In Hong Kong, among approximately 74,000 existing elevators, over 40% have been used for over 30 years, with nearly 7,000 used for more than 50 years. Maintenance of these aging elevators often faces issues due to a lack of spare parts, leading to the replacement of old machines as one possible solution. However, replacing an entire elevator can cost over HK$1 million, which may be unaffordable for many owners.
For many years, the government has been implementing various measures to assist owners in replacing old elevators. Since 2019, two rounds of the Lift Modernisation Subsidy Scheme have been launched, allocating a total of about HK$4.5 billion to support eligible owners of private residential or mixed-use buildings in optimizing their elevators to enhance safety levels.
However, the Hung Hom Bay Centre is ineligible to apply. The eligibility criteria for the second round of the scheme is that the average annual rateable value of all residential units in the building for the 2017/18 fiscal year must not exceed HK$162,000 for urban units (including Sha Tin, Kwai Tsing, and Tsuen Wan) and HK$124,000 for New Territories units. The rateable value for Hung Hom Bay Centre is approximately HK$180,000, which exceeds the limit.
District Committees constituency member Wong Chi, jointly signed a request for the Urban Renewal Authority in March this year to launch a new round of subsidy scheme and lower the application threshold.
He stated in an interview with the Ta Kung Pao that many old buildings in Kowloon City have not yet replaced their elevators. In addition to safety hazards, maintenance costs are also quite high, with some buildings incurring monthly maintenance fees of HK$48,000. Most owners of these old buildings are elderly, with a high occupancy rate but low economic capacity. Since their buildings' rateable values exceed the limits, they do not qualify for the previous two optimization schemes, and the pressure to gather over HK$10,000 per household for elevator replacement is significant.
LegCo member Leung Hei indicated that the authorities need to process the backlog of applications from previous rounds. Due to current financial constraints, various departments must control spending. Thus, a new round of plans has not been launched.
He pointed out that the previous two rounds of the scheme were well-received, and the government should introduce a third round to meet demand.
Additionally, he suggested updating the plans in line with the times, such as making CCTV systems mandatory instead of optional safety devices to enhance building security and considering the mandatory installation of power stabilization devices due to the frequent occurrence of extreme weather.
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