Three homeowners at Hong Kong’s Redhill Peninsula have received fines totalling HK$275,000 (US$35,270) for their involvement in illegal building works.
The Buildings Department said on Monday that the fines were handed down by Eastern Court last Thursday after the owners of three detached houses in the affluent neighbourhood pleaded guilty to carrying out unauthorised building works.
They were found to have knowingly undertaken building works without prior approval or consent from the department, which contravened the Buildings Ordinance, the government said in a statement.
The cases came to light after the department conducted a large-scale inspection of houses along the coastal area of Redhill Peninsula in September 2023.
Landslides triggered by a record-breaking downpour that year drew attention to extensive illegal additions at the seaside estate and prompted authorities to conduct the operation.
Unauthorised building works were uncovered at a number of detached houses in the neighbourhood.
“The investigation by the Buildings Department found that the owners of the three houses had knowingly carried out the unauthorised building works … including adding structures to the garden, open yard, living room, bedroom, flat roof and the rooftop,” the government said.
