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Edith Lin

Strengthening risk oversight in major maintenance projects in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire is a top priority for Hong Kong lawmaker Julia Lau Man-kwan, who represents the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector.
In an interview with the Post, Lau, who is also president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, pledged to ensure proper use of public funds in government works amid a deficit, and to remove development barriers to boost tourism in rural areas under the Northern Metropolis megaproject.
With a voter turnout rate of 54 per cent in the constituency, Lau’s victory ended the 13-year domination of surveyors at the seat. She clinched 2,157 votes and won the neck-and-neck race over her opponent in the surveying field, Francis Lam Ka-fai, by 117 votes.
It was not an easy win for Lau, as the surveying industry takes up 60 per cent of the more than 8,200 registered voters in the constituency – almost double the number of those in the architectural field.
Unlike her predecessor, Tony Tse Wai-chuen, Lau said she did not join “G19”, a coalition of lawmakers without any political party affiliation led by Tse, as she did not wish to vote en bloc when her term started on January 1.
Lau pledged to maintain close contact with the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors for future works in the Legislative Council, including follow-up work on the blaze at Wang Fuk Court that claimed 161 lives and left nearly 5,000 people homeless.
One of the proposals Lau floated was to include a third-party risk assessment before contractors started major repairs at buildings, as such projects involve smaller-scale works that do not require prior approval from the Buildings Department.
“Risk assessments should be done as soon as possible, at least for the current buildings undergoing major maintenance. They have actual fire risks. Such assessments can mitigate the free-for-all situation,” she said.
Lau noted that the move would incur additional costs, but the government should look into it in the short term as a matter of safety.

Authorities should also conduct more frequent random checks at maintenance projects and penalise those that flouted regulations, she added.
On the specific issue of Wang Fuk Court, Lau suggested constructing a new residential estate for displaced residents using the latest building materials and technology.
Another key priority for the lawmaker was to tighten oversight of public works.
With the government struggling to balance the books, Lau said she hoped to introduce independent quantity surveyors to control spending, as project contractors who used their own surveyors often went over budget, leaving authorities to foot part of the bill.
She also suggested that certain non-urgent or minor public works – noise barriers for sites that were far from residential areas but still required under development rules, for instance – should be reviewed or suspended to help address the city’s deficit.
“My objective is to ensure proper use of public money,” Lau said.
Turning to the subject of the Northern Metropolis, Lau said she would propose measures to facilitate its development. The megaproject aims to turn 30,000 hectares of land near the city’s border with mainland China into a housing hub and an economic powerhouse.
She called on the government to announce incentives such as tax breaks for businesses and investors as soon as possible, and to ramp up logistical support by building roads and utilities.
Lau stressed that these were investments the authorities had to make urgently, as companies may consider other options and Hong Kong could lose out economically if it did not seize the opportunity quickly.
Given the rich natural resources in the New Territories, Lau said she saw potential for developing rehabilitation tourism, including facilities for patients recovering from surgery.
But Lau said the government would have to extend the city’s short-term tenancy lease for operators to commit and invest, as the current regime only allows applicants to rent public land for at most seven years, with renewal subject to review.
As a councillor of the Heung Yee Kuk, a statutory body that represents indigenous villagers, Lau also saw potential in revitalising villages, to preserve the city’s unique heritage while promoting the spaces as a tourist attraction.
As of 2023, the city had close to 700 villages.

Citing the example of restoring and repurposing Lai Chi Wo village houses as visitor accommodation – a project which began in 2017 and opened at the end of 2022 – Lau said she hoped the government would consider introducing a more simplified regime for operating guest houses in these low-rise blocks.
But such a venture would also require establishing a small community with shops and eateries featuring local produce to attract visitors, she added.
Lau noted that such measures could help boost the city’s economy and benefit the property sector, which has struggled amid a market downturn.
“The Heung Yee Kuk has raised such suggestions before, but they have not been taken forward, possibly due to vested interests,” she said.
“But the economy will be dead in the water if we do not rejuvenate it. Isn’t it time to do something? If the economy does not improve, our sector will not have anything to work on.”


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Architectural sector legislator urges better use of public funds, and has ideas on how to boost development of the Northern Metropolis and tourism


Architectural sector legislator urges better use of public funds, and has ideas on how to boost development of the Northern Metropolis and tourism.


Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco)

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors

New Hong Kong lawmaker Julia Lau vows to strengthen risk oversight after Tai Po fire

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Architectural sector legislator urges better use of public funds, and has ideas on how to boost development of the Northern Metropolis and tourism

Architectural sector legislator urges better use of public funds, and has ideas on how to boost development of the Northern Metropolis and tourism