Hong Kong is expected to launch a public consultation in early June for its inaugural five-year plan to align with the national blueprint, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu set to present a preliminary framework and gather feedback from various industries through face-to-face sessions, according to sources. The South China Morning Post learned that the…
Hong Kong authorities will experiment leasing government-built elderly care facilities to the private sector, with the pilot programme aiming to provide more diverse services targeting middle class senior residents. Labour and Welfare Bureau officials said in a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday that the government would roll out a “publicly built, privately run” model…
Hong Kong lawmakers have called for a rethink of a government scheme to develop homes for the elderly, days after the city’s second largest public housing provider revealed it would stop building homes targeting senior residents for the coming 10 years. Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo of the Legislative Council’s housing panel said on Monday that…
A winning bid involving Henderson Land Development to operate a major Hong Kong harbourfront event space has expanded the developer’s footprint in Central to three prime locations, a situation that experts have said could result in greater accessibility and more visitors from surrounding commercial properties. Central Grand, a 50:50 joint venture formed by Henderson and…
Proposed designated laws to streamline land-use approval procedures for the Northern Metropolis megaproject will not undermine the authority of Hong Kong’s town planning body, some experts have argued while urging the government to establish clear key performance indicators (KPIs) to strengthen market confidence. Observers were responding to a package of six subsidiary laws unveiled on…
Some elderly residents facing eviction from a block of subdivided flats in Hong Kong have expressed concerns that they could lose their jobs if forced to relocate to allow for their landlords to upgrade the homes to comply with new regulations. Residents of Sham Shui Po’s Yee Wa Building were previously told they needed to…
The dust has settled on the election of the Legislative Council president, and committees and panels have settled into the new Legco. Most, it seems, are ready to hit the ground running. First on the agenda: dealing with the aftermath of the Tai Po fire. The more immediate matters involve the rebuilding of a community…
New measures to strengthen Hong Kong’s building maintenance regime after the deadly Tai Po fire only scratch the surface of long-standing issues that require deeper systemic reforms and tougher laws, according to experts and industry figures. The damning verdict came after the government’s pledges and proposals on Wednesday to close policy gaps and tackle entrenched…
Extra costs and the use of public resources may be incurred under the Hong Kong government’s proposed moves to increase professional scrutiny of building maintenance projects following the deadly Tai Po inferno, a lawmaker has said, calling for further discussion. Election Committee lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo, a town planner by training, said on Thursday that…
Hong Kong lawmaker Duncan Chiu owns 54 properties at home and overseas, more than any of the other 89 lawmakers, a review of their declaration of interests shows. But Chiu indicated that he is considering selling his properties in the West, citing geopolitical risks and his limited time for managing them. Chiu, the son of…