Chief Executive Carrie Lam today visited the Urban Renewal Exploration Centre and Central Market to learn more about the progress of the Urban Renewal Authority's revitalisation projects.

Accompanied by Secretary for Development Michael Wong, Mrs Lam started the visit at the Urban Renewal Exploration Centre in Central, where she received a briefing from the authority's Board Chairman Chow Chung-kong and Managing Director Wai Chi-sing on the progress of its various projects in different districts and its future redevelopment strategy.

She expressed her support for the authority's new planning-driven urban renewal approach in recent years and recognised its efforts in carrying out the new task she assigned to it in the 2019 Policy Address by taking an active role in providing Starter Homes (SH) units for Hong Kong residents.

The first SH pilot project, eResidence, has been well received by the public, with all 450 units sold out in mid-2019. The authority has decided to earmark the adjacent redevelopment project for another SH project.

Mrs Lam then visited the Central Market Revitalisation Project, one of the projects under the Conserving Central initiative, to find out more about its progress.

The Central Market building is a Grade 3 historic building with about 80 years of history. The authority has been responsible for the building's comprehensive conservation and revitalisation and started the works in 2017.

The project team is committed to conserving the building's valuable architectural characteristics, including the atrium, the main staircase and market stalls, and integrating the features into the revitalised building with new functions.

Mrs Lam was pleased to note that the project has been progressing smoothly, with the authority planning to select an operator in the first quarter of next year and striving to start operation in the third quarter at the earliest.

By that time, the project is expected to provide affordable cultural, catering and retail facilities as well as open spaces, and become an oasis in the Central business district to provide a place for the working population there to relax.

Mrs Lam noted that most of the projects under the Conserving Central initiative will have been completed with the revitalised buildings given new uses, adding that the initiative demonstrates the concept of preservation and development.