79-618: North Lantau New Town is the newest of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, located on the northern coast of the Lantau Island in the New Territories . It covers Tung Chung , Tai Ho Wan , Siu Ho Wan , other parts of northeast Lantau Island, and the reclaimed land along the coast between them. It is the only new town in the Islands District and
158-579: A green convertible bonds, raising US$ 500 million at 2.875% fixed rate due 2026. On 19 August 2015, Link announced the changing of its corporate name to Link REIT. Some have alleged that the purpose of the name change is to disassociate itself from its past activities. The Link was called a "bloodsucker" by public housing estate residents after the company acquired the Housing Authority shopping centres, renovated them, and raised rents. This has led to local shops being pushed out, higher prices, and
237-424: A campaign was launched called "Reclaim Tung Chung" to reduce the impact of excessive tourists on people's livelihood. 22°17′34″N 113°57′24″E / 22.2927°N 113.9566°E / 22.2927; 113.9566 New towns of Hong Kong The Hong Kong government started developing new towns in the 1950s to accommodate Hong Kong's booming population . During the first phase of development,
316-449: A commercial and financial centre in the region. In consequence, most of the work opportunities remained in the urban areas, forcing residents in the new towns to travel between the new towns and the city centre every day. From the 1990s on, when Hong Kong had almost no more substantial secondary industries, the industrial buildings were repurposed into offices and warehouses , or even rebuilt as residential apartments. The new towns planned in
395-546: A near-monopoly on commercial space, the company was criticised by local residents and Legislative Councillors in 2015–16 for planning to convert the Tin Yiu Market into a conventional shopping centre. The market supplies fresh vegetables, meat, and fish to residents of the surrounding public housing estates. The next closest market is 5 to 10 minutes' walk away. Stall operators at Cheung Fat Estate on Tsing Yi have gone on strike, in 2010 and 2016, to protest rent increases. By
474-618: A population of only 100,000, there is still plenty of room for development, and the proximity to the Hong Kong International Airport and AsiaWorld-Expo has a large number of tourists passing through. In the Tung Chung New Town expansion plan, the proposed Tung Chung East Railway Station will become a regional business center. With the commercial development above the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge and
553-529: A railway station had its town centre planned near it. Tsuen Wan New Town was distinctive in having more than one town centre, situated around Tsuen Wan station and Kwai Fong station , and later also around Tsing Yi station after Tsuen Wan New Town had expanded to Tsing Yi. With the exception of Tin Shui Wai New Town, the only new town without a clear town centre, the new towns’ town centres became vibrant business and cultural hubs of their areas. Transport
632-507: A report that showed big chains made up 76 per cent of the 2,075 shops in 22 shopping centres run by the firm, but the Link's CEO claimed, "We continue to maintain roughly 60 per cent of our shops leased to smaller operators." Anti-Link REIT protests have become increasingly common in recent years. Link REIT headquarters in Kwun Tong has been the site of demonstrations, scuffles, and sit-ins, leading
711-456: A serious shortage of public community facilities in the Tung Chung New Town. In his 2006-2007 Policy address , former Chief Executive Donald Tsang pledged to build a library, sports centre, swimming pool and other leisure facilities in Tung Chung, and to enhance the planning and coordination of community support facilities. These facilities were completed between 2009 and 2011. However, most of
790-507: A supporting town for the then- newly constructed airport in Chek Lap Kok . At present, there are nine new towns in all. New Town development slowed in the 2000s, on account of unexpectedly slow population growth. Indeed, even the development of North Lantau New Town was hindered : the population of North Lantau New Town was just 80,000 in early 2010s, less than half of the 200,000 originally planned. No additional new towns were established in
869-1027: A total of $ 1.24 billion. The properties are Hing Tin Commercial Centre (in Lam Tin ), Kwai Hing Shopping Centre ( Kwai Chung ), the Tung Hei Court shopping centre ( Shau Kei Wan ), and Wah Kwai Shopping Centre ( Pokfulam ). In late 2015, they sold five properties, namely: Fung Wah Estate Retail and Car Park, Ka Fuk Shopping Centre, Kwong Tin Shopping Centre, Siu On Court Retail and Car Park, and Tin Wan Shopping Centre. In late 2016, they sold five properties again, namely: Sui Wo Court Commercial Centre, On Yam Shopping Centre, Sun Tin Wai Commercial Centre, Cheung Hong Commercial Centre and Shek Wai Kok Commercial Centre. In July 2016, Link REIT issue
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#1732851021890948-568: A total of $ 588.4 million In mid 2014, Link acquired The Lions Rise Mall with parking facilities in Wong Tai Sin , from Kerry Properties , for a total of $ 1.38 billion. In 2015, The Link took its first step in purchasing by government land auction when it partnered with Nan Fung Group to buy land lot NKIL 6512 in Kwun Tong for a total of $ 5.86 billion in January. Then, Link surprised
