Government rents five floors of One Hennessy in Wan Chai

The Hong Kong government had rented five floors with a total floor area of about 60,000 square feet in Chinachem Group's Grade A commercial building One Hennessy, the Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister newspaper, reported.

Donald Choi Wun-hing, executive director and chief executive at Chinachem Group, confirmed the lease but would not disclose the rental price. He said it was at market rates.

This comes two years after the Chinese co-working space operator Kr Space forfeited its deposit for leasing seven floors in May 2018.

The complex is across from the police headquarters.

The police would not comment on whether the space is for its use.

The developer said that one floor remains for rent after the leasing deal.

(The Standard)

For more information of Office for Lease in One Hennessy please visit: Office for Lease in One Hennessy

For more information of Grade A Office for Lease in Wan Chai please visit: Grade A Office for Lease in Wan Chai

Luxury homes set for Kwu Tung

Crystal Properties Development has applied to build more than 500 units on a site in Kwu Tung, where the government will put up another site for sale in the coming three months.

The site covers a total area of 165,861 square feet.

The southern part of the plot, which has a gross floor area of approximately 218,195 sq ft, will accommodate 478 units.

The northern part, which has a gross floor area of 102,442 sq ft, can provide 49 houses.

The government will also offer for tender a commercial site in Causeway Bay with a gross floor area of 1.07 million square feet, as well as three residential plots, to accommodate 2,240 units in total during the first quarter of next year.

The three residential sites are Kai Tak area 4E site 2, one in Fan Ling's Kwu Tung in New Territories and one comprising 9 and 11 Mansfield Road on The Peak.

A surveyor values the Kwu Tung North site, which covers a total area of 200,210 sq ft with a gross floor area of 1.2 million sq ft, at HK$6 billion, or HK$5,000 per buildable sq ft.

Kai Tak area 4E site 2, which sits on the runway of the former airport, measures approximately 117,900 square feet.

With a plot ratio of 5.5, the site has a total floor area of approximately 648,450 sq ft.

The site, which borders Metro Park and Kai Tak cruise terminal, has been valued by a surveyor at HK$9.73 billion, or HK$15,000 per buildable sq ft.

The site at 9 and 11 Mansfield Road on The Peak measures 54,541 sq ft, with a gross floor area of 145,652 sq ft.

The Surveyor has valued the site at HK$6.7 billion, or HK$46,000 per buildable sq ft.

Wharf won the tender for the plot occupying 2, 4, 6 and 8 Mansfield Road for HK$12 billion, or HK$46,272 per buildable square foot, last week, with the per square foot price hitting a new high for a residential site in Hong Kong and beating market expectations.

Meanwhile, Choice Investment and Carrianna Group (0126) acquired two old buildings at 223, 223A, 225 & 225A Hai Tan Street for HK$293.1 million via auction in Sham Shui Po.

In the secondary market, a seller will suffer a capital loss of about HK$1.29 million after selling a unit at Conduit 18 in the Mid-Levels for HK$44 million.

(The Standard)

Hang Lung’s HK$2.6 billion purchase of US government’s 37 Shouson Hill Road villas runs into diplomatic snag in US-China spat

Any US consulate plan to rent, purchase, sell its property in Hong Kong requires written consent from the Chinese government, according to a stock exchange filing by the buyer Hang Lung Properties

The Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesman confirmed that US embassies in China must apply to the Chinese government to buy or sell real estate

One of Hong Kong’s biggest real estate transactions of 2020 has been caught in the crossfire of souring US-China diplomatic relations, as the United States consulate failed to get its sale of luxury villas on The Peak recognised by the city’s Land Registry.

The HK$2.6 billion (US$330 million) sale on September 10 of six multi-storey villas at 37 Shouson Hill Road could not be registered by Hong Kong’s Land Registry because of “diplomatic obligations” imposed by the Chinese government on the US consulate, buyer Hang Lung Properties said in an exchange filing on Wednesday. Hang Lung bought it for a 20 per cent discount to the valuation.

The developer said it was informed by the Land Registry on December 21 that the US consulate is not a commercial entity, and the Shouson Hill villas are not an ordinary real estate property. The transaction involved foreign affairs between China and the US and should not be regarded as an ordinary commercial activity, it added.

The US government must submit a written application to the Chinese government via the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the city with at least 60 days’ notice, Hang Lung said, citing an advisory from the Chinese government to the local authority.

“There is a possibility that the transaction will be dropped,” surveyor said. “The letter made it rather clear that the deal is not just a property transaction, but carries a political meaning. Whether it can move forward only depends on the relationship between US and China. If the Chinese government gives its approval, it would represent a gesture of goodwill.”

The snag was “exceptional” and was not made known to, or anticipated by, by either Hang Lung or the tenderer of the property at the time of the sale, Hang Lung said. Still, Hang Lung said that it is “willing and able to proceed” with the deal after “careful consideration,” if the US can comply with the diplomatic obligations.

