The Development Bureau and the Education Bureau announced that the "Hostels in the City Scheme" is now open for applications, allowing hotels and commercial buildings to be converted into student dormitories without requiring planning approvals, thereby increasing the supply of hostel places.
The government aims to simplify development control procedures to encourage and facilitate the market in converting commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing, privately funded basis, while operators must meet specific eligibility criteria.
Those criteria included that the hostels should be occupied by full-time students of specified eligible institutions operating post-secondary programmes at the sub-degree or degree levels, completing conversions within 18 months, hostel rooms must not be sold off individually, and maintaining a safe and suitable living environment for students.
Under the Scheme, converted student hostels will continue to be treated as non-domestic buildings for plot ratio and site coverage calculations, meaning that the existing gross floor area of the commercial building can be retained.
In terms of land administration, most of the leases stated for non-industrial use allow student hostel use without the need for lease modification or payment of premiums.
Developers or operators must sign a statutory declaration affirming their adherence to the criteria, including a commitment to no involvement in activities that endanger national security.
Annual certified audit reports must also be submitted by October 31 to the Education Bureau. The government will take enforcement actions in case of non-compliance based on the statutory declaration, land lease, and relevant ordinances.
Violators will be barred from the Scheme for three years.
(Anson Luk)
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