Private housing estates in Hong Kong
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Private housing estates in Hong Kong
| Private housing estates in Hong Kong | |||
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| Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the earliest and largest private housing estate in Hong Kong | |||
| Chinese | 私人屋苑 | ||
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A private housing estate is a term in Hong Kong that refers to a housing estate developed by a private developer, as opposed to a public housing estate built by the Hong Kong Housing Authority or the Hong Kong Housing Society. It usually is characterised with a cluster of high-rise buildings, with its own market or shopping mall. Mei Foo Sun Chuen, built by Mobil, is the earliest (1965) and largest (99 blocks) example of its kind.
Early real estate development in Hong Kong follows urban street pattern. Single blocks of building are packed along streets and most of them are managed independently. The quality varies from block to block. Private housing estate on the contrary provides integrated management throughout whole estate, attracting more affluent residents.
Mei Foo Sun Chuen, Taikoo Shing, Whampoa Garden, City One Shatin are early notable examples. The idea became widely accepted as the middle class of Hong Kong emerged. More projects follow and now is a major form for developing private housing.
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Trends
WIth the economies of scale of large developments, and the lifting of height restrictions since the opening of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, there is the tendency of new private tower block developments with 10 to over 100 towers, ranging from 30-to-70-storeys high.
There has also been a trend in joint ventures between the already oligopolistic real-estate developer in Hong Kong. Developers have been increasingly partnering up to bid for development sites[1]. At a land auction on 8 May 2007, the Government warned developers not to collude in bidding.
The wall effect
There is currently some controversy over the "wall effect" caused by uniform high-rise developments which adversely impact air circulation and aggravate the heat effect but also impact public hygiene and contribute to air pollution. Private developers seeking to maximise revenues have tended to build uniform blocks on seafront sites to give all units unrestricted sea view.
Environmental group Green Sense[2] expressed concern that their survey on 155 housing estates found 104 have a 'wall-like' design. It cited estates in Tai Kok Tsui and Tseung Kwan O as the "best examples"[3].
Head of the Planning Department, Ava Ng, argued that the air ventilation factor has been taken into consideration with regard to the auction of all prime sites on the land application list, and said the erection of tall buildings at these sites will not create any "wall effect."[4]
An air ventilation assessment is required only for sites with a total gross floor area of more than 100,000 square metres, according to technical guidelines in existence since 2006[4].
In May, 2007, citing concern over developments in West Kowloon, and near Tai Wai and Yuen Long railway stations, Wong Kwok-hing of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions proposed a motion calling for measures to reduce screen-like buildings which maximise good views at the expense of air flow in densely populated areas. The motion was vetoed by functional constituency representatives[5][6].
Lists of estates
The following is a partial list of private housing estates in Hong Kong:
Hong Kong Island
| Name | chinese Name | Area | Completed | No Blocks | No Units | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taikoo Shing | 太古城 | Quarry Bay | 1970s | 61 | 12,698 | Swire |
| South Horizons | 海怡半島 | Ap Lei Chau | 1990s | 34 | 9,812 | Hutchison Whampoa |
| City Garden | 城市花園 | North Point | 1980s | 14 | 2,393 | Cheung Kong |
| Bel-Air Residence | 貝沙灣 | Cyberport | 2004 and 2008 | |||
| Heng Fa Chuen | 杏花邨 | Chai Wan | 1982 | 48 | 6,504 | MTR Corporation Kerry Properties |
| Island Resort | 藍灣半島 | Siu Sai Wan | ||||
| Nam Fung Sun Chuen | 南豐新邨 | Quarry Bay | 1978 | 12 | 2,826 | Nam Fung Development |
Kowloon
| Name | chinese Name | Area | Completed | No Blocks | No Units | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mei Foo Sun Chuen | 美孚新邨 | Lai Chi Kok | 1965 | 99 | 13,500 | Mobil |
| Whampoa Gardens | 黃埔花園 | Hung Hom | 1980s | 88 | 10,431 | Whampoa Dockyards Hutchison Whampoa Property |
| Laguna City | 麗港城 | Lam Tin | 1991 | 38 | ? | Cheung Kong Hutchison Whampoa Property |
| Harbour Green | 君滙港 | Tai Kok Tsui | 2007 | 5 | 1,514 | Sun Hung Kai Properties MTR Corporation |
New Territories
| Name | chinese Name | Area | Completed | No Blocks | No Units | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswood Villas | 嘉湖山莊 | Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long | 1991– | 58 | 15,808 | Cheung Kong Holdings |
| Sunshine City | 新港城 | Ma On Shan | 1990s | ? | 5,000 | Henderson Land Development |
| Allway Gardens | 荃威花園 | Tsuen Wan | 1978 and 1981 | 16 | Hopewell Holdings | |
| Belair Gardens | 富豪花園 | Sha Tin | ||||
| Castello | 帝堡城 | Sha Tin | ||||
| City One | 沙田第一城 | Sha Tin | ||||
| Tseung Kwan O Plaza | 將軍澳廣場 | Tseung Kwan O | 2004 | 8 | 2,880 | Nan Fung Group |
| YOHO Town | 新時代廣場 | Yuen Long | 2004 | 8 | 2,200 | Sun Hung Kai Properties |
| Festival City | 名城 | Tai Wai, Sha Tin | 2009– | 12 | 4,304 | Cheung Kong Holdings |
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Private housing estates in Hong Kong |
- ^ RaymondWang & DannyChung Low-end $4b win, The Standard, 8 May 2007
- ^ Green Sense website
- ^ Yung, Chester (21 December 2006). "`Asia's walled city' leaves – residents longing for air". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=34625&sid=11441787&con_type=1&d_str=20061221&sear_year=2006. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ a b Carol Chung, `Wall effect' argument rejected, The Standard, 17 April 2007
- ^ Michael Ng Screen-effect motion vetoed, The Standard, 10 May 2007
- ^ Olga Wong, "Call for law against 'wall effect' fails", South China Morning Post, 10 May 2007
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