New 200-berth marina, clubhouse planned in Hong Kong revamp of Aberdeen site

Around 200 mooring spaces and boarding areas will be provided across about 11 hectares of water.

Photo: Jelly Tse A section of Hong Kong Island’s southwest coast at Aberdeen will be revamped into a new marina with 200 berths, a clubhouse and about 250 private flats by 2032 as part of government efforts to boost yacht tourism.

The Development Bureau said on Wednesday that it aimed to launch a tender in the first half of next year – the first for a marina in nearly 40 years.

It also noted there was strong market interest in the project.

To clear the 1.16-hectare seaside site near Po Chong Wan, the government plans to uproot a sailing programme provider and terminate 91 short-term leases held mostly by ship machinery and shipbuilding businesses.

According to a paper the bureau submitted to Southern District Council, the harbourfront site will deliver about 499,450 sq ft of gross floor area designated for a yacht clubhouse with basic repair facilities, catering and retail outlets, and 250 flats.

The development will provide around 200 berths for yachts at most 50 metres (164 feet) long and mooring spaces across about 11 hectares of water.

A bureau spokeswoman struck a positive note on the market’s response to the marina project after receiving eight expression-of-interest submissions last year. “Some had even hired a consultant to study and design the marina.

The market anticipates the project.

It has been 40 years since the government last tendered land for a marina,” the spokeswoman said, noting that the last one was the Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club in Tuen Mun.

The bureau said the marina would leverage the expansion of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, with the government building two new breakwaters and redeveloping the existing ones by 2030.

Businesses operating near Po Chong Wan will be affected.

Photo: Winson Wong The development comes at a cost to ship machinery and shipbuilding businesses operating near Po Chong Wan.

The spokeswoman said companies had to move out by the end of this year, and the government would offer an ex gratia grant of around HK$20 million in total to eligible tenants.

According to an official survey, of 89 short-term leases held by firms, only 64 per cent were in active operation, with less than half of them, or 19 tenants, hoping to relocate and continue their work.

The spokeswoman said their contracts would be terminated but the bureau would help tenants who intended to continue their businesses to relocate to t

原文链接: 南华早报