Letters | University of Hong Kong’s innovation centre: great idea, wrong place
- Readers discuss the plan to build a university facility in Pok Fu Lam, the HK$2 transport fare scheme, and sales in the second-hand property market
The University of Hong Kong’s proposed site for its Global Innovation Centre comprises 4.72 hectares, of which 4.12 hectares (87 per cent) are currently zoned “green belt”, being government land. Hence, the rezoning exercise.
The total gross floor area (GFA) proposed is 220,000 sq m to be used for facilities for deep technical research, conferences and exhibitions as well as offices and staff residential quarters. To get a proper sense of scale, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks’ site at Pak Shek Kok has a GFA of 330,000 sq m.
The site for the Global Innovation Centre has been chosen purely for the convenience of it being close to HKU’s main campus. The current green belt zoning correctly reflects the vegetated nature of the steep sloping site with a height difference of some 80m between Pok Fu Lam Road and Victoria Road. The massive, difficult and expensive site formation work that will be required before any buildings can be erected will require the removal of some 2,000 trees, which will destroy the existing landscape and ecological value of this locality.
Further, there has been a complete disregard of the Pok Fu Lam Moratorium which has been in place since 1972 on traffic grounds, for the purpose of prohibiting excessive development until there is an overall improvement in the transport network in the area. By any measure the proposed 220,000 sq m of development must be considered excessive.
As HKU will be expecting a premium-free grant of land from the government, in addition possibly to support for construction costs, it has a duty to ensure that this facility is sited where it will best serve the whole of Hong Kong.
Accordingly, I strongly oppose this rezoning proposal.
Roger Nissim, Ma On Shan
How the HK$2 fare scheme can be modified
The retirement age in many countries is 65. The qualifying age for the HK$2 fare was lowered to 60 from 65 in 2022, with no apparent good reason offered. Some even suggested it was a political exercise.
It is now clear that lowering the age threshold to 60 was a mistake, and, as the saying goes, to make a mistake and not correct it is to make a second mistake.
The mistake can be corrected by gradually increasing the age back to 65 as follows: 61 on January 1, 2025, 62 on January 1, 2026 and so on. In this way, no one who currently has the right will lose it.
Hong Kong has in the past enjoyed healthy budget surpluses, but prudent budget management will be required for the next several years.
Under these circumstances, concessions should not be given across the board, but need to be restricted to those who need them most. For example, rate concessions should only be given to retirees living in their own homes, and rent concessions only to retirees renting the homes in which they live.
P.K. Lee, Tung Chung
Stamp duty removal helps big developers, not small owners
In addition, even if there are buyers interested in buying these flats, the low valuations by big banks often deter them from proceeding with the purchase. Hong Kong banks, especially the bigger ones, are very stringent and overly cautious about lending money to buyers of second-hand properties. Buyers are often deterred because the low valuations do not take into account the improvement in property market sentiment.
I hope the Hong Kong government does not only have the interests of the big developers at heart, and will also introduce some measures to help smaller owners in the secondary property market.
The Monetary Authority should also help induce banks to relax their stringent mortgage policies. After all, there will be a healthier property market and economy if wealth distribution isn’t lopsided.
Lily Wong, Yau Yat Tsuen
