Urban Renewal Authority 2018-19 Annual Report

72 MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS Rehabilitation Rehabilitation is one of the two URA’s core businesses targets, with the other being redevelopment. The URA has become the primary agent in Hong Kong for building rehabilitation after taking over the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) responsibilities under the Integrated Building Maintenance Assistance Scheme (IBMAS) in July 2015. As a rule, it should always be the owners’ responsibility to ensure timely repair and maintenance of their buildings. However, frequent lack of financial means, technical support, organisation and awareness among owners are persistent hurdles to proper rehabilitation. To confront these obstacles, the URA has supplemented its rehabilitation efforts through various loan and subsidy schemes. 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 to tackle building safety hazards and enhance fire and lift safety standards. In addition, various building assistance and subsidy schemes have been consolidated into the IBMAS for an easy one-stop application procedure which helps owners take advantage of various building assistance and subsidy schemes. The financial assistance, technical advice and coordination services provided by the URA under these schemes have been well received, judging by the enthusiastic response and commendations received from Owners’ Corporations. New Building Rehabilitation Strategy Study Noting the increasing pace of building deterioration and the substantial cost of maintenance and repair, the New Building Rehabilitation Strategy Study was launched in 2017. This is aimed at developing strategies to maximise benefits of building rehabilitation in the urban renewal process by improving the condition of buildings and extending their effective lifetime, thus reducing the number of buildings requiring immediate redevelopment. To create a mindset of preventive maintenance amongst owners, raising rehabilitation awareness for buildings under 30 years old has been proposed as the first step to prolong the service life of buildings. Owners and other stakeholders can turn to the newly-formed Building Rehabilitation Platform as an all-in-one information centre. This platform provides building owners and Owners’ Corporations with comprehensive building rehabilitation information and technical support, including practice notes and guidelines, and standardised documents. The URA will continue updating the information contained in the Platform, including the provision of cost references and list of service providers. Preservation and Revitalisation The URA is mandated under Section 5 of the URS to preserve buildings, sites and structures of historical, cultural or architectural value. There are 10 such projects now in the URA’s portfolio which contain buildings for preservation or revitalisation. Three of these projects at Prince Edward Road West, Shanghai Street/Argyle Street and Mallory Street are dedicated preservation or revitalisation projects, whereas preserved buildings form part of a larger redevelopment project site in seven other projects. The Shanghai Street/Argyle Street preservation project is at a vital stage. The construction of new building blocks to be integrated with the preserved shophouse cluster have been completed, and the fitting-out works are in progress. Another initiative involving a historic building at an important stage is the Central Market revitalisation project, which commenced in 2009 as tasked by the Government under the “Conserving Central” initiative in the 2009/10 Policy Address. The main revitalisation works of this project commenced in November 2018 with the first phase to be tentatively completed in early 2021 for the public’s early enjoyment. There was a new beginning for the Mallory Street revitalisation project in 2018/19 as it has renamed to “7 Mallory Street”. The URA took over the management and operation of the project in August 2018 and will continue to collaborate with a wider spectrum of art, cultural and community organisations.