Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) today (May 20) reminded members of the public that proposals to alter the rateable value of properties effective from April 1 this year must be served on the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation by May 31. Proposals served after May 31 would not be accepted.

     Proposals should be made on the specified form (R20A) and be delivered by post or in person. The public can also lodge proposals on an electronic form (e-R20A) using the Electronic Submission of Form service provided on the department’s website. Proposals sent by fax are not acceptable.

     Notwithstanding the lodging of a proposal, rates and rent payers must pay rates and government rent by the last day for payment shown on the demand notes. The RVD will inform the proposers of its decisions before December 1. Any changes in rates and government rent payable resulting from such decisions will date back to April 1 this year and any overpayment will be adjusted in subsequent demands.

     For enquiries, please call 2152 0111 (handled by 1823). read more

     The Government today (May 20) gazetted a notice announcing that the Antiquities Authority (i.e. the Secretary for Development) has declared Jamia Mosque and Hong Kong City Hall in Central, and Lui Seng Chun in Mong Kok as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.
 
     Located on Shelley Street, Jamia Mosque is the oldest mosque in Hong Kong. It was built between 1915 and 1916 with donations from Bombay merchant Haji Mohamed Essack Elias to replace the old mosque on the same site.
 
     Jamia Mosque was constructed with concrete and bricks with an elongated rectangular plan built along an east-west axis, with its entrance at the east and the Qibla wall at the west facing the Holy Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the birth place of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Rich Islamic mosque architectural features can be seen at Jamia Mosque, such as the minaret crowned by a dome decorated with finial, the pointed multifoil archways at the entrance portico and doorways, the pointed arches above the coloured glazed windows, the octagonal dome at the centre of the prayer hall, the mihrab on the Qibla wall and the Kufic calligraphic motifs on the walls. Jamia Mosque is historically significant as it has witnessed the growth of the Muslim community in Hong Kong. It remains as an important place of worship and gathering for local Muslims.
 
     Hong Kong City Hall, located at Edinburgh Place, is the second city hall in the city. It was officially opened on March 2, 1962, by the then Governor Sir Robert Black. The City Hall was the first multi-purpose cultural complex open to all citizens and has been a venue for various important ceremonies, including the inauguration ceremonies of five governors of Hong Kong and ceremonial openings of the new Legal Year. It is also a cradle for local performers and a testimony to the arts and cultural development in Hong Kong. Moreover, it testifies to the commitment of the Government to enrich the cultural lives and improve the living standards of citizens by creating a hub of cultural activities and municipal services.
 
     The City Hall is an outstanding example of modernist architecture which adopts a modest design that focuses on fulfilling the functions of the building. It comprises the Low Block, the Memorial Garden and the High Block, which are well connected through a covered walkway. The Low Block houses a concert hall, a theatre and an exhibition gallery, while the High Block houses a marriage registry, a public library and a recital hall. The Memorial Garden and the 12-sided Memorial Shrine located at the centre of the garden are dedicated to the soldiers and citizens who sacrificed their lives defending Hong Kong in World War II. Located at the harbourfront, the design ensures all facilities, except the enclosed auditoria, have sea views and thus creates a sense of space. The City Hall is a rare and significant example of modernist architecture, which sets an architectural trend in Hong Kong and has become a landmark.
  
     Lui Seng Chun is a four-storey tong lau (literally meaning Chinese-style building, the local term for Hong Kong shophouse typology) located on a triangular site in Mong Kok. It was built in 1931 and owned by Lui Leung, one of the founders of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited. The Lui family ran a Chinese medicine shop on the ground floor and lived on the upper floors. The medicine shop was closed a few years after Mr Lui’s passing in 1944. In 2003, the family donated the building to the Hong Kong Government for preservation. The donation was unprecedented in Hong Kong.
 
     Lui Seng Chun was designed by W H Bourne. The building is of a neo-classical style mixed with art deco elements such as sweeping horizontal lines and robust classical details. Its main front elevation adopts a curved design.
 
     Lui Seng Chun has been revitalised as a Chinese medicine and healthcare centre operated by Hong Kong Baptist University since 2012 under Batch I of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. Apart from resuming the original function of Lui Seng Chun as a medical-related facility, the original architectural form and elements such as granite columns, terrazzo exterior wall, flooring tiles, and staircase are well preserved. The building is a testimony to the history of a well-respected family, including the economic activities of their Chinese medicine shop around World War II.
 
     Information on the three monuments is available on the website of Antiquities and Monuments Office (www.amo.gov.hk/en/historic-buildings/monuments/index.html).

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     The Government gazetted today (May 20) the proposed road works at Shun Tung Road in Tung Chung to serve the anticipated traffic demand induced by the Tung Chung New Town Extension Project.

     Details of the proposed works are set out in the Annex. The plans and scheme are available for public inspection at the following government offices during office hours:
 
Central and Western Home Affairs Enquiry Centre,
G/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong
 
Islands District Office,
20/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong
 
Islands Home Affairs Enquiry Centre (Tung Chung),
1/F, Tung Chung Post Office Building,
6 Mei Tung Street, Tung Chung, Lantau Island
 
District Lands Office, Islands,
19/F, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong
 
     The gazette notice, scheme, plans and location plan are available at www.thb.gov.hk/eng/publications/transport/gazette/gazette.html.
 
     Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use, or both, is required to address to the Secretary for Transport and Housing an objection in writing, which can be submitted via the following means:
 

• By post or by hand to the Transport and Housing Bureau’s drop-in box No. 6 located at the entrance on 2/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong. The box is available for use between 8am and 7pm from Monday to Friday (except public holidays);
• By fax to 2868 4643; or
• By email to gazettethb@thb.gov.hk.

 
     A notice of objection should describe the objector’s interest and the manner in which he or she alleges that he or she will be affected by the works or the use. Objectors are requested to provide contact details to facilitate communication. A notice of objection should be delivered to the Secretary for Transport and Housing not later than July 19, 2022. read more

     A spokesman for the Environment Bureau (ENB) said today (May 20) that more than 600 environmental-related and time-limited jobs will be created or subsidised under the new round of the Green Employment Scheme (GES) this year. The ENB will also relaunch the Graduates Subsidy Programme, which subsidises enterprises to employ about 300 graduates in environment-related fields. The measures will create a total of nearly 1 000 green employment opportunities, promoting a green recovery amid the pandemic.

     The Government earmarked in February this year an additional funding of $6.6 billion under the latest round of the Anti-epidemic Fund for the creation of around 30 000 time-limited jobs. Correspondingly, the ENB launched the GES for the third consecutive year to create or subsidise more than 600 time-limited jobs, covering mainly three categories of environmental protection work, namely “Electric Vehicles (EVs) Popularisation”, “Use Less, Waste Less” and “Leave No Trace at Mountain and Sea”. The full-time and part-time positions, lasting for six months to a year, are suitable for candidates with different skills and qualifications.

     The first two rounds of the GES, launched by the ENB in 2020 and last year respectively, have created or subsidised over 1 000 time-limited jobs in the realm of environmental protection. The recruitment of relevant positions under the third round will commence progressively soon. To complement the promotion of EV popularisation, the ENB will create dozens of jobs in the realm of “EVs Popularisation”, mainly for processing applications of the EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme.

     Moreover, the ENB has been implementing the strategies outlined last year in the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035, including active promotion of waste reduction at source as well as waste separation and recycling. About 300 jobs will be created in this round under the category of “Use Less, Waste Less” to strengthen support for waste reduction and recycling, offering employment opportunities involving different positions in the community recycling network GREEN@COMMUNITY.

     To enhance promotion of the “Leave No Trace at Mountain and Sea” outing culture, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will create about 160 green ambassadors and project support positions via various organisations to promote green hiking etiquette to the public at popular hiking spots and promote conservation of the environment and ecology in the countryside. To protect the shoreline environment, the EPD will also recruit via contracting organisations around 100 staff members to engage in coastal cleaning and publicity work.

     Apart from the aforementioned time-limited posts, the ENB will continue to run the Graduates Subsidy Programme under the GES this year, which provides employers of eligible graduates with a monthly subsidy of $5,610 to form part of the monthly salary paid to each eligible graduate for a period of 18 months. It is anticipated that the programme could fund around 300 newly created jobs. The programme aims to subsidise private companies and suitable organisations to employ fresh graduates working in areas related to environmental protection, provide opportunities for graduates who are interested in environment-related fields to enter the industry, and nurture talents for meeting needs on various environmental fronts.

     Launched in 2020, the programme has been receiving a positive response from the trades, with the number of applications far exceeding the pre-set subsidy quota. So far, more than 650 graduates have joined different environment-related fields in the industry through the programme.

     In addition to a salary subsidy, the EPD’s Environmental Academy will continue to collaborate with various professional societies and organisations to run the GreenPro Training Programme. Participants of the Graduates Subsidy Programme 2022 will be provided with enriched professional training courses which cover various environmental protection topics such as global environmental issues and sustainable development, climate action, waste-to-energy content, environmental assessment and planning, water quality and noise control and sewage surveillance technology for tracing hidden COVID-19 cases, with a view to better equipping the graduates with different areas of expertise in the field.

     The Graduates Subsidy Programme 2022 will be open for applications from July 4 to September 30. Details about the programme and the application form will be available at the EPD website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/graduates_subsidy_programme.html) in early July. read more

     A new round of electricity charges subsidy of $1,000 will be provided to each eligible residential electricity account from June 2022. The subsidy is one of the one-off relief measures announced by the Financial Secretary in the 2022-23 Budget to alleviate the economic pressure of the public caused by the epidemic.

     Starting from June 2022, a subsidy of $80 will be credited to each residential electricity account with CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) or the Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric) in existence on the first day of each month for 11 consecutive months, and $120 in the 12th month, making up to a total of $1,000.

     The credits under the new subsidy scheme, together with the unused credits provided under similar schemes in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2021, can be used for the purpose of offsetting the billed charges for electricity consumed under the account. Any unused credits can be carried forward to cover billed electricity charges under the same account until December 31, 2024, or the close of the account, whichever is earlier.

     The credits under the new subsidy scheme will be reflected in the electricity bills for residential accounts with the two electricity companies. Users may contact CLP’s Customer Service Hotline on 2678 2678 or HK Electric’s Customer Service Hotline on 2887 3411 for enquiries on account matters. More details of the new subsidy scheme can be found at www.fstb.gov.hk.

     This relief measure is expected to involve a government expenditure of about $2.8 billion and benefit around 2.8 million eligible households. read more