What build professionals need to know about Hong Kong

Posted by Dan Kirk on Friday, December 17, 2010

What build professionals need to know about Hong Kong

A Maxim Recruitment overview of the extensive Hong Kong build market.

 

The Hong Kong Government has approved many major projects of late to help increase the amount of housing and accessibility to the region of Hong Kong which is experiencing a significant boom at present, even greater than the one felt in the 1990’s. This boom has created the need for more developments, such as New Development Areas to increase efficiency and give rise to the Hong Kong economy. The most prestigious project at present being the Kai Tak Development (KTD) that will replace the old national airport site and create many more construction jobs in Hong Kong.

 

The New Town Development Programme, which the Hong Kong Government set up in 1973, has led to the development of nine new towns. The main reason being the need to decentralise the over populated urban areas in Hong Kong and develop new communities to stabilise the population growth and over crowding in the cities. Despite this the population continues to grow. Currently at around 7.0 million, growing from 4.2 million in the 1970’s. This means that despite creating new towns such as Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, Tuen Man, Tai Po, Fanling/Sheung Shui, and Yuen Long throughout the 1970’s and then Tseung Kwan O, Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung throughout the 1980’s and 90’s. The government needs to create new towns and development areas.

 

The development of Kai Tak is one of these new developments approved by HKSAR. It has a theme of ‘a New Harbour Front, City of Heritage, Green, Sports and Tourism’. The Project has been split up into three different sections, each with differing target dates for completion. Stage 1 of the development began in 2009 with plans to be finished by 2013. The second stage aims to be completed by 2016 and stage 3 in 2021 marking the completion of the impressive Kai Tak Development.

 

The three stages are being separated in order to increase organisation and co-ordination. The first stage, which has already, began being constructed, aims to construct a public housing development, schools and Kai Tak government offices, a cruise terminal, runway park and waterfront promenade. The second phase which aims to be completed by 2016 plans to develop the roads and access routes to the development such as Route 6 (Central Kowloon Route), Shatin to Central Link (Tai Wai to Hung Hom), Underground street to Kowloon City and San Po Kong and the Kai Tak River. Stage 2 also plans to construct residential and commercial developments, the cruise terminal building, a heliport and a bio-remediation of Kai Tak approach channel and the Kwun Tong typhoon shelter. Finally, the third stage which aims to be completed by 2021 plans to construct a multi-purpose stadium complex, Metro Park, residential and commercial developments, a rail based environmentally friendly transport system and a district cooling system.

 

Hong Kong is pressing on with more developments at present. The £2 Billion West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Project is an important strategic investment by the Hong Kong SAR in arts and culture for the future of HK. It looks at implementing the SAR’s policy on culture and arts into a long term infrastructural development. The WKCD will house iconic architecture, distinguished talents, world class arts and cultural facilities for locals and tourists. The aim of the project being to build up Hong Kong to be an internationally recognised cultural and creative metropolis. Construction began in 2010 and is expected to be completed by 2031.

 

The Hong Kong Build market certainly looks to be continuing its history of development and playing an integral part of the Hong Kong economy. This is largely to do with the continued growth of Hong Kong and its over population in the urban areas. It can certainly be said that Hong Kong is a buoyant market for a build professional to look into and Maxim Recruitment has the best contacts in the Hong Kong Construction market and the most appealing positions to work as a construction professional in Hong Kong.

 

Dan Kirk

Maxim Recruitment.