Half of shops affected by renewal scheme in Hong Kong’s ‘Little Thailand’ aim to stay in area
- Urban Renewal Authority’s HK$15 billion project in Kowloon City will yield 4,350 flats by 2038
More than half of the local shops affected by a redevelopment project in Hong Kong’s “Little Thailand” have expressed an interest in continuing to operate their businesses in the area, the Urban Renewal Authority has said.
Under the proposal, the local stores can move back to the redeveloped site between Carpenter Road and Nga Tsin Wai Road when the project is completed by 2037-38.
Before that, they can choose to rent shops at a concessionary rate at another renewal project run by the authority in Kowloon City scheduled to be completed by 2031. If they wish, operators can also opt to stay at that site between Kai Tak Road and Sa Po Road.
“Our aim is to allow affected stalls with characteristics to be able to operate during and after the construction,” Wai said in his blog.
“Over half of these operators preliminarily told us they had planned to relocate within the area, with many opting to move to the Sa Po Road project as they hope to resume their businesses as early as possible given that the project will be completed earlier.”
He noted that some operators also said the Sa Po Road project was closer to Kai Tak, an area earmarked to be the city’s second central business district, and could offer more business opportunities.
Kowloon City, nicknamed “Little Thailand”, is home to dozens of Thai restaurants and grocery stores. The community grew in the 1970s when Chiu Chow men and women they had married in Thailand settled in the area.
The HK$15 billion project, announced in 2022, will yield 4,350 flats by 2038 and include a new government complex by 2030 to house the existing Kowloon City Market and provide community facilities.
The redevelopment will affect around 820 households and 200 shops, including stalls opposite the existing market that sell meat, dried seafood, vegetables and fruits.
Wai said businesses that shared the same customers as the market could also move back upon the project’s completion and enjoy concessionary rent for five years.
He said these operators could rent designated shops before the redevelopment was completed, while the authority would provide “additional assistance” to stall owners who wished to move to shops near the site.
Wai did not reveal the exact help to be offered but said it was the first time the authority – a statutory body for tackling urban decay – had considered providing additional assistance to businesses in a redevelopment project, stressing that he hoped to retain the shops and preserve Kowloon City’s features.
He said more than half of these operators that had close links with the market intended to relocate back to the site, while another 30 per cent planned to shut down their businesses due to retirement and the underperforming economy.
The Lee family, operators of a Chiu Chow restaurant, said they had yet to decide what to do despite the authority’s relocation arrangements, including a concessionary rent at 70 per cent of the market price.
“The economy is not that good nowadays and we do not know if the business will be good at a new place. If we are moving, we also need to renovate the shop and apply for a restaurant licence … It can cost HK$1 million,” said a family member in her seventies.
“The authority is of good intention in keeping these speciality shops but we need to consider many things.”
She added that it was uncertain whether the next generation would continue running the family business, which has sold lo-mei for almost 30 years in Kowloon City.
Lo-mei is a Chinese delicacy involving braised meat soaked in a large amount of seasoning sauce.
