790 private buildings in Tsuen Wan to come under renewal study

Themis Qi

The Urban Renewal Authority will conduct a planning study on the old districts in Tsuen Wan, involving 790 private buildings and a site of 79 hectares in the core area.

The authority will send questionnaires to owners and tenants of buildings which are aged 30 years or above this week to collect views on the redevelopment of the area.

Many buildings in the old districts are only four to five stories high and the highest residential plot ratio is currently only five times, lower than 7.5 folds in the urban area - and that reduces developers' appetite to engage in the redevelopment project.

Moreover, the community facilities in the area have become obsolete and inadequate.

The planning study will comprise of two parts - the core area and the opportunity area. The core area will involve 79 hectares and 790 private buildings, with over 80 percent of blocks being older than 50 years.

It stretches from Texaco Road in the east to Tai Chung Road in the west and from Yeung Uk Road in the south to Sai Lau Kok Road in the north.

The opportunity area will be examined for underutilized land for the future relocation of residents, as well as for restoring public facilities to support urban renewal in the district.

The opportunity area covers the industrial area in Tsuen Wan East, Tsuen Wan Promenade, Tsuen King Circuit and Chai Wan Kok Industrial Area.

Additionally, the URA plans to strengthen the connectivity of the footbridge network in Tsuen Wan, which has not yet been expanded to the old districts from areas around the public transportation stations.

themis.qi@singtaonewscorp.com