URA To Ask Building Owners About Sai Wan Ho's Future

The Urban Renewal Authority says it's launching a major study into the future of a 24-hectare site in Sai Wan Ho, adopting a new approach that will see property owners asked about their views of the future of the area.

The URA said on Sunday that the pilot survey on urban renewal needs was being launched for a site along the side of Shau Kei Wan Road, stretching from Chai Wan Road to King's Road on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island.

The authority said the approach would be a larger-scale refinement of its earlier "demand-led" studies on sites elsewhere in the SAR. The concept is based on the idea that property owners and residents should have a greater say in whether old buildings are demolished and replaced or rejuvenated.

The URA says there are some 250 buildings in the affected area, all of which were built no less than 30 years ago.

It's not clear yet whether the survey will eventually lead to a full redevelopment of the site.

A former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Vincent Ho, sees a high potential for a redevelopment project in the area. He says the land is not being fully utilised at the moment.