1027-482: A waste of resources and the need for some residents to continue to travel long distances to seek treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital . Tung Chung does not have any public markets planned, only markets attached to public housing estates, and with the lack of competition and under the management of Link REIT , Tung Chung tends to have one of the highest prices in Hong Kong. In May 2016, the Yat Tung Market, which
1106-631: Is a wholly-owned private real estate investment trust managed by Link Asset Management Limited. It is the first real estate investment trust in Hong Kong and the largest in Asia by market capitalisation. Link REIT's portfolio consists of 126 properties with about 9 million sq ft of retail and office space in Hong Kong, as well as 7 properties with about 6 million sq ft of retail and office space outside Hong Kong. Link REIT has its head office at The Quayside [ zh ] in Kwun Tong . The LINK REIT
1185-405: Is considered to be very difficult to develop and requires further discussion with the government on the details, which is expected to take 10 years to develop. Tung Chung residents have been fighting for public markets for years. There are four markets in the district, of which three, namely Fu Tung, Yat Tung and Man Tung, are outsourced by Link Management , while the remaining one is outsourced by
1264-509: Is the first reclaimed land for a new town expansion project after the Tseung Kwan O South reclamation in 2003 and the completion of the final phase of reclamation in Tung Chung in the same year. In his 2016 policy address, then Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said he would study the 30-hectare Siu Ho Wan depot above the MTR for residential development. The MTRCL commissioned a consultancy study, and
1343-494: Is vital for the new towns, and thus is planned with care. Before the development of new towns, most areas in the New Territories were poorly connected; new development required both roads and public transport. To ease the traffic between the new towns and the urban area, new roads and highways were built. For example, Tuen Mun Road and Tolo Highway were two principal highways built in the late 1970s and early 1980s to connect
1422-409: Is well known as a "bloodsucking landlord" as bipartisan parties has put it over the years for its unyielding fist on its tenants. According to Richard Harris's opinion, Link Reit has been widely considered a "corporate monster" in Hong Kong partly responsible for the city's socioeconomic issues. In Aug 2020, dozens of rats were found crawling over fresh pork laid on the floor outside the vendor during
1501-644: The Hong Kong SkyCity , more tourists will be attracted to Hong Kong and the huge economic potential of North Lantau would be released. With a current population of 105,000, the study conducted by the Planning Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department identified Tung Chung as a potential new town of 220,000 people. The Tung Chung New Town Expansion Plan would examine the development potential and opportunities of Tung Chung, identify
1580-460: The slums of nearby Ngau Tau Kok . Thus, in the late 1950s, Kwun Tong became the first developed satellite town. Around the same time, the government also began to develop Tsuen Wan as a satellite town. In 1967, using a similar concept on a smaller scale, it also built Wah Fu Estate , which lay to the west of Aberdeen in Pok Fu Lam , in a remote corner on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. In
1659-598: The 1950s, most of the population in Hong Kong lived in Hong Kong's urban area, namely the central and western parts of the Kowloon Peninsula and the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. After the Second World War , however, the population boomed. The drastic growth was due to prolonged political unrest in Mainland China , which brought a large number of refugees to Hong Kong from the 1950s to the early 1970s and led to
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#17328510218901738-480: The 1970s to build New Towns in other areas as well. As part of this second phase, the development of Tai Po New Town , Yuen Long New Town and Fanling-Sheung Shui New Town began in 1976, 1977 and 1978 respectively; the extension of the Tsuen Wan New Town to Tsing Yi Town also began in the mid-1970s, and was regarded as part of the second phase of new-town development. The third phase of new-town development
1817-598: The 1980s and 1990s had either no more industrial areas (e.g. Tin Shui Wai New Town and Tung Chung), or industrial areas with only high-value-adding industries allowed (e.g. Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate 將軍澳工業邨). Typically, a new town was planned and developed around a town centre, which was the town's business, cultural and traffic hub. For example, in the town centres of Tuen Mun New Town and Sha Tin New Town, one can find shopping centres, public libraries, theatres, government offices, parks, and bus terminuses. Any new town with
