Fairview Park halts HK$500m pipe repair plan, cites lack of consensus after public scrutiny

Fairview Park in Yuen Long has terminated a HK$500 million fundraising plan for water pipe repairs, saying it lacks "community consensus and social conditions" to proceed, particularly after recent public focus on costly building maintenance projects.

The estate's property management company announced the decision on Monday, stating it would begin refunding more than 3,000 owners from late December. The move follows rising scrutiny of expensive renovation projects after a recent No. 5 alarm fire in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court.

Fundraising for the first phase of the pipe replacement project began in September, with about 65 percent of the initial amount collected by early December. However, many owners had expressed dissatisfaction with the plan.

The management company said in a notice that considering owners' questions and concerns, and after discussions with the Water Supplies Department, it decided to stop the plan to avoid controversy. It added it would review the overall approach at an appropriate time to meet the department's requirements while gaining owner approval.

Fairview Park has faced water loss issues since 1990, one year after occupation. A major repair in 2000 failed to resolve the problem. The Water Supplies Department confirmed the public water system as the source after installing a main meter outside the estate in 2008.

Daily water loss reached 2,000 to 3,000 cubic meters from 2017, with cumulative water fees over the past decade totaling about HK$100 million.

A comprehensive pipe replacement plan was proposed in 2021 with a HK$500 million price tag, requiring each household to pay between HK$90,000 and HK$130,000. The major owner, holding 52 percent of the estate's ownership but only about 3.15 percent of the share value, would bear just 3 percent of the cost, sparking strong discontent among smaller owners.