市建盛德街项目已收逾九成单位

为协助公务员建屋合作社 (下称合作社) 解决重建难的问题，市区重建局 (下称市建局) 于2020年5月以试点形式啟动土瓜湾区两个合作社项目重建计划，其中盛德街/马头涌道重建项目 (下称盛德街项目) 去年8月开始收购，至今年4月底已有逾九成业主接纳收购。市建局亦透露，已就西湾河一带合作社向业主进行意见调查，绝大部分业主期望其楼宇可作重建。

韦志成：支援散社令收购顺利

前述两个合作社项目，其中盛德街项目涉及约155个业权，预计日后可重建约640个私人住宅单位。市建局行政总监韦志成于网誌中指出，该项目推展进度较顺利，地盘内9个合作社中，有8个在市建局开展项目前已经解散；餘下1个涉及12伙的合作社，在市建局顾问团队支援下，只需约一年完成整个解散合作社 (散社) 和取回业权的程序，较以往社员自行处理散社所需的时间，缩短约18个月。

该项目仅有约9个业权因为业主离世后之继承手续等较复杂的问题，尚未成功收购；其餘逾140个业权，市建局早前已向业主发放现金补偿和特惠津贴。韦志成说，部分业主已陆续在九龙城、沙田、元朗等地区购买单位，另有43名业主选择市建局提供的重置单位认购方案，有9人于上周一 (4月25日) 成功购入市建局位于九龙东啟德焕然壹居的楼换楼单位，部分则拟购买日后原址兴建的新盘内的楼换楼单位，43人中有约一半则拟选购香港房屋协会正于啟德兴建的专用安置屋邨内所提供的资助出售房屋。

至于规模较大的土瓜湾靠背垄道项目，现存有约460个单位，市建局预计日后可提供约950个公营房屋单位和逾1500个私人住宅单位。韦志成称，该项目约四成单位尚未解散相关合作社，令市建局是否在此情况下提交予政府展开收地程序存在一定未知数和难度，市建局将继续以最大努力协助靠背垄道项目社员散社。

西湾河多数旧楼业主盼重建

此外，韦志成透露，市建局去年底向西湾河一带的业主进行首个「市区更新需求先导调查」(更新需求调查)，了解业主是否希望其楼宇重建或进行復修等，当中涵盖该区一些合作社项目。初步资料显示，有近八成已散社和逾九成未散社的合作社社员希望其楼宇可重建。

韦志成表示，由土瓜湾两个试点项目可见，散社是推展合作社重建项目的关键，该局会总结试点项目的经验，并深入研究西湾河更新需求调查有关合作社楼宇社员意见所得的啟示，以规划并向政府建议日后处理其他合作社项目的方向。

(信报)

Price-sensitive buyers snap up 51 units at The Quinn Square Mile in Tai Kok Tsui, netting HK$330 million for Henderson

Young buyers snap up 51 units out of 138 on offer at The Quinn Square Mile, Henderson Land says

Sunday’s launch follows an eventful week of new launches as pent up demand resurfaces after Covid restrictions

Henderson Land Development sold 51 units out of 138 on offer at the residential project The Quinn Square Mile in Tai Kok Tsui on Sunday, according to the developer, as price-sensitive buyers snapped up small-sized flats amid a pickup in new project launches from developers over the past week.

Most of the units sold by 6pm were one-bedroom flats and studios, according to property agents, with the majority of buyers being end users younger than 30 years old. Agents expected about 60 per cent of all available units to be sold by the end of the day, the second of the three-day Labour Day weekend.

“Many buyers remain optimistic about the property market outlook, as there is a strong pent up demand from buyers standing on the sidelines in the first quarter and fourth quarter of last year,” property agent said.

The sale of the Henderson Land project followed an eventful week of launches from developers, which saw new orders from buyers every day of the week. This is in sharp contrast to the preceding three-month lull in sales as social distancing measures linked to the city’s fifth wave of Covid-19 caused developers to delay new project launches.

Ahead of the sale, The Quinn Square Mile received 900 registrations from interested buyers, meaning about 7 interested buyers were going after each of the 138 units on offer, according to local media.

The batch released today, which accounts for about a fifth of the total 614 units in the project, also featured two-bedroom flats, with the biggest flat measuring up to 382 sq ft. The first-batch units were earmarked for sale at an average launch price of HK$23,928 per square foot after discounts offered by the developer.

That is about 1 per cent lower than units at Soyo, another tiny flat development in Mong Kok from Chun Wo Development Holdings. The launch price for those units last December was an average of HK$24,179 per square foot.

The Quinn Square Mile sales have so far netted HK$330 million for Henderson Land, according to Mark Hahn, the general manager of sales.

The resurgence in interest has also come ahead of more rate hikes in store for the rest of this year, which could increase buyers’ mortgage repayments down the line.

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise the Fed funds rate by half a percentage point this month, as US inflation rose at the fastest pace in 40 years. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority would likely mirror the hike in its base lending rate due to Hong Kong’s currency peg to the US dollar, adding upwards pressure to mortgage payments linked to interbank rates.

Some potential buyers may be prompted to buy ahead of further rate hikes, which banks typically respond to with higher income requirements for mortgage applicants, agents said. That might have fuelled sales at The Grand Mayfair I in Yuen Long, which was developed by Sino Land, K Wah International and China Overseas Land and Investment. All 388 flats on offer sold out on Friday.

Sales of new homes are likely to hit 1,200 units in April, according to another property agent. That would make it the busiest month since December, when 1,493 units were sold, according to Land Registry data. Sales could rise further to a 10-month high of 2,000 in May, the agent predicted.