Latest news with #DevelopmentBureau
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong considers easing construction rules to tackle student hostel shortage
Hong Kong authorities are considering relaxing regulations for constructing university student hostels in commercial and non-residential areas to address a shortage of student accommodation. This proposal has garnered support from private operators, who now face specific requirements when converting hotels into hostels. The Development Bureau told the South China Morning Post it was considering scrapping or simplifying building procedures required for student hostels on commercial and non-residential sites. 'We are considering allowing student hostels in commercial and more non-residential zonings [to proceed] without the need for planning approval or, even if planning approval is required, only a simple planning procedure will be required,' the spokesman said. The bureau said it aimed to encourage the conversion of hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing and privately funded basis. In his annual policy address last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government aimed to develop a 'studying in Hong Kong' brand to help turn the city into an international hub for post-secondary education. But the initiative has faced hurdles resulting from a shortage of student accommodation. Hong Kong's student housing crisis leaves non-locals desperate for flats Figures from the Education Bureau showed that the city's eight publicly funded universities had about 103,400 students in the 2024-25 academic year. The tally included about 76,900 Hongkongers and around 26,500 non-locals in full-time undergraduate and postgraduate research programmes, but excluded about 1,210 in taught postgraduate courses. But the tertiary education institutions only offered about 40,600 dormitory places, according to government figures. In an effort to find accommodation, some students were opting to cram into small flats with their peers to cut costs or even live across the border and commute to classes. The bureau said a pilot scheme would be launched soon to encourage the market to convert more hotels and commercial buildings into student dormitories. Former industrial buildings in non-industrial areas that had been wholesale converted into commercial buildings were intended to be part of the pilot scheme. The government would also identify suitable sites for the private sector to build new hostels, it added. According to property consultancy Knight Frank, the city had 10 private student hostels in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island as of last year, with about 3,000 beds set aside for those studying at five of the city's universities. Property services company Centaline Investment recently bought and turned a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel near Polytechnic University into a student hostel to capitalise on demand. 'The proposal from the government is a step in the right direction,' company CEO Kavis Ip Ming-wai said, adding that the move could speed up her industry's development. Centaline Investment, a property services company, recently purchased a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui and transformed it into a student hostel to meet the rising demand. Photo: SCMP She said that some hotel owners were discussing the possibility of converting their venues into student dormitories, while some international industry stakeholders were watching the Hong Kong market and were interested in getting involved. Ip said she believed that if authorities relaxed the rules, it could create momentum and international buzz for the student hostel industry. 'It is just like injecting a booster shot,' she said. She also expressed hopes that authorities could allow non-residential flats to be turned into student hostels without needing hotel licences, which would make the process easier. Another student hostel operator, Lionrock Property, which earlier renovated two residential buildings into dormitories offering about 100 spaces in total, also welcomed the move. But the company encouraged authorities to create a policy road map that involved important stakeholders, including private operators, universities and the relevant government departments. 'The development of student hostels requires long-term planning rather than individual efforts by different parties,' founder and CEO Addie Chan said. She also warned that most industrial buildings in the city were not suitable for conversion into dormitories, as most did not meet students' needs, such as sufficient sunlight. Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo said even if the government relaxed the rules now, it would take three to four years before the city could address the shortage of student hostels. The Legislative Council is expected to discuss the issue next week.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong weighs relaxing building rules for university student hostels
Hong Kong authorities are considering relaxing rules for the construction of university student hostels in commercial and non-residential areas to ease a supply shortage. The proposal has attracted support from private operators, who said they currently needed to fulfil certain requirements when transforming hotels into hostels. The Development Bureau told the Post it was considering scrapping or simplifying building procedures required for student hostels on commercial and non-residential sites. 'We are considering allowing student hostels in commercial and more non-residential zonings [to proceed] without the need for planning approval or, even if planning approval is required, only a simple planning procedure will be required,' the spokesman said. The bureau said it aimed to encourage the conversion of hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing and privately funded basis. In his annual policy address last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government aimed to develop a 'studying in Hong Kong' brand to help turn the city into an international hub for post-secondary education.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Court suspends work ban on Hong Kong contractor linked to 5 site deaths
A Hong Kong construction company linked to five workplace deaths in three accidents will have a ban on its operating licence lifted following a temporary court order, even as two of the firm's six contracts have been terminated. Advertisement The Development Bureau said on Wednesday that Aggressive Construction Company would remain on the government's registered list of contractors on Friday after the Court of First Instance allowed the firm to apply for a stay of execution on the decision. It said project owners could monitor Aggressive's performance at sites operated by the company if there were still construction activities. Authorities had already terminated its contract for the Chai Wan Government Complex public works project on Sunday after assessing that the firm's performance was 'far below the contractual requirements'. 'The government will endeavour to arrange in the near term for a new contractor to take over and finish the remaining works,' the spokesman said. Advertisement The Chai Wan project was one of the six developments undertaken by Aggressive when authorities last month announced the company would be removed from the registered list of contractors coming Friday. Aggressive earlier filed an appeal against the government after authorities rejected its licence renewal due to safety concerns arising from three fatal incidents.
South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Replacement work on water pipe that gave Hongkongers scare to begin this year
Hong Kong will begin replacing a 400-metre (437 yards) section of water pipe lined with bitumen this year before carrying out citywide work, as it is believed to be the source of black particles dirtying the water at two public housing estates. Advertisement Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government would prioritise the stretch of pipe between Queens Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court in Fanling, the only one lined with bitumen that connects the two sites. She said the city had about 700km (435 miles) of pipes lined with the substance and her bureau had told the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old ones across the city. 'To allay public concerns, particularly because of the emergence of sediment at this site, we plan to start the replacement project within this year,' Linn said. 'We have asked the Water Supplies Department to submit a plan to replace old water pipes to the Development Bureau.' Advertisement The substance has been banned from use in water pipes in the city since 2005, but authorities have stressed that the water remains safe to consume after residents voiced worries over the presence of the black particles. Linn said that bitumen-lined pipes were used internationally and posed no harm, with authorities also installing more than 1,000 filters in the water supply system.
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to get 10 pedestrian walkways in connectivity push
Private companies will build 10 pedestrian walkways in bustling parts of Hong Kong under an initiative aimed at improving connectivity in the city by offering land premium waivers, with two of the projects to open to the public next year. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Sunday that the 10 approved projects in the incentive programme were located in densely populated areas, including Kowloon East, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. 'The policy is a successful example of the government effectively leveraging market forces and collaborating with the private sector,' Linn said on her blog. 'The Development Bureau will continue to promote and make good use of the policy to encourage and support more private developers to fund and build footbridges or underpasses to provide a more convenient, connected and high-quality walking environment for the public.' The connectivity initiative, launched in 2016, provides land premium waivers to private sector companies that build pedestrian links, such as footbridges and underpasses. The Two Queensway Bridge, which opened in Admiralty in late April, is its most recent project. The bridge connects Pacific Place to Harcourt Garden, providing access to Admiralty MTR station and nearby facilities such as the Hong Kong government headquarters and commercial buildings. Swire Properties was responsible for designing, building, managing and maintaining the facility, which is open to the public around the clock.
