Concrete Analysis | Hong Kong has dozens of disused school sites standing idle – the government should convert them into public rental housing
- The conversion of vacant school sites could effectively relieve the shortage of public housing in the short term, writes Chiu Kam-kuen of Cushman & Wakefield
- There are currently 183 vacant school premises in Hong Kong, of which about 70 per cent are zoned for government, institution or community use
According to the planning department, there are currently 183 vacant school premises in Hong Kong, of which about 70 per cent are zoned for government, institution or community (GIC) uses.
These vacant school sites are mainly located in the New Territories, in places such as Yuen Long and North District. Occasionally, some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use the sites for non profit-making activities with prior approval from the Lands Department.
NGOs can usually occupy the premises on short-term tenancies to make use of the vacant school sites.
Empty schools have not been used efficiently for a long time, a problem that has been magnified since the introduction of the school consolidation policy for under-utilised primary and secondary schools (commonly known as “closing schools”) by the Education Bureau in 2003.
Coincidentally, the birth rate and the number of students have been decreasing throughout the 2010s. As a result, some schools of limited size or in remote locations are forced to cease operations and are left vacant.
As pointed out by the Audit Commission in 2015, leaving school sites vacant is a waste of the city’s precious land resources. In response to the critique, the planning department started to review the long-term alternative uses of vacant school sites. Of the 183 vacant school premises, 18 were recommended to be developed for long-term residential use while most of the remaining premises would be retained for GIC uses.
