Residents hail To Kwa Wan redevelopment; garages worried
30 May 2009
South China Morning Post

Residents of To Kwa Wan welcome the district's latest Urban Renewal Authority scheme but operators of vehicle repair and parts shops are worried about the impact on their businesses.

The authority yesterday announced its third redevelopment project in Ma Tau Kok, which would involve demolition of seven 52-year-old blocks, home to 349 people, and construction of an apartment block about 20 storeys high, with shops.

The HK$600 million medium-scale renewal project on the corner of San Shan Road and Pau Chung Street would supply 144 flats and is expected to be complete by 2016 or 2017.

The authority will come up with a compensation offer in six to 12 months. About HK$279 million of the development cost will be set aside to compensate 83 property owners.

The authority's director of acquisitions and clearance, Joseph Lee King-chi, said the blocks on the site were in bad condition, without lifts, and had illegal rooftop structures.

Private developers had taken on surrounding sites, he said, but the San Shan Road site was a challenge because of unresolved ownership problems, and it would be better for the authority to do the job.

Yeung Chun-hing said he would be happy to receive compensation and quit his home, which he had lived in for more than 20 years, but would prefer to move somewhere close to the neighbourhood. Water leaks and paint peeling off the walls had been troublesome in his flat and the rooftop cottage, he said.

Of the 13 shops on the ground floor, five are occupied by vehicle repair and parts businesses - a major trade in To Kwa Wan.

Tsui Yun-oi, who has run such a business with her husband in a rented unit for 11 years, said she was worried it would be difficult to find another place in an urban area to continue the business. "People think garages are dirty and there are not many places in the city we can rent."

A central location was important for the business to attract customers, she said, and moving to the New Territories or an industrial area would affect their income.

Kowloon City district councillor Wen Choy-bon agreed that the relocation of businesses was a problem with redevelopment, but said the project would help rejuvenate the old areas around the Kai Tak site.

The authority has covered about 100 buildings in the area through its maintenance subsidy scheme for the past four years and has previously redeveloped two residential sites.



市建局六億重建馬頭角七舊樓
2009年05月30日(六)
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【本報訊】市區重建局昨再宣布一個舊區更新方案，擬斥資六億元重建馬頭角區內新山道/炮仗街項目，將七幢逾五十年歷史的殘破唐樓重建為單幢式綠化樓宇，項目預計二○一六至二○一七年完成。地產界人士指近期地產市道好轉，估計平均收購呎價將逾五千元。
新山道\炮仗街項目重建後，將提供一幢綠化樓宇。 模擬圖片

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* 新山道\炮仗街項目重建後，將提供一幢綠化樓宇。 模擬圖片

繼去年逆市收購馬頭角兩舊樓地盤後，新重建方案昨亦刊憲，市建局收購及遷置總監李敬志稱，用作收購及重建的六億元中，二億七千九百萬元為收購及安置成本，其餘三億二千多萬元則為建築費用及利息支出。

他說，重建地盤面積約一萬二千五百多平方呎，內有七幢建於一九五七年、樓高六層的唐樓，有關舊樓無論外牆及內部均已十分殘破，單位普遍出現石屎剝落，天台僭建問題更十分嚴重。
業主楊伯：「屋企天花剝落又滲水，希望搬咗之後可以改善環境。」

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* 業主楊伯：「屋企天花剝落又滲水，希望搬咗之後可以改善環境。」

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* 水電雜貨店東主馮先生及母親馮老太說：「將來搬咗就好難見番班街坊。」

提供144住宅單位

李敬志謂，不少發展商已於附近不斷收購重建，但該批唐樓卻一直沒有發展，主因是業權問題難以解決。他形容「市建局今次係幫發展商執手尾，呢啲樓好多搵唔到業主，要靠土地收回條例先搞得掂，我哋唔收邊個收？」

該重建項目涉及八十三個業權，包括一百三十四個家庭共三百五十人，以及十三間地舖。市建局昨晨即時派出五十名職員進行凍結人口調查。市建局預計有關重建項目的規劃及法定程序需時六至十二個月，項目於二○一六至二○一七年完成後，可提供一百四十四個住宅單位及一萬八千多平方呎的商業用樓面。該局過去四年亦已為馬頭角逾一百幢樓宇進行復修。
商戶難捨老街坊

是業主又是商舖租戶的馮老太坦言難捨老家，指居於唐樓五十多年，不少老街坊經常到其亡夫及兒子經營的水電雜貨店「打躉」談天，擔心遷出後將失去這些老朋友。

八十多歲的業主楊伯則指其單位已十分殘破，天花不斷剝落及滲水，期望遷到區內較新樓宇可改善居住環境。他表示不懂估計可獲多少賠償，但自言「政府唔會虧待我」。

市建局去年以每平方呎實用面積逾五千元，收購同區兩個項目，地產界指今次市建局的收購價有機會超過每平方呎五千元的水平。

3rd renewal plan for To Kwa Wan
30 May 2009
China Daily - Hong Kong Edition

HONG KONG: More that 300 residents of To Kwa Wan are going to have to find another place to live. A HK$600 million redevelopment project for the area was unveiled by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) Friday.