1896-617: The 2000s and early 2010s, and new-town development was restricted to further development of the ones already developed. In response to excess housing demand since the late 2000s, however, which resulted in extremely high housing prices and rents as well as very long queues in pending for public housing, government considered to add to the number of new towns again. In the early 2010s, the government proposed to build new towns in Hung Shui Kiu , Kwu Tung , North Fanling and Ping Che - Ta Kwu Ling . The proposals are matters of heated public debate; if
1975-635: The Argyle Centre Tower II) from the government for a sum of HK$ 5.91 billion. In April 2020, LINK REIT completed its purchase of 100 Market Street in Sydney at approximately AUD683 million from Blackstone Group. It is a building is 10-storeys office tower of 28,385 square metre above the Westfield mall in Sydney's CBD. In mid-2014, Link REIT sold four commercial properties, to four different buyers, for
2054-648: The Chief Executive in Council approved the draft outline zoning plans for Tung Chung East and Tung Chung West. On 5 February 2018, the Tung Chung New Town Extension Project was launched, in which 130 hectares of land will be reclaimed and the first phase of reclamation is expected to be completed in 2020. The first phase of reclamation is expected to be completed by 2020. Upon completion, it will be able to accommodate an additional 140,000 people. This
2133-622: The Housing Department. In order to save money, many people in the district will let their elderly buy groceries from public markets in Tsing Yi or Tsuen Wan . However, there are yet still difficulties in building more public markets in Tung Chung. The original plan underestimated the population growth of Tung Chung and relied too much on the population ratios of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), resulting in
2212-499: The MTR property director, Tang Chi-fai, private and subsidized housing will be provided above the Siu Ho Wan depot, with a total of 14,000 units. It will also provide community facilities such as a shopping mall, school and kindergarten with an area of about 300,000 square feet. The project requires the relocation of the existing depot and the construction of a brand new Siu Ho Wan station, which
2291-585: The Mei Lam Shopping Centre, owned and managed by the Link, was being illegally discharged into the Shing Mun River . The company was fined $ 15,000 in November 2016 and ordered to rectify the situation immediately. Due to its history as monopoly landlord of community shopping malls, controversial business ethics and unfriendly treatment to neighbourhoods, small business owners and investors. The company
2370-462: The New Territories, a largely rural area at that time. The first phase of new-town development, which began in 1973, included Tsuen Wan , Sha Tin and Tuen Mun . With the success of these new towns, and the experience gained from building them, the government launched further stages of new-town development in subsequent decades. To date, nine new towns have been built, and about half of the Hong Kong population lives in these newly developed areas. After
2449-433: The area complained about the excessive number of tourists and the noise that affected their lives, and demanded that bus stops be moved away from residential areas. The shopping mall is crowded, the cafes and fast food restaurants are full, and the hygiene of the toilets has become bad. Residents said that some goods had been snapped up by tourists, affecting people's livelihood, and that Tung Chung had "fallen". On 11 November,
North Lantau New Town - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-521: The bridgehead economy are still mainly in the retail, catering, and tourism hospitality industries, which have limited effect on improving the employment situation in Tung Chung. The pollution problem in Tung Chung has become increasingly serious since 2010; in the first five months of 2017 alone, Tung Chung recorded 26 hours of Very High or Severe Health Risk Levels of 10 or 10+ in the Air Quality Health Index, and 42 days in 2016 when Tung Chung
2607-531: The city centre, lowering both residents’ travel expenditures and the burden on the transportation system. For this reason, the government planned industrial areas near all the new towns it planned before the 1980s: The idea did not work, however. In the 1980s, when the new towns were developing at their highest pace, secondary sector industries in Hong Kong began moving to the Mainland China, where costs were much lower, and Hong Kong gradually emerged instead as
2686-438: The city's population, placed US$ 36 billion of orders while institutional investors were ready to commit US$ 40 billion. The IPO's joint global coordinators were Goldman Sachs , HSBC Holdings plc , and UBS AG . JPMorgan Chase & Co. was the financial adviser to the Housing Authority. The proposed flotation of The Link REIT by the Housing Authority was delayed when a public housing tenant, Lo Siu-lan, challenged
2765-591: The community facilities are concentrated in Tung Chung Town Center and Tung Chung North , which are mainly private residential areas, and are still inconvenient to residents of Yat Tung Estate , which is located in the western part of Tung Chung. Although the North Lantau Hospital was approved for construction in 2009 and opened in September 2013, many facilities have not yet been opened, resulting in
