Organised by RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), the RICS Hong Kong Annual Conference 2015 was held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong today (21 May) with an attendance of over 300. Speaking on the subject of capacity at the conference.
We are honoured to have The Honourable John C Tsang, GBM, JP, Financial Secretary, HKSAR Government be our Guest of Honour. Mr. Tsang commented at the conference, “The HKSAR Government has been proactively searching for land suitable for residential development. Besides the Hung Shui Kiu and Tung Chung developments, we are also actively seeking for land in the urban area for residential usage. Currently we have identified some slots of land, which altogether can provide over 55,000 residential units in the future. The Government is very committed to satisfy housing demand through increment of land supply.”
Mr KK Ling, Director of Planning, HKSAR Government revealed the Hong Kong 2030+ Vision with strategic opportunity belts in northern New Territories and Lantau.
Each of these action areas are reflected in the conference with urban planning case studies from London and Singapore, new commercial community case studies from Roppongi Hills and Taikoo Place, and an insightful discussion on the future of Hong Kong’s silver hair market.
RICS also announced the publication of its Futures Report titled “Our Changing World: Let’s Be Ready” which talks about the need for new skills, sustainable planning and global competitiveness.
With a mission to promote and enforce the highest professional qualifications and standards of the built environment sector, RICS provides education and training standards for professionals, and advises governments and businesses on relevant issues worldwide. RICS will prepare a report based on key takeaways from the conference, which will form part of its annual policy submission to the Chief Executive towards the end of the year.
Prof Andrew Leung, FRISC, Chairman, Organising Committee said: “Effective use of existing resources and cross-industry collaboration will be crucial to ensuring sustainable growth for our city. There will be obstacles ahead, but with RICS expertise and support from both public and private sectors, we will be able to overcome them.”