The project, covering a corner site abutting San Shan Road and Pau Chung Street in Ma Tau Kok, will be the third renewal project in the district.

The entire redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2016/17. It will bring to the market 144 residential units and 1,755 square meters of commercial floor space. The design work on the project is still in progress.

This third project, like the two earlier ones, will adopt a set-back design to improve pedestrian access and to complement it with greening elements.

Joseph Lee King-chi, URA's Acquisition & Clearance Director, was blunt in articulating the reason the site was selected. It is badly dilapidated, he said.

Seven aging six-story buildings, built more than 50 years ago, sit on 1,170-square meter site.

"The building facilities are outdated as there are no lifts. There are also unauthorized structures which pose danger to the public," Lee said.

A total of 83 property interests are affected. Among those affected will be 349 residents of 134 households. There are also 13 shops on the ground floor.

Compensation for those displaced will be based on the policy set by the Legislative Council in 2001, which is hinged to current market prices.

The acquisition and rehousing cost is estimated at HK$279 million. Construction and interest is budgeted at HK$321 million.

The strong sentiment among residents and shopowners, however, is that they are able to acquire units of similar size and price in the same district.

Yeung Chun-hing, a 79-year-old man living on the sixth floor of one of the buildings slated for demolition, welcomed the plan. He complains there is water leakage in his flat. Still, he wants to remain in the district.

"I'm too old to climb upstairs," he said. "But I have deep affection for this place with nice neighbors."

However, another flat owner surnamed Mok thought redevelopment unnecessary.

"My house is clean with no water leakage or concrete spalling. But it's not up to me to decide the redevelopment," Mok said.

6億重建土瓜灣項目 比鄰沙中線
30 May 2009
香港經濟日報

【本報訊】市區重建局再推馬頭角沙中線沿線重建項目，繼去年宣布進行北帝街及浙江街兩個發展項目後，昨又宣布用6億元重建新山道/炮仗街逾1.2萬呎地盤，興建一幢144個單位的住宅大廈，預計2016年落成。

新山道/炮仗街 涉83業權

新山道/炮仗街項目是市建局在區內第三個重建項目，地盤面積12,594平方呎，市建局需拆卸7幢52年樓齡舊樓，收購83個業權及搬遷134戶家庭，共約349人。市建局形容現時的居住樓宇相當殘舊，沒有電梯設施，僭建情況嚴重，極需進行重建。

市建局估計未來要用2.79億元進行收購及賠償，整個項目的發展成本為6億元。重建完成會有一幢144個住宅單位的大廈，低層有1.88萬平方呎零售面積，預計2016至17年完成。

建住宅共144伙 料2016完成

新山道重建區業主楊先生表示，自沙中線計劃落實後，數年來已先後有多間發展商向他探問出售意向，但都沒有實際提出收購金額，他自言樂見市建局收購。

市建局收購及遷置總監李敬志表示，若未來兩個月諮詢期內沒有收到強烈反對意見，最快可於半年至一年內向業主提出收購價，但若有反對意見，是否重建會交由發展局局長林鄭月娥決定。

資深產業測量師彭兆基指出，以現時同區二手盤成交價分析，推測新山道項目實用面積收購呎價大約為4,800元。

測量師：估收購呎價4800元

他表示，該地盤面積不大，位置不算理想，相信沙中線效應低，估計地皮呎價3,500元。若以地盤擬建住宅144個單位，總樓面面積9.44萬平方呎計算，地皮估值約3.2億元。

美聯集團測量師行董事林子彬表示，過去半年樓市跌後回穩，料新山道地盤的收購價或可能貼近去年10月，同區北帝街和浙江街兩個發展項目的收購金額水平，但還要看市建局出價前外圍經濟因素和地產市況影響。

市建局去年3月同時宣布重建土瓜灣浙江街和北帝街兩個項目，並於同年10月提出收購價，北帝街項目的實用面積收購呎價為5,492元，浙江街項目為5,173元，以當時市況，賠償金額足可購買同區翔龍灣和傲雲峰等新入伙物業。

沙中線預計分階段落成，大圍至紅磡段2015年啟用，中途設站鑽石山、啟德、土瓜灣、馬頭圍及何文田，由紅磡過海至金鐘要等至2019年。

Authority rejects comparison with private developers
6 June 2010
South China Morning Post

The Urban Renewal Authority bristles at any suggestion that it is a developer in a statutory body's clothing. It points to its "social mission" and says that while developers are private companies dedicated to making money for their shareholders, it ploughs any profits back into other projects, some of them loss-making.