2844-517: The company "first killed the shops, then makes money from their death" and criticised the company for only allowing chain stores in their properties. In 2006, The Link cut thousands of staff, a move "fiercely criticised by unionists, who said Link Management had dishonoured a pledge to protect the welfare of its frontline workers when it took over the operation from the Housing Authority". The Link replied that "the job cuts were in line with private practice". By mid 2015, NGO Link Watch ( 領匯監察 ) published
2923-636: The company to seek a court order to bar activists from entering the building. In addition to indoor shopping centres, The Link also acquired many local estate markets in 2005. Such markets are covered facilities with small stalls and shops let out to local residents, generally offering fresh meat and vegetables as well as daily necessities and home wares. As with the shopping centres, The Link has raised rents and also renovated some properties, leading to increased food prices and financial hardship on low-income households. In Tin Shui Wai , where The Link exercises
3002-466: The dominance of chain stores within the estates. This trend has reduced entrepreneurship opportunities for lower income people in Hong Kong's public housing estates and new towns, diminishing their chances to achieve social mobility , and has increased the cost of living. A 2012 campaign by The Link to promote "nostalgic restaurants" in its shopping centres was widely derided on social media as hypocritical. Users on Golden Forum and Facebook wrote that
3081-630: The early hours in Link REIT's Sau Mau Ping wet market . Link REIT has been widely condemned by officials on both sides of the political spectrum. Starry Lee , chairperson of the pro-Beijing DAB , reported that former chief executive Leung Chun-ying "strongly criticised" Link REIT in a meeting with the DAB. In an interview with the South China Morning Post , Leung questioned whether the remuneration structure for top management of Link REIT had led to
3160-457: The entire new town had been built; the estimated population in Sha Tin rose to 500,000 in the planning of the early 1970s. In the corresponding areas, land was reclaimed to create new space for some of the new towns. These newly developed towns, maturing in the 1980s, provided new homes to more than 1 million Hong Kong people. The first phase having succeeded, Hong Kong government proposed later in
3239-466: The first quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, Siu Ho Wan was listed as one of the five proposed near-shore reclamation sites during the 2013 Stage 2 Public Engagement for Land Supply Enhancement. The government-commissioned consultant released a preliminary development proposal in early January 2018, proposing to shape the reclaimed land into a high quality of life and knowledge district with low-density residential and educational facilities. By 2019, according to
North Lantau New Town - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-505: The government and currently under public consultation. Land use is carefully planned in new towns, and development sets aside plenty of room for public housing projects. Highways, tunnels, bridges and railways have been built for accessibility. The first few new towns, such as Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Yuen Long and Tai Po, were intended to be self-reliant, each having not only residential areas but also commercial, industrial and recreational areas, such that residents would not need to travel between
3397-459: The government as part of the urban area. The first phase of new town development was unveiled in 1973, including Tsuen Wan New Town , which as a satellite town was not brought to full-scale development, and also Sha Tin New Town and Tuen Mun New Town . These new towns were intended to accommodate a few hundred thousand people each. For example, according to the first plan in 1961, the government planned to accommodate 360,000 people in Sha Tin once
3476-571: The government had built a new town on Lantau Island in the 1990s, the pace at which it developed new towns slowed in the 2000s, owing to lower population growth . As demand rose in the housing market and it became difficult for residents to buy new homes, the Hong Kong government suggested that new towns be built again in the 2010s, hoping thereby to increase the supply in the private housing market and provide more flats for public housing . For example, Hung Shui Kiu New Town , Kwu Tung North New Town and North Fanling New Town have been proposed by
3555-761: The idea of building a new town of nearly 300,000 people in Tung Chung and Tai Ho along the coast of North Lantau was proposed. According to the current planning, Tung Chung New Town will have a total area of 830 hectares and the population is planned to reach 280,000 by 2030 when the development is fully completed. On 20 April 2012, the former deputy director of the Chief Executive -elect's Competition and Election Office, Mr. Ho Wing-him, stated that Leung Chun-ying planned to transform Tung Chung and Tin Shui Wai after taking office, and would then plan to build hotels and shopping malls and other consumer venues in Tung Chung, mainly to attract visitors to Hong Kong. As Tung Chung has
