Page 17 - Urban Renewal Authority 2023-24 Annual Report

As building owners generally lack the knowledge and capability to organise building rehabilitation works, the Chairman’s Statement
Chairman’s Statement
URA established the first Building Rehabilitation Resource Centre (BRRC) in Hong Kong. Located at the URA’s
eResidence, the BRRC was officially opened to the public in July 2023. It offers a wide array of information in
multimedia formats on building rehabilitation as well as video consultation services to assist owners in their real-
time applications for the subsidy schemes. The BRRC further provides meeting venues to Owners’ Corporations
(OCs) and building owners for discussions of matters relating to building maintenance.
Launched in 2019, the Building Rehabilitation Platform (BRP) website is another resource providing
comprehensive guidelines on organising building maintenance works, educational videos and tender document Managing Director’s Statement
templates for owners’ reference. Since the launch of the website, the URA has been enriching its content with
new features such as the Cost Reference Centre and the Service Providers Directory. Both of these features
familiarise owners with market prices for building maintenance works and help them engage quality building
professionals/registered contractors. We believe that the BRP website will alleviate the concerns of building
Managing Director’s Statement
owners arising from a lack of knowledge and understanding and will encourage them to take up the responsibility
of organising repair works for their buildings.
To date, the BRP has recorded over 1.8 million page views, highlighting its user-friendliness and popularity. To
further enhance the content of the BRP, the URA gathered feedback from around 6,000 users of the platform
during an online survey conducted last year. Their feedback will be used to enhance the platform’s services for Operating Review
equipping property owners with the confidence and capability to undertake building maintenance on their own.
In 2022, the URA first applied an Integrated Approach to implementing urban renewal projects in the Lung Shing
Operating Review
area of Kowloon City. This strategy incorporates redevelopment, building rehabilitation, preservation and
revitalisation methods of urban renewal to improve the overall living environment, local streetscape, road
network and community facilities in the area, while ensuring the smooth integration of existing structures with
new developments.

Against this background we launched the District-based Building Rehabilitation Pilot Scheme, which offers Corporate Sustainability
tailored rehabilitation initiatives to building owners in the pilot area, including assistance for the formation of
OCs for “three-nil” buildings and a new joint property management (JPM) model for single-block old buildings
with OCs. The Scheme also introduces a special subsidy for façade face-lifting and roof waterproofing works,
encouraging owners to organise rehabilitation works. Additionally, it provides subsidies for owners to engage
Corporate Sustainability
work consultants for the preparation of building maintenance manuals and cost estimates for a 10-year
maintenance plan. The Scheme also offers incentive interest so that owners are motivated to establish
maintenance funds. To assist elderly owner-occupiers who lack financial resources, the Scheme provides
maintenance materials and arranges to have volunteers undertake repair works inside their flats.

The URA will utilise the experience gained from the District-based Building Rehabilitation Pilot Scheme to devise
a holistic and sustainable urban planning strategy, covering redevelopment and rehabilitation in parallel. Management Discussion and Analysis

Management Discussion and Analysis

URA staff members promote the new Projects at a Glance
Projects at a Glance
Joint Property Management model to
owners of “three-nil” buildings during
home visits. Corporate Governance

URA ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24 15
Corporate Governance