Hong Kong’s development chief pledges crackdown on illegal residential units in industrial buildings

The development chief has pledged to empower officials to step up ­inspections of industrial buildings, and is considering imposing tougher penalties on landlords hosting illegal residential cubicles.

The new measures come after three units in a five-decade-old industrial block in Cheung Sha Wan caught fire last week in which units were found to have been illegally divided for residential use.

During a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, lawmakers asked if authorities would take any follow-up action to deal with industrial buildings home to illegal subdivided units that posed fire hazards.

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po admitted housing officers faced huge difficulties inspecting such buildings for illegal cubicles because they did not have the power to enter private premises.

“We cannot see the internal structures until we enter a unit. It can be very troublesome if the owners do not cooperate with us,” Chan said.

“We hope to equip them with more power so they can enter suspicious flats.”