3634-473: The late 1960s and the 1970s, another stage of new-town developments was launched and the term "new town" was officially adopted. As most flat lands in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island had already been developed, the government proposed to build new towns in New Territories, a largely rural area at that time. Kwun Tong, as the first satellite town, was not considered as a new town, as it was part of Kowloon and regarded by
3713-487: The latter strike it was reported that rents had doubled in ten years. Some local residents stated that they visit a government-run market in Tsuen Wan instead owing to the higher prices at Cheung Fat. The Cheung Fat stall owners also protested the outsourcing of the market's management to Uni-China (Market) Management Limited, which they feared will lead to untenable rent increases. Uni-China (Market) Management also manages
3792-625: The legality of the proposed divestment of the properties. Lo's lawyer submitted that the Housing Authority had "breached its duty under the Housing Ordinance to provide housing to people in need. Instead, it was selling assets to a private company, which could sublet the properties at market rates rather than benefiting the underprivileged". She represented a concern among many residents of public housing that existing amenities would no longer be public and that The Link would raise rents, thereby forcing price rises in shops without due consideration of
3871-463: The market at Leung King Estate in Tuen Mun, which is also owned by The Link. In February 2016 a group of men dressed in dark jackets with "manager" (管理員) printed on the backs acted in an intimidating manner toward hawkers in the area of the shopping centre since 2 February. More than 200 showed up to protest against the men combating hawkers on the night of 8 February. Some minor clashes broke out between
3950-585: The market by successively making its first two purchases in mainland China, when it acquired Beijing EC Mall , for a consideration of ¥2.5 billion; it acquired two commercial buildings in Shanghai for ¥6.6 billion. The company has a target where mainland properties would not exceed 12.5% of its portfolio. On 19 February 2016, a subsidiary of the Link purchased the Trade and Industry Department Tower in Mong Kok (formerly
4029-433: The new towns and the city centre for work and leisure. To this end, a few industrial estates, such as Tai Po Industrial Estate and Yuen Long Industrial Estate , were built to provide work opportunities for the residents in the nearby new towns. Although the government successfully turned most of the new towns's town centres into vibrant commercial and cultural centres in their areas, the overall objective of self-reliance for
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#17328510218904108-588: The new towns failed, since most residents still had their jobs in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon; the objective became impossible to accomplish when most of Hong Kong's secondary sector industries had moved to China . The British government had developed new towns in the United Kingdom to help relocate displaced populations after the Second World War . This experience influenced the colonial Hong Kong government's development of new towns in Hong Kong. Before
4187-518: The new towns in western New Territories and eastern New Territories to New Kowloon; tunnels (e.g. Lion Rock Tunnel and Tate's Cairn Tunnel ) and bridges (e.g. Tsing Yi Bridge ) were also built to shorten travel times. Public transport was also developed. Many new towns were planned with new railway lines (e.g. MTR stations in Tsuen Wan New Town, Tseung Kwan O New Town, Tung Chung and the Ma On Shan Rail for Ma On Shan ). The Kowloon–Canton Railway
4266-485: The newly developed towns were called " satellite towns ", a concept borrowed from the United Kingdom , of which Hong Kong was a colony . Kwun Tong , located in eastern Kowloon , and Tsuen Wan , located in the south-west of the New Territories , were designated as the first satellite towns, when the urban area in Hong Kong was still relatively small, restricted to the central and western parts of Kowloon Peninsula and
4345-425: The northern side of Hong Kong Island . Wah Fu Estate was also built in a remote corner on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, with similar concepts but at a smaller scale. Plans to develop new areas were continued in the late 1960s and 1970s, when the name “new town” was officially adopted. As most flat lands in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon had already been developed, the government proposed to build new towns in
4424-400: The objective that the new towns should be self-reliant. Besides residential areas, then, the government included commercial, industrial and recreational areas in the planning of the new towns in the first two phases, such that the new towns could provide their residents with enough job opportunities. The attempt, if successful, could minimise the need for transportation between the new towns and
