James Lee
2026-01-14 23:30:00
Hong Kong’s development chief has announced plans to overhaul building laws and the redevelopment body’s powers to give the government greater oversight of building maintenance work.
Development Secretary Bernadette Linn spoke at the first meeting of the new Legislative Council (LegCo), during which the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire topped the agenda.
Linn proposed five revisions, including changes to toughen the regulation of registered building professionals and contractors, and stiffer penalties, as part of a broader regulatory reform, triggered by the massive fire in November, which killed at least 161 people.
Building laws
The minister told LegCo that large-scale maintenance projects would require third-party professionals to submit construction plans.
The Development Bureau also proposed requiring maintenance plans to be sent to the Buildings Department for scrutiny, allowing the department to intervene and regulate the maintenance process, she said.
The department would also be empowered to lay down requirements clarifying what constitutes “appropriate preventive measures,” she said. “With greater clarity, there will be sufficient legal basis for prosecution down the road.”
The new proposals would also target building materials. The Building Ordinance is currently written in general terms, prohibiting materials that “are defective or do not comply with the provisions of this Ordinance.”
Linn said the authorities would formalise standards through administrative means, making it easier to prosecute over non-compliant materials, as well as reform the disciplinary and registration regimes.
The reform would allow disciplinary action even when matters, such as bribery offences, do not involve construction quality or technical issues and would serve as a factor considered for licence renewal.
The government aims to propose the bill for the overhaul within the year, Linn said.
Smart Tender system
Linn also proposed strengthening the regulatory powers of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) to reduce the risks of collusion between consultants and contractors.
The URA is supposed to play a role in combating collusive bidding practices through its “Smart Tender” system – introduced in 2016, following a spate of bid-rigging incidents.
However, critics have noted that the system cannot bar bid-rigging syndicates from submitting bids. It also appeared unable to prevent suspected collusion between the consultant and contractors on the Wang Fuk Court renovation project.
Linn proposed that consultancies hoping to provide their services through the Smart Tender scheme would only be listed on a new “pre-qualification” list pending their conviction or disciplinary records and background checks with the police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
When scrutinising contractors, the URA would consider feedback from owners in past projects, Linn added. There would also be a mechanism to remove companies from that list.
The URA would also take on a larger role in conducting tender evaluations on behalf of owners. If the building undergoing renovation receives a government subsidy, owners must accept the consultants and contractors selected by the URA.
For non-subsidised maintenance work, property owners can still participate in the Smart Tender scheme, under which the URA would advise them on suitable consultants and contractors.
