Three owners fined nearly $130,000 in total for not complying with removal orders
Three owners were convicted and fined $128,780 in total at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts last Wednesday (May 27) for failing to comply with removal orders issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
The West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, the West Kowloon Law Courts Building
The first case involved an unauthorised structure of about 240 square metres on the flat roof of an industrial building on Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan. As the unauthorised building work (UBW) was carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD and was fined $50,780 in total, of which $20,780 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued.
The second case involved an unauthorised structure of about 89 sq m on the flat roof of a composite building on Lei Muk Road, Kwai Chung. As the UBW was carried out without prior approval and consent from the BD, a removal order was served on the two co-owners under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owners had been prosecuted by the BD two times and were fined a cumulative total of $37,650 upon convictions by the court. As the owners persisted in not complying with the removal order, they were prosecuted for the third time and were fined $78,000 in total upon convictions by the court.
A spokesman for the BD said today (June 1), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take stringent enforcement action and instigate prosecutions against owners again if they persist in not complying with removal orders, so as to ensure building and public safety."
Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.
Source: AI-found images
Leasing arrangements announced for public market stalls in June
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (June 1) that open auctions for a total of 514 stalls in 44 public markets will be held in June. Market stalls not taken at open auctions will be available to the public for renting at their upset prices on June 22 on a first-come, first-served basis.
(1) Open auctions
The types of stalls to be auctioned this time cover cooked food, frozen meat, fresh meat, fresh fish, frozen (chilled) poultry, fruits, vegetables, food-related dry goods and wet goods, non-food-related dry goods and wet goods, tradesman/service trades, siu mei and lo mei, newspaper, etc. The tenancy agreement is a three-year fixed term from July 1, 2026, while the tenancy agreement for Stall No. MN362 at Tung Chau Street Temporary Market will start from September 1, 2026, with no right of renewal upon expiry of the tenancy agreement. The upset prices of the monthly rent of the stalls vary depending on the sizes, locations and vacancy periods of the individual stalls. The upset prices for the stalls in an open auction will be initially fixed at 80 per cent of the open market rent (OMR) if the stalls have been vacant for over six months, and at 60 per cent of the OMR if the vacant period has been over eight months. Relevant information is available on the FEHD website.
The date of the auctions and the number of stalls are as follows:
New Territories (1)
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Auction date: June 8 (Monday) (am)
Number of stalls: 52
New Territories (2)
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Auction date: June 8 (Monday) (pm)
Number of stalls: 79
Hong Kong Island and Islands District (except Aberdeen Market) (1)
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Auction date: June 9 (Tuesday) (pm)
Number of stalls: 144
Hong Kong Island and Islands District (except Aberdeen Market) (2)
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Auction date: June 10 (Wednesday) (am)
Number of stalls: 69
Aberdeen Market
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Auction date: June 10 (Wednesday) (pm)
Number of stalls: 7
Kowloon (1)
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Auction date: June 11 (Thursday) (am)
Number of stalls: 85
Kowloon (2)
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Auction date: June 11 (Thursday) (pm)
Number of stalls: 78
The open auctions will be held at Room 410, 4/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The admission tickets will be issued 30 minutes prior to the commencement of each auction. Persons who want to attend the auctions must wait at the waiting area of the auction venue and produce their Hong Kong identity card or passport for registration. The registered person will then be provided with an admission ticket for the auctions. In addition, eligible bidders after verification will be issued with a bidding paddle for the auction. The FEHD has also invited representatives of the Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption to monitor the auctions at the auction venue in order to ensure that the open auctions are conducted in an orderly and fair manner.
(2) Renting at upset prices on first-come, first-served basis
The tenancy agreement for market stalls renting on a first-come, first-served basis is a three-year fixed term from August 1, 2026; while the tenancy agreement for the market stalls at Stanley Waterfront Mart is a three-month fixed term from July 1, 2026, with no right of renewal upon expiry of the tenancy agreement. The upset prices of the monthly rent of the stalls vary depending on their sizes, locations, vacancy periods and the reduced upset prices from the last open auction of the individual stalls.
In addition, the FEHD Sunlight Market will be available to the public for renting on a first-come, first-served basis. The licence agreement for market stalls in the Sunlight Market is a 24-month fixed term starting from August 1, 2026, with no right of renewal upon expiry of the licence agreement. The licence fee of the stalls varies depending on their sizes.
Members of the public who are interested in renting a market stall at its upset price should approach the following FEHD offices, as appropriate, to apply in person from 9.30am to 12.30pm or 2.30pm to 4.30pm on June 22 (Monday):
Districts in which the market stalls are located |
Venues for selection of market stalls |
Hong Kong Island and Islands District |
Hawkers and Markets Section (Hong Kong and Islands) Office, 8/F, Lockhart Road Municipal Services Building, 225 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong |
Kowloon |
Hawkers and Markets Section (Kowloon) Office, Room 301-302, 3/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon |
Kwai Tsing District |
Kwai Tsing District Environmental Hygiene Office, 9/F, Kwai Hing Government Offices, 166-174 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung, New Territories |
North District |
North District Environmental Hygiene Office, 4/F, Shek Wu Hui Municipal Services Building, 13 Chi Cheong Road, Sheung Shui, New Territories |
Sai Kung District |
Sai Kung District Environmental Hygiene Office, 7/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex, 38 Pui Shing Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories |
Sha Tin District |
Sha Tin District Environmental Hygiene Office, Units 1201-1207 and 1220-1221, 12/F, Tower 1, Grand Central Plaza, 138 Sha Tin Rural Committee Road, Sha Tin, New Territories |
Tai Po District |
Tai Po District Environmental Hygiene Office, 3/F, Tai Po Complex, 8 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po, New Territories |
Tsuen Wan District |
Tsuen Wan District Environmental Hygiene Office, 3/F, Yeung Uk Road Municipal Services Building, 45 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories |
Tuen Mun District |
Tuen Mun District Environmental Hygiene Office, 1/F, Tuen Mun Government Offices Building, 1 Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories |
Yuen Long District |
Yuen Long District Environmental Hygiene Office, 2/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, New Territories |
Relevant information on renting at upset prices on a first-come, first-served basis will be available on the FEHD website after the open auction.
A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Bidders or applicants for the market stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. To allow more people to bid for or select the stalls and increase customer choices by enhancing the diversity of stall types, there will be a restriction on the number of stalls to be rented in the same market by a single tenant. Any person who is currently a stall tenant is not allowed to bid in the first round of auction for any stall in the same market, and will only be allowed to bid for one stall in the second round of auction or to select one stall in the same market on a first-come, first-served basis (except Stanley Waterfront Mart). The existing tenants under the new three-year fixed-term tenancy scheme (i.e. those persons who became stall tenants through the market open auctions after Auust 2022) are allowed to bid for a stall in the auction or select a stall on a first-come, first-served basis in the same market, but shall vacate the current stall and return it to the FEHD before the effective date of commencement of the new tenancy agreement."
Details of the open auctions and the public market stalls concerned (including stalls for open auction at reduced upset prices) have been uploaded to the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pleasant_environment/tidy_market/open_auction_coming.html). Details on renting public market stalls on a first-come, first-served basis will be uploaded to the FEHD website after open auctions (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pleasant_environment/tidy_market/FCFS/index.html). Interested bidders or applicants may visit the department website or contact the respective District Environmental Hygiene Office.
Source: AI-found images
