Hong Kong illegal structures crackdown: other seaside homes on slopes in cross hairs, as development chief vows scrutiny not limited to Redhill Peninsula

Hong Kong’s crackdown on illegal structures will not be limited to controversy-hit luxury estate Redhill Peninsula but also other seaside homes built along slopes, the city’s development minister has pledged.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho on Saturday denied the government had turned a blind eye to the trend, saying it had in the past prioritised efforts against unlawful structures in urban areas which might pose a higher public risk.

She vowed to step up checks on more detached homes in light of a recent landslide at Redhill Peninsula in Tai Tam, triggered by record rainstorm, which exposed unauthorised works there.

“The checks won’t be limited to Redhill Peninsula but also other detached houses in the city based on their risks … Such seaside detached houses built on slopes should be targeted because they may affect slope safety,” Linn told a radio programme on Saturday.

“The landslide at Redhill Peninsula has served as a reminder that detached houses could also have safety risks if they have unauthorised extensions on slopes. We hope this wide action will demonstrate to society our determination to enforce the law.”

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Homes No 70, 72 and 74 at Redhill Peninsula were damaged by a landslide last week after torrential rain sparked flash floods citywide.

The Lands Department earlier confirmed all three homes had occupied government land without permission.

The Buildings Department also said unlawful additions were found at the three luxury properties, with house No 74 having a three-storey illegal structure facing the ocean, and house No 72 sporting an unauthorised basement measuring 17-by-19-metres with an extended swimming pool. An illegal five-by-13-metre structure was found on the lowest podium of No 70, which also had an unauthorised five-by-six-metre basement.

The department also confirmed earlier this week that illegal structures had been found at house 8D on Kam Shue Road in Clear Water Bay in Sai Kung, where another landslide struck.

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Linn pointed out authorities had already gathered relevant evidence on illegal structures at the three Redhill Peninsula homes, saying prosecutions would be brought against the relevant parties.

“We are in the process of finding out who the responsible parties are. They can be different parties such as the owners, authorised persons for the illegal structures and those who conducted the property transactions,” she said.

But the development minister dismissed suggestions of officials turning a blind eye to the trend of illegal structures at detached houses in the wake of findings by NGO Liber Research Community, which said it had identified 173 luxury houses citywide occupying government land without permission.

“Nobody is at fault. This is only a matter of building officials setting priorities based on risk assessments. We can’t expect government officers to clear all the cases in one year as new ones keep surfacing,” she said.

Linn added the Buildings Department handled more than 16,000 illegal structures with over 3,000 prosecutions yearly.

She said the department had stuck to a risk-based approach for compiling a watch list for active inspection of illegal structures, adding it had focused on buildings in urban areas as they carried higher safety risks.

“In the past we focused on buildings in urban districts as many had scaffolding structures and additions which posed greater safety risks to the public,” she said.

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“Following this landslide incident in Redhill Peninsula, the Buildings Department may include more detached houses on the watch list based on their risks.”

Linn stressed that some detached houses in Sha Tin and Tai Po had been inspected due to visible risks, but she admitted Redhill Peninsula did not come under scrutiny despite authorities earlier receiving minor complaints about houses there.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to take action against occupants responsible for unauthorised building extensions, warning that owners should expect to bear the cost of government engineering works resulting from such illegal structures.