Half of the seaside homes at an upmarket New Territories estate targeted by Hong Kong authorities occupy government land without proper leases, with the Post finding that two houses added three-level extensions while at least three have pending illegal structure demolition orders.
Authorities on Friday named Beaulieu Peninsula in Tuen Mun as their second target in a continuing crackdown on illegal building structures and unauthorised occupation of government land.
The Development Bureau confirmed on Saturday that inspections had found 14 out of 28 seafront houses at the estate had expanded onto government land without proper leases. The Post also identified at least 11 such instances based on online Lands Department maps as well as drone photos.
House 22, in particular, has a three-tier structure featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and doors on adjacent seafront government land. A staircase also leads down to a sandy beach outside the development’s boundary.
House 13 has added a whitewashed three-tier terrace on a patch of seafront government land that appears to feature doors and vents. At the bottom of the terrace, a set of staircases connects to a pier-like concrete structure.
70 Hong Kong homes found to have illegal works or occupying government land
70 Hong Kong homes found to have illegal works or occupying government land
Both houses, unlike most of their neighbours, have not been granted short-term tenancy leases by authorities for any part of the government land they have expanded onto.
Over the years, garden extensions at 19 houses on the seafront have been authorised through securing short-term leases from the Lands Department.
These plots measure 689 to 3,143 sq ft, with average monthly rent ranging between HK$3.70 and HK$9 per square foot. Seven leases date back to the 1990s, while three started in the last decade.
Vincent Ho Kui-yip, former president of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, said the existence of such short-term leases was a notable difference from the Redhill Peninsula – where rampant abuse of building laws was recently uncovered.
The authorities’ crackdown on unauthorised building and land use was triggered after a landslide on September 7 exposed rampant abuse of regulations at the luxury Tai Tam estate, where 70 out of 85 houses were found to have breached rules.
Development authorities on Friday said the Tuen Mun villas were chosen as a second target after taking into account potential safety hazards and risks to surrounding slopes.
Beaulieu Peninsula was included in a report of land and building breaches published three months ago by Liber Research Community, an NGO focusing on land and development policy.
Liber’s Brian Wong Shiu-hung said the situation at the estate was among the “most serious” as some instances of unauthorised land occupation had lasted “decades”.
But Ho said the risk factor might be smaller as the Beaulieu houses were sitting above a lower cliff and many could reach the rocky coast with a short flight of stairs.
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Landslide reveals illegal basements under luxury Hong Kong homes
Landslide reveals illegal basements under luxury Hong Kong homes
Such lower risk might explain why officials had granted 19 short-term leases, he added.
“To be frank, there are no people walking below and there is no large mud-based slope underneath the houses. Even if the structural extensions piled extra pressure on the slope, it wouldn’t be as vulnerable [as Redhill Peninsula] to mudslides,” he said.
But he said it was unclear how many of the structures built on the leased land had been properly approved by building authorities, noting that “a garden fence can also be considered an unauthorised structure”.
Some structures might also not meet the short-term lease conditions, he added.
Suspected illegal structures found at 70 homes out of 85 at Hong Kong’s Redhill
Suspected illegal structures found at 70 homes out of 85 at Hong Kong’s Redhill
The Buildings Department has previously ordered Beaulieu Peninsula owners to remove illegal structures. While some of these orders had been fulfilled, a check of the land records by the Post showed that houses 6, 23 and 30 still have outstanding ones dating back to 2013.
House 6, for instance, received removal orders in 2017, 2018 and 2021, the latest of which concerned “structures added to an adjacent slope”, removal of fencing included in an approved building plan, and the installation of solar panel supports on the roof.
A Development Bureau spokeswoman said on Saturday that new orders had been served to owners of the newly identified cases, demanding they remove the structures and stop occupying government land.
As authorities have yet to name other housing estates for future enforcement, Wong from Liber was concerned about how far the officials will go in confronting the city’s luxury villa owners.
“It isn’t limited to Redhill and Beaulieu. It is a systemic issue which happens elsewhere as well, [and I] wonder if the government is also targeting other cases listed on our report.”
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