Henderson Land Development (0012) said it has closed Hong Kong’s first biodiversity loans with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Hang Seng Bank to support biodiversity-enhancing initiatives at its flagship mixed-use development Central Yards.
Central Yards, on the New Central Harbourfront, featuring over 300,000 square feet of multi-level open green spaces, plays a vital role in the green network of the core business district, connecting surrounding green spaces to form a green ecological corridor, the developer said in a statement on Wednesday.
The use of proceeds will facilitate the procurement of native plant species, adoption of smart systems to support the maintenance and management of the newly established urban forest and implementation of surveys, assessments and monitoring to evaluate the progression of urban biodiversity at Central Yards, Henderson said,
As part of the project, more than 400 trees and a diverse range of plant species will be planted across multi-levels of landscape gardens, enhancing the overall ecological value of the development, it said.
The project, scheduled to open in two phases from 2027, also has Central’s largest sky garden—an approximately 300-meter elevated garden spanning over 160,000 sq ft, it noted.
The facilities align with the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA), the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), and the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA), with a specific focus on urban biodiversity restoration, conservation, and enhancement, Henderson said.
As Hong Kong’s first biodiversity loan, this pioneering financing aligns the firm’s capital strategy with its sustainability ambitions, and it is delighted to partner with HSBC and Hang Seng Bank on this innovative transaction, said Andrew Fung Hau-chung, Henderson’s executive director and chief financial officer.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
