Four Property Owners Fined Over $1.1 Million for Not Complying with Removal and Repair Orders in Kwun Tong

Four property owners fined over $1,180,000 in total for not complying with removal and repair orders

Four owners were convicted and fined $1,181,400 in total, of which $1,061,400 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts yesterday (October 6) for failing to comply with removal orders and repair orders issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).

The Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts, the Kwun Tong Law Courts Building

The case involved alteration of six units into mini-storage units in an industrial building on Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong. As the alteration and addition works were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), and they obstructed the means of escape and means of access for firefighting and rescue activities, contravening the Building (Planning) Regulations, six removal orders and six repair orders were served on the four owners under section 24(1) and section 26 of the BO respectively.

Failing to comply with the statutory orders, the four owners had been prosecuted by the BD and were fined upon conviction by the court. As they persisted in not complying with the statutory orders, they were prosecuted for the second time.

A spokesman for the BD said today (October 7), "Unauthorised alteration works causing obstruction to the means of escape and means of access for firefighting and rescue activities, or affecting the fire-resistant construction of a building may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders and repair 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 and repair 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. Moreover, failure to comply with a repair order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of level 5 ($50,000 at present) and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $5,000 for each day that the offence continues.

Source: AI-found images

First-day auction results for Victoria Park Chinese New Year Fair stalls

A total of 180 wet goods stalls and four fast food stalls were all successfully let in an auction for stalls at the 2027 Victoria Park Chinese New Year Fair starting today (October 7).

Nearly 400 people attended the auction at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, from 9am to about 6.45pm today, a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said.

The average bid price for the wet goods stalls was $15,700, with the successful bids ranging from $6,530 to $53,000. The highest bid of $53,000 was about 8.1 times the opening price of $6,530.

The auction of wet goods stalls fetched a total of $2,824,632, compared with $4,303,766 last year.

The successful bids of the four fast food stalls ranged from $150,000 to $280,000 with an average of $220,000, against an opening price of $120,470.

The auction for the 216 dry goods stalls at the 2027 Victoria Park Chinese New Year Fair, including 170 regular size dry goods stalls and 46 large size dry goods stall, will be held at 9am tomorrow (October 8) and on Friday (October 9) at the same venue.

The spokesman reminded the successful bidders to comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.

Source: AI-found images