The Chinese government weighed in on Wednesday afternoon. “US embassies must apply to buy, sell real estate,” said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin during a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Hang Lung’s investors appear to have been lukewarm about the developer’s purchase. Shares of the company have fallen 2.4 per cent since Hang Lung won the tender on September 9, underperforming the 10.3 per cent gain in the benchmark Hang Seng Index. The stock rose by 2.1 per cent to HK$20.15 after today’s statement, the highest in more than a month, and reversing its earlier decline.

Such a setback is “unprecedented, and much should have been done prior to the sale,” a lawyer said. The buyer should consider seriously whether to buy, or request to revise the tender terms to extend the completion date, with the right to termination if written consent is not obtained, the lawyer said.

The US consulate said it complied with the relevant obligations and requirements, while arguing that “diplomatic obligations applicable to the sale of the property are matters between sovereignties and would not affect title of the property,” Hang Lung said, citing a letter yesterday by the US representative office.

The developer and the tenderer are “evaluating and taking legal advice” on appropriate actions, “including exploring the feasibility of extending the time” for completing the deal, Hang Lung said.

“Additional time is needed for the buyer and seller to complete the administrative processes required for closing on the property,” said a spokesperson at the US consulate’s office in Hong Kong, declining to say whether a written application had been sent to the Chinese government for the sale.

Hang Lung’s chairman, the billionaire Ronnie Chan Chi-chung, is a frequent interlocutor on China-related affairs, and does not shy from having verbal jousts with journalists on political issues including Hong Kong’s year-long anti-government protests and the national security law enacted by the Chinese legislature for Hong Kong.

Born in 1949, Chan is also chairman of the board of trustees of the Asia Society in Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, with the mission of educating the world about Asia.

Hang Lung has been investing in China since the 1990s, starting with its landmark Plaza 66 and Grand Gateway 66 projects in Shanghai. It has been expanding its presence in secondary cities such as Shenyang, Jinan, Wuxi, Tianjin, Dalian, Kunming, Wuhan and Hangzhou with projects under the “66” brand. The company achieved HK$4.54 billion revenue from property leasing in China, accounting for 53 per cent of the company’s 2019 total revenue.

The US government bought the land at 37 Shouson Hill Road in June 1948 for an unknown price when Hong Kong was still a British colony, according to public records at the Land Registry. Construction on the site was completed in 1983.

Hang Lung, which mainly develops shopping centres and offices, said it will redevelop the Shouson Hill Road site into multiple luxury detached houses by 2024, with plans to invest HK$4 billion in the project.

Details of the tender came to light on May 30 hours after US President Donald Trump announced that he would revoke Hong Kong’s special customs status, in response to the Chinese legislature’s announcement introducing the national security law for the city.

“It’s more about the Chinese government trying to impose hurdles for the US in selling the property,” a scholar said, adding that the latest snag is a watered down version of freezing US assets in Hong Kong. “Perhaps [the Chinese government] sees it as a test of the new [Biden] administration,” using it as a bargaining chip, the scholar said.

The asset sale has to “wait until Biden becomes president and [the US and China]] start their negotiation,” the scholar said, and the saga will last until “their relationship becomes better. The US can still use the asset, but they are not allowed to sell it,” the scholar added.

(South China Morning Post)

浸會醫院3128萬沽葵涌工廈

浸會醫院近期接連沽貨，據土地註冊處資料，葵涌香港毛紡工業大廈中層4室及5室，本月18日以3128萬售，以面積10156方呎計，呎價約3080元。原業主為香港浸信會醫院，於2004年以290萬購入上址，持貨16年帳面獲利2838萬，期間升值約9.8倍。

事實上，浸會醫院於疫市下頻頻沽貨。資料顯示，由浸會醫院持有的觀塘絲寶國際大廈低層全層，於上月以約1.59億沽出，呎價約9500元，低市價約兩成，並創該廈6年以來新低。

(星島日報)

更多絲寶國際大廈寫字樓出售資訊請參閱：絲寶國際大廈寫字樓出售

更多觀塘區甲級寫字樓出售樓盤資訊請參閱：觀塘區甲級寫字樓出售

壽臣山美領館地 恒隆未能完成收購

外交部：駐港美領館任何買賣 須中方同意

中國政府罕有介入香港物業買賣，原本由恒隆地產 (00101) 以25.6億購入的美國領事館宿舍屋地，突然因涉及外交問題，未能如期完成收購。中國外交部解釋，駐港美領館任何買賣均要獲中方同意。

美國駐港澳總領事館在今年5月招標出售，位於壽臣山壽山村道37號的宿舍屋地，並在9月公布由恒隆地產以25.6億元奪得，樓面地價每呎5.4萬元，發展商已經支付10%的訂金，原定在昨日 (12月30日) 完成交易。

