 550 buildings and 6,000 flats were involved.

The URA has also set up a designated team to deal with the management of the acquired buildings.

In addition, in view of security concerns arising from the gradual moving out of affected residents from the URA redevelopment project areas, the URA will employ security companies to carry out round-the-clock patrol at the buildings it has acquired, including the common areas of those buildings until the commencement of the redevelopment work. The cost of employing security companies over the past five years amounted to about $11 million.

垃圾灣闢鬧市 觀塘再變身
20 March 2010

【明報專訊】觀塘，香港第一個衛星城市。香港歷史研究者鄭寶鴻指出，開埠初期，觀塘是一片山丘及海灣，因海灣用作堆填垃圾，故戰前名叫「垃圾灣」，日治時期命名「塵芥灣」，塵芥日本字意思解作垃圾。50年代，政府決定將香港發展為工業港，並於1957年將觀塘開闢為工業區，大量工人湧入觀塘謀生，勞動階層亦應運而生。為應付工人日常生活需要及相應配套，政府於1959年全面發展觀塘市中心，開闢裕民坊作商住用途。

Kwun Tong is HK's first satellite town. In the 1950s the government envisioned an industrialization strategy for HK, and an industrial zone was established here in 1957. In 1959, a district centre was developed around Yue Man Square.

市建局觀塘項目總監李樹榮指出，過去50年，觀塘人口由當初的6萬激增至今天的60萬，商住空間不敷應用。裕民坊一帶樓宇大部分建於60年代，經過時間洗禮，日久失修，居住環境漸趨惡劣，有見及此，市建局於2007年決定在裕民坊開展香港有史以來最大的市區重建計劃，面積達5.35公頃，相等於10個足球場。

Population has skyrocketed from 60k to 600k in the past 50 years. Most buildings were built in the 1960s. Without proper maintenance, living conditions have worsened. In 2007, a redevelopment plan was envisioned, encompassing an area the size of 10 football fields.

銀都戲院 首代留學建築師手筆

在翻天覆地的重建計劃中，區內建築物亦陸續完成其歷史任務。建築師朱卓雄指出，裕民坊已結業的銀都戲院建於60年代，有1400多座位，屬傳統式大戲院設計，其罕有的金字屋頂具去水功能，而尖頂空間亦物盡其用，兼作儲存風喉及冷氣系統。原來，戲院設計出自中國首批留學建築師之一的范文照手筆。范氏1927年聯同其他第一代的建築師創辦中國建築師學會，是20世紀初期中國最重要的建築師之一，代表作有上海音樂廳、上海美琪大戲院及香港豪華戲院等。

銀都戲院經理崔顯威見證了戲院在電影業興衰影響下的幾個變化。銀都戲院1963年開幕，鄰近的輔仁里是摩登大笪地，夜市遊人如鯽，有熟食、賣武、占卜、賣唱等，十分熱鬧，暢旺的人流同時替銀都帶來輝煌業績。在市場競爭下，戲院於90年代一分為二，改為兩銀幕、兩影院；隨着電影巿道下滑，2000年只剩下位於樓座的迷你戲院。受觀塘重建計劃影響，銀都已於2009年7月結業。

工業北移 工廈變身寫字樓

受工業北移及重建計劃影響，觀塘不少工廠大廈將用途改變。建築師何文堯指出，建築物與人的生命一樣，需要定期檢查與更生才能夠持續發展。開源道駱駝漆大廈是「活化工廈」計劃下一個成功例子。大廈自1985年開始主要用於生產油漆及儲存倉庫，90年代香港工廈供過於求，廠方於是利用原有設計適當地更改用途。工廈呎價較市區樓宇便宜，用家在商言商，樂於接受，近年不少銀行及著名會計師樓紛紛遷入觀塘工廈。

活化工廈另一做法是將整座大廈拆卸，建成全新的現代建築物。何文堯認為新大廈往往欠缺傳統工業的生命力與人性，與舊有的格格不入，這對於市區發展與更生是否有絕對好處？值得思考。

節目資料

香港電台電視節目《香港故事》「走過觀塘五十年」，下周一（22日）晚上7時於亞洲電視本港台播出，港台網上廣播站（http://tv.rthk.org.hk）提供視像直播及重溫。

Amazing rendering and another huge project for Hongkong. Seems like there is just so less space, that there will be Highrise projects forever and ever...

Kwun Tong Town Centre Project(Urban Redevelopment Project)
Project Information (including 2 sites)
Site Area : 53,500 square metres
No. of affected buildings : 24
Estimated no. of affected households : 1,860
Estimated no. of affected property interests : 1,640
Estimated no. of affected people : 4,500
Estimated no. of affected shops : 300
Expected Completion:2015

1 * Mixed Use Landmark Tower -280m
4 * Residential tower -140m-170m

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/_24gc011_.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/apbd_kwuntong_arti_01_lrg.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/apbd_kwuntong_arti_02_lrg.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/apbd_kwuntong_arti_04_lrg.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/apbd_kwuntong_arti_03_lrg.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/aboveday2006/apbd_kwuntong_arti_06_lrg.jpg

http://www.takungpao.com/news/images/07/04/24/gw-21.jpg

JUST ANOTHER SUPER GREEN ARCHITECTURE!!! LET'S SAVE THE EARTH, OUR HOME...

why is this the only skyscraper in development for hong kong?

Any news?

Traffic arrangements during the construction has already been made:
http://www.ura.org.hk/usrAtt/2100000/Roving_Exhibition_Leaflet.pdf

And demolitions are already underway, note that the photo is posted during August of 2010:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4869148261_4f3005acc2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/minghong/4869148261/)
觀塘市中心重建項目月華街地盤 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/minghong/4869148261/) by minghong (http://www.flickr.com/people/minghong/), on Flickr