Urban Renewal Authority 2018-19 Annual Report

64 CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY Facilitate the Renewal Process Our urban renewal efforts bring profound impacts to the community as we are committed to enriching the urban old districts living vibrancy and constructing a safe and hygienic built environment for the betterment of society. One of the critical success factors of urban renewal is how well our works have created satisfaction, happiness, goodwill and values among the community stakeholders. Encouraging and Facilitating Timely Rehabilitation The URA is tasked with improving the living standard of households in the older urban districts through urban renewal. In this process, rehabilitation takes a prime role in helping to extend the lifespan of buildings, beautifying the façade and slowing down the pace of urban decay. Section 19 of the URS emphasises that proper maintenance of buildings is vital for regenerating ageing districts. As calculated in December 2018, about 3,600 building blocks more than 50-years old are in poor and varied conditions and yet many building owners lack the confidence to rehabilitate, in part due to concerns of bid rigging in the building renovation industry. To empower the community to tackle the problem of ageing buildings, URA staff strive to establish trust among building owners by providing professional advice and technical support. The personal assistance is as valued by the building owners as the financial assistance provided through the rehabilitation schemes. From 2004 up to the end of June 2019, about 1,680 building blocks (around 73,100 units) have been rehabilitated through the various URA assistance schemes. To tackle building safety hazards and enhance the fire and lift safety standards, three new schemes, namely Operation Building Bright 2.0, Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme and Lift Modernisation Subsidy Scheme, were introduced in 2018/19. A new Building Rehabilitation Platform as an all-in-one information centre was also formed to provide comprehensive building rehabilitation information and technical support, including Building Rehabilitation Guidebook, standard documents to building owners and its Owners’ Corporation for reference (as described in the Operating Review). The URA is now devising a new building rehabilitation strategy to sustain the life span of buildings to further improve the standard of the built environment. Assisting Households in Ageing Districts Redevelopment is more than just replacing buildings with new stock, but also about improving the living standards of displaced households, including owner-occupiers and tenants. A majority of the buildings in our redevelopment projects are severely dilapidated, with safety hazards and hygiene problems. During 2018/19, acquisition offers were made to the owners of 164 property interests in two projects. The cash compensation and ex-gratia payments allow affected domestic owner-occupiers to purchase replacement premises that are in better condition than their existing ones. With a view to enabling the residents to retain their social network in the neighbourhood, a flat-for-flat option is also available for those domestic owner-occupiers who prefer to buy a flat at the same site after redevelopment or a flat at a new development in the same district. Alternatively, they may also choose to buy a flat at the designated Kai Tak Flat-for-Flat Development. On the other hand, domestic tenants were offered cash compensation or rehousing in public rental flats or units in the URA’s Rehousing Blocks. To facilitate a smooth clearance process, our staff have also gone the extra mile, such as helping tenants with the retrieval of important documents from Government departments, or providing temporary storage space during relocation. Community Engagement The URA attaches importance in engaging the community with a view to enhancing the understanding of URA’s vision and mission. During the year, we implemented a structured, message-driven and proactive communication programme through a series of media activities, Managing Director’s Blog and articles contributed by URA Chairman and Board members. In addition, URA Board members and senior management are also involved in various community and educational activities to enlist public support for the URA’s work. Loan and Subsidies Released (in 2018/19 financial year) over $65 million