不過，恒隆地產昨日發出公告，表示未能完成收購美國駐港澳總領事館宿舍地皮，因涉及中美外交事務，形容非買方能控制，並稱正評估延長完成交易時間的可能性。

涉外交事務 土地註冊處拒辦理

按照恒隆通告中詳細說明，集團在12月21日接到土地註冊處的函件指，拒絕辦理有關買賣協議，因美國駐港總領事館非一般商業主體，物業非普通房產，而交易涉及中美兩國之間的外交事務，並非一般商業行為。

文件更披露，由於中國中央政府告知香港特區政府，若美國領事館要出售任何位於香港特區的房地產，美國政府應提前60天申請，得到中國政府書面答覆同意後方可辦理有關手續，即外交義務之後才可進行。

中國外交部發言人汪文斌昨日證實，鑑於美方對外國駐美國使領館房地產管理規定，根據對等原則，中方要求美駐華使領館，包括駐香港總領館，在租賃、購置、出售或以其他任何方式獲得或處置房地產，以及實施館舍新建、改建、擴建、修繕等工程時，亦要向中方提出書面申請，獲得書面同意後方可辦理有關手續。

港府：嚴格依照中央規定行事

特區政府發言人補充指，會嚴格依照中央政府的規定行事。

至於恒隆曾經一度要求美國政府提交達成外交義務的證明文件，不過美國政府方面回覆，對於遵從該外交義務的必要性有異議，並稱外交義務屬於主權之間的事宜，並不影響該物業的業權，土地註冊處亦無權不進行註冊。

對於今次事件的發展，地產界普遍感意外，有測量師稱，相信是首次出現同類事件，難預測後續發展，若果今次交易被視為無效，恒隆方面已提交的10%訂金安排，到底是「殺訂」還是「賠訂」都會有爭議，因此現階段只有延長協議。

另一測量師亦指，事件的來龍去脈仍然屬未知數，包括香港政府有否告知業主有關規定，而美國領事館到底是明知故犯還是不知情，認為外界難以推測責任誰屬，但相信現階段事件不至於影響外國機構投資港香港物業的信心。

(經濟日報)

佳寧娜2.9億 奪深水埗海壇街地盤

由佳寧娜 (00126) 等收購的深水埗海壇街223至225A號舊樓，昨日進行強拍，成功以底價2.931億元投得項目，以可建樓面約4.26萬平方呎，每呎樓面地價約6,887元。

佳寧娜行政總裁梁百忍指，集團首次發展香港住宅物業，強調集團為港資公司，只是在大灣區發展；而宏達投資董事尹德輝指，集團目前優先收購俗稱「無敵契」的物業，項目將於2022年發售。

另一方面，銅鑼灣景隆街新安大廈將於1月5日公開拍賣，拍賣底價14.5億元。

(經濟日報)

油塘工廈一籃子單位 意向價3.5億

政府撤回非住宅物業辣稅下，帶動業主放盤意慾，新近有業主放售油塘工業大廈第4座一籃子單位連車位，意向價約3.5億元。

有代理指，現正放售為位處油塘四山街18至20號油塘工業大廈第4座一籃子單位及車位，當中單位面積合共約67,525平方呎，包括全層地廠，面積約37,000平方呎，另連7個貨車車位及2個私家車車位，而是次出售部分佔整個地段業權份數約43%，扣除車位價值後，樓面呎價約5,000元。

連7貨車及2私家車車位

油塘工業大廈第4座為4層高工廈，於1979年落成，物業向南的單位可享維港景之餘，尚可眺望油塘灣及港島東海景。至於物業亦備貨車車路可直達各層各單位，適合於從事車輛機械維修或物流貨倉之用，屬市場罕有放盤。

據悉，業主自用上址作貨倉用，現計劃於明年初搬離油塘區，並交吉出售。上址首次於市場放售，呎價貼近市場水平，按現時市值租金計算，預期收租回報率可逾3.5厘，而上述一籃子單位同時可分拆出售，以應不同用家或投資者所需，使物業在放售上更靈活。

而據EPRC經濟地產庫資料顯示，今年以來油塘區錄得近20宗買賣成交，惟區內的工廈數量不多，成交僅集中個別工廈身上，市場上最新成交為油塘工業大廈第1座低層B室，面積約4,500平方呎，成交價約3,888萬元，平均呎價約8,640元，另，油塘工業大廈第3座低層A室，面積約5,327平方呎，以每平方呎約3,304元沽出，造價約1,760萬元。

(經濟日報)

文輝道9及11號地下周五起招標 最高估值75億

山頂文輝道2、4、6、8號地皮早前由九倉 (0004) 以120億元、每方呎樓面地價46,272元投得後，地政總署剛公布，推出文輝道9及11號地皮，緊接於2021年1月8日 (下周五) 起招標，並於2月5日截標。項目可建144969方呎，料可提供135個單位。綜合業界人士意見，項目估值約67.8至75.4億元，每方呎樓面地價約4.68萬至5.2萬元。

(明報)