4503-433: The one hand, the government began to provide public housing, and on the other hand it proposed to develop “satellite towns” in undeveloped areas in order to make more lands available for the increasing housing need. At first, it identified Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung as sites for the first satellite towns, but it then found that Kwun Tong , located in then-underdeveloped eastern Kowloon, would be attractive to people living in
4582-589: The only links to Kowloon, the traffic between these new towns and the urban area was highly congested, prompting the government to study new road and rail links. The situation improved when Tai Lam Tunnel opened in 1998. These new towns in the north-western New Territories were finally connected to urban areas with direct railway service when KCR West Rail (now part of the Tuen Ma Line ) opened in 2003. New towns’ residential areas have both private and public housing. When new towns were first developed, land reclamation
4661-535: The possibility of allocating land for a public market in the Tung Chung Development Area, but concern groups argued that the market would take more than 10 years to complete, making it difficult to meet the immediate needs of residents. According to the 2011 census, Tung Chung had a population of 115,000, but only 6,000 residents were able to work in the Lantau area. Although there are many job opportunities in
4740-508: The preliminary development proposal released in July 2017 indicated that up to 108 residential blocks could be built above the depot, providing 14,000 dwellings and a 320,000-square-foot shopping mall. The environmental assessment report for this development was approved with conditions on 29 November 2017, and the statutory planning process of the Town Planning Board is expected to commence in
4819-459: The privatised company and greater commercial orientation, although some feared that the scope for increasing rental income and cutting labour costs might be limited due to most of its properties being tied to the public housing sector. IPO of The Link REIT, delayed for a year until 2005 through legal action by housing tenants worried that rents would rise, was eventually 18 times oversubscribed. About 510,000 Hong Kong residents, or seven percent of
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#17328510218904898-539: The problem, including launching a potential legal battle against the company. Similarly, in April 2019, legislator Alice Mak moved a motion in the Legislative Council urging the government to "overcome the 'three big mountains'" that she wrote had plagued the local community, one of which is Link REIT. Various other legislators moved motions to this amendment suggesting means of tackling the problem, including amending
4977-484: The proposals are adopted, construction work is expected to begin in the mid-2010s, and its first phase to end in the early 2020s. The planning of the new towns was, in colonial history, the first major attempt at horizontal coordination among government departments. Regarding it as a cornerstone of Hong Kong social policy, the colonial government aimed to alleviate urban overpopulation and improve quality of life for ordinary citizens. It planned all new towns carefully, with
5056-662: The public good. Some NGOs also were concerned that the reduced income of the Housing Authority would eventually lead to rent rises for public tenants. Lo's request for judicial review of the privatisation was rejected at the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal. Since the listing in 2005, Link has engaged in a process of 'asset enhancement works', seeking to raise the value of the properties through upgraded physical structure, replacing low-end utility local shops with higher-paying brands and chains, enhanced 'customer service', and promotional activities. The Link also overhauled many of
5135-479: The rapid advance of Hong Kong's economy from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The government in the 1950s originally had no plans to deal with the problem of housing the increasing population, until the Shek Kip Mei Fire in 1953 destroyed the homes of 58,203 people in a shanty town . The government, for the first time, built public housing to accommodate the victims and found a change in housing policy essential. On
5214-461: The scale of expansion of Tung Chung New Town and improve community and regional facilities. A three-stage public engagement exercise was launched by the Planning Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department, with the first stage ending on 12 August of the same year, and the views collected will be used to formulate a preliminary outline development plan. On 17 February 2017,
5293-429: The self-proclaimed managers and the protesters, and required mediation by the police. Two protesters were arrested and one reporter was injured during the clash. Conflicts between the management and the public reoccurred on the night of 9 February. The men were filmed beating up protesters while police stood by and prevented others from being involved. A reporter was also beaten up by the control team. A 31-year-old man
5372-509: The surrounding areas of Tung Chung, such as the airport and Hong Kong Disneyland , the low employment rate in the area is mainly due to the fact that the types and nature of jobs do not match the needs of the residents. Some groups have advocated for Tung Chung to develop a "bridgehead economy", and to take advantage of the economic opportunities of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. However, the employment opportunities created by
5451-446: The trust's behaviour. He said that, as the previous owner of the public housing commercial space, the Hong Kong government has a responsibility to public housing tenants "to satisfy their needs and if necessary to provide alternatives to Link REIT properties". He said that a Link REIT monopoly in public estates was not acceptable as elderly tenants could not be expected to carry their heavy shopping to and from other markets. He said there
5530-598: The wet markets under its management. The renovations have led to higher rents, higher prices, and the loss of local shops. In moves to diversify its property portfolio and mix, Link acquired the shopping mall portion of Nan Fung Centre with parking facilities in Hang Hau , from Nan Fung Group mid 2010 for a total of $ 1.17 billion. In late 2010, Link acquired the shopping mall portion of Maritime Bay Shopping Mall with parking facilities in Hang Hau, from Sino Group , for
5609-522: The youngest new town in Hong Kong. As the commercial, residential and community facilities in the New Town are concentrated in Tung Chung, it has been renamed Tung Chung New Town in recent official government documents. The development of North Lantau was first proposed in the late 1970s when the government proposed to build a new airport at Chek Lap Kok . In the North Lantau Development Investigation Study published in 1983,
5688-495: Was an important way of gaining land to build on. Large areas were gained by land reclamations in Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Tsing Yi, Ma On Shan, Tin Shui Wai, Tseung Kwan O and Tung Chung – 7 of 9 new towns, with Fanling-Sheung Shui New Town and Yuen Long New Town being the only exceptions. Link REIT Link Real Estate Investment Trust ( Chinese : 領展房地產投資信託基金 , or 領展 ), previously known as The Link Real Estate Investment Trust ( 領匯房地產投資信託基金 , or 領匯 ),
5767-559: Was arrested for causing disorder in a public place. He allegedly interfered with a worker performing his duties at Leung King Estate. The Link REIT distanced itself from the clashes and denied the hawker control team was part of its staff. In 2016 the Environmental Protection Department initiated prosecution against the Link REIT under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance because wastewater from
5846-487: Was contracted out by Link to the Kin Wah Group, was under renovation. Many residents could not bear the years of monopoly and were worried that prices would be further pushed up, so in 2016, residents went out of their way to organize a market with Eddie Chu , and at one point clashed with Link's security and outsourced contractors. The then Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying stated in his 2017 policy address that he would study
5925-418: Was electrified in the early 1980s in order to provide convenient transport to the new towns at Fanling-Sheung Shui, Tai Po and Sha Tin. New towns in the north-western New Territories were connected by Light Rail Transit , although at the time they remained the only new towns without direct railway service to the urban areas. Because there was no railway transport, and Tuen Mun Road and Castle Peak Road were
6004-706: Was established by the Hong Kong government , which hived off assets from the Hong Kong Housing Authority that included 151 retail facilities – mainly within public housing estates – and 79,000 parking spaces. The date for the listing was 25 November 2005, at a valuation of HK$ 22.02 billion (Valuation = 2,137,454,000 x HK$ 10.30 = HK$ 22.02 Billion) (US$ 2.82 billion). Upon privatisation , Link Reit remains tied to terms in existing tenancy agreements, but will no longer require approval from government to increase rents for new leases. However, financial analysts expected attractive dividend yields – up to 7 per cent – from
6083-520: Was in the top three in terms of health risk. With the opening of the HZMB in the second half of 2018 and the construction of a third runway, as well as the rapid urbanization in Tung Chung, many people expect the air quality in Tung Chung to deteriorate further. After the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in October 2018, a large number of tourists came to Tung Chung every Sunday for shopping. Residents in
6162-445: Was no plan to buy back the Link, but the government could explore providing alternatives if the Link was not serving nearby residents. Carrie Lam , ex-Hong Kong chief executive, was reported in 2016 to have called Link REIT one of the "three mountains" – i.e. one of the major sources of contention in Hong Kong society – that the government sought to conquer. Lam stated that the government should explore different avenues toward tackling
6241-406: Was proposed in the 1980s, including Tseung Kwan O New Town , Tin Shui Wai New Town and Ma On Shan , the last of which was officially considered as an extension of Sha Tin New Town. The fourth phase of new-town development, so far the last, commenced in 1996 and developed North Lantau New Town (only Tung Chung was developed, although originally the plan included the area near Tai Ho Wan ), as
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