Urban renewal: Secretary for Development Carrie Lam visits a senior owner-occupier of Kam Sing Building.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam today visited Kam Sing Building in Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok where large-scale renovation works were completed under Operation Building Bright.

With an approved funding of about $1.3 million, the building has undergone renovations to repair and maintain the waterproofing, drainage and flush water systems, as well as renovating the external and internal finishes.

Mrs Lam visited an senior owner-occupier to hear his views on the renovations. She learned that each of the 22 elderly owners in the building received a subsidy of about $34,000 from Operation Building Bright funding.

With a total budget of $2 billion, the operation aims to assist about 2,000 target buildings and create 20,000 job opportunities for construction and maintenance workers as well as related professionals and technicians. At the end of November, works had started in 184 buildings.

Other projects

After the visit, Mrs Lam went to 600-626 Shanghai Street, where Urban Renewal Authority Director of Planning & Design Michael Ma briefed her on a proposal to preserve and revitalise Cantonese verandah-type shophouses.

Ten of these shophouses were built in the 1930s and have Grade I historic building status. The other four were constructed in the 1960s. The authority is seeking the public's views on these building's post-renovation use.

The District Officer also briefed Mrs Lam on a proposal from the local community to construct a new public transport interchange in Sai Yee Street, to ease the heavy traffic flow in the heart of Mong Kok.