‘Breakthrough’ blueprint for revitalising two old Hong Kong areas hailed by urban planners, but district councillor has his doubts
- After four-year study, Urban Renewal Authority submits paper to legislature laying out blueprint to overhaul parts of Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok
- URA says approach will energise urban renewal by luring in developers to generate economic benefits for areas
The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has unveiled a blueprint for redeveloping parts of two old, densely built Hong Kong districts with relaxed planning restrictions, potentially allowing residents to enjoy more living space and open areas while providing room for subsidised housing.
Urban planners hailed the scheme, which the government supports, as “thinking out of the box”, but a district councillor expressed doubts about its scope, saying it was too limited to cover the thousands of old buildings in the neighbourhoods.
After a four-year study, the URA submitted a paper to the Legislative Council on Friday laying out its blueprint to overhaul parts of Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok. The study covers about 212 hectares (524 acres), comprising 3,350 buildings, of which about 65 per cent are at least 50 years old.
It noted that it could not handle urban renewal alone, and the private sector’s participation was needed. But redevelopment in the area has been slow, with just 53 occupation permits for new buildings issued in the past 20 years.
“With [the] increase in development potential and application of the new planning tools, the proposed urban restructuring … will energise the market in undertaking urban renewal work and bring about economic benefits to the area,” the URA said in the paper.
