HONG KONG, Aug. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, invited the public to participate in the review of the Urban Renewal Strategy (URS) on 17 July to help shape the future direction of urban regeneration in Hong Kong. In view of this, RICS today announces formation of a special task force in support of the HKSAR government's actions to review existing urban renewal strategies. The Task Force will act an active role to analyze practical solutions to benefit the public while at the same time to bring about improvement to the quality of living, built environment and image of Hong Kong as a whole.
The RICS Urban Renewal Strategy Review Task Force consists of several experienced RICS members who cover different professional faculties including Quantity Surveying and Construction, Building Surveying, Facilities Management, Planning and Development, Valuation and Building Control. Members of the Task Force will meet with representatives from related government bodies in the near future and present professional advice and recommendations for the consideration of the government. Regular updates will be disseminated to media and thus the public with regard to suggestions and progress of the project.
Spokesperson of the RICS Urban Renewal Strategy Review Task Force said, "The setup of this Task Force reflects RICS' dedication to fully support the government in conducting the urban renewal strategy review in all stages. Aging buildings in disrepair and inadequate urban planning is creating more problems than expected. The recent detrimental fire hazard occurred at Cornwall Court which has brought along tremendous loss of human lives and property is also a result of aging structure and urban mix. This Task Force brings together key representatives from the public sector, private practice and enterprises and also academia, aiming at offering professional and pragmatic solutions for the government while allowing the public to share the positive results at the end."
Background of "Urban Renewal Strategy Review"
Hong Kong, like most developed cities, faces a formidable problem of aging buildings and urban decay. Some quarters of our community are living or operating in rundown areas which are in dire need of urban regeneration and environmental improvement.
Mrs Lam said when announcing the project, "Since the promulgation of the current URS in 2001 to guide the work of the URA, the Government and the authority have accumulated a lot of experience in urban renewal work. At the same time, there have been very noticeable changes in the values and aspirations of the public with regard to heritage conservation, preservation of social networks and building maintenance and restoration. In response to these changes, the Government has introduced new policies and measures. These include a new heritage conservation policy announced by the Chief Executive in his 2007-08 Policy Address as well as various statutory and administrative measures to enhance building maintenance. Taking all these into account, we believe it is an opportune time to conduct a comprehensive review of the URS to ensure that it will continue to reflect the values and priorities of the community."
The review process is structured into three stages, namely "Envisioning", "Public Engagement" and "Consensus Building". To allow a thorough deliberation of various urban renewal issues, the whole review process is expected to be completed in about two years.
Media enquiry, please contact:
Ms Belinda Chan
Tel: +852-2372-0090
Fax: +852-2372-0490
Mobile: +852-9379-3045
Email: belinda@creativegp.com