Scrutiny of its balance sheet shows that in most years it does well. From 2005 to 2009, the authority's return on net assets - which would be its return to shareholders if it had any - was 50 per cent, 14.5 per cent, 3.38 per cent, 11.82 per cent and minus 48 per cent respectively.

Accountant Frankie Yan Man-sing, a member of the ginger group Professional Commons, said it was hard to grasp the authority's operations just through its balance sheet. "There are fluctuations in the authority's financial performance. It is largely because it has to take up projects, such as Kwun Tong, for political reasons," Yan said.

"It is a statutory body so it has to take up projects the government wants to do, such as redeveloping Ma Tau Wai, but then it also works very closely with developers to maximise profits."

The authority said any comparison between URA and developers was meaningless. "We don't have a return to shareholders," a spokesman said. "We are a public organisation with a social mission and our profit goes to projects in the future and money-losing projects. With listed companies, their profit goes to shareholders."

The URA was set up to replace the Land Development Corporation in 2001. The government gave it a HK$10 billion war chest to pay compensation, believing that this and a waiver of its usual requirement for payment of land premium would increase the authority's bargaining power with developers, allowing it to launch projects that benefit the community.

The authority is expected to redevelop 2,000 buildings over 20 years. Most are in nine districts - Ma Tau Kok, Tai Kok Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Yau Ma Tei, Yau Tong, Kwun Tong, Western, Wan Chai and Tsuen Wan.

In most cases, the authority picks an area for redevelopment without consulting the community. (The 25 projects it inherited from the corporation are an exception.) Landlords get compensation based on the price of an equivalent seven-year-old flat. Tenants can go to public housing.

While private developers must buy 80 per cent of the flats in a building they want to redevelop, the authority has land resumption powers under the Land Resumption Ordinance, which does not state the proportion of flats the authority must buy before it can require owners of the rest to sell.

People who refuse to move are classed as illegal occupants of government land. Most eventually settle. Once a site is vacated, the authority invites developers to submit tenders to take part in redeveloping it.

The URA has so far demolished or plans to demolish flats comprising 522,526 square metres, on which it has built or will build over 15,000 flats.

In the 2008-09 financial year, the URA had a net operating deficit of HK$4.52 billion, largely because of a HK$4.03 provision made for the Kwun Tong Town Centre project.

Upkeep order angers residents of block to be demolished
9 August 2010
South China Morning Post

Residents of rundown blocks near a tenement that collapsed in To Kwa Wan criticised the Urban Renewal Authority for not making acquisition offers, as they face a Buildings Department order to maintain their properties, which will soon be torn down.

Liu Sui-yin, spokesman for the group concerned about the Ma Tau Wai Road redevelopment project, said flat owners were ordered to maintain the buildings until the end of October.

"We don't know what to do because it's difficult for us to maintain our properties since many owners and tenants have already moved out," said Liu, who owns a flat in one of the buildings concerned.

In February, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah announced a plan to speed up the redevelopment project after a five-storey tenement in Ma Tau Wai Road collapsed in January. Four people died.

The project covers 3,380 square metres and is bounded by Ma Tau Wai Road, Hok Yuen Street and Chun Tin Street. The project is aimed at turning 33 blocks into two 30-storey blocks. Construction is expected to take five years. Some 540 households and 35 shops will be affected, involving about 159 property interests.

Liu said they were not qualified for the authority's Maintenance Cost Reimbursement Scheme or the Buildings Department's loan scheme to get funding to maintain the buildings. Some owners estimated that each of them needed to pay about HK$50,000 for maintenance work.

Liu said owners also had trouble finding a contractor as many refused to take the job after the collapse. "Also, some of us think it's a waste of resources to maintain the buildings which will soon be demolished and redeveloped," he said.

"We want the government to tell us what to do, while the URA, which has already acquired some flats, should be involved too," he said.

A Buildings Department spokeswoman said yesterday the order was issued after considering the safety of the building structure and it was in line with the Buildings Ordinance.

"There are residents still living in the buildings concerned" she said, so maintaining safety was important. Owners could approach the department if they had economic difficulties, she said. Earlier, the authority said it could make acquisition offers to owners as soon as May, depending